DMN: Why David DeCastro is still a better pick for Cowboys at No. 14 than Dontari Poe

[CCBoy]

Moore: Why David DeCastro is still a better pick for Cowboys at No. 14 than Dontari Poe


http://www.dallasnews.com/sports/dallas-cowboys/headlines/20120301-moore-why-david-decastro-is-still-a-better-pick-for-cowboys-at-no.-14-than-dontari-poe.ece



On who would be a better draft pick for the Cowboys at No. 14 — Dontari Poe or David DeCastro?

Moore: Focusing on these two guys right now, I would still go with DeCastro here from the standpoint of he is clearly the best interior offensive lineman in this draft from a skill standpoint, but also from a fundamental standpoint. The other thing that he showed at the combine was very good footwork. He was very smooth in his transitions, he was getting in and out of his stance even better than the guys after him in the draft. So it’s not just the physical attributes, it’s also the fundamentals that this guy brings and the fact that I think you need two quality interior linemen on this team. Poe would make some sense. You’d have to move Ratliff out to defensive end and I know a lot of people have fantasized about doing that here for awhile to get a true, prototype nose tackle, but Poe is very raw. While he has great athletic ability, which really shined at the combine, DeCastro is a much more polished, ready-to-start-from-day-one NFL player than Poe.

Sherrington: This is what’s the matter with the underwear Olympics. A guy goes over there and runs fast, jumps high, and he’s a great player and everybody’s in love with him all of a sudden. Here are some other good numbers on Poe: He played for the fourth-worst defense in all of Division I, he was only second team Conference USA, and a coach in his league said he took a lot of plays off. Is that the kind of guy you want to bring in here? This is a team that’s already lacking in leadership that’s been brought by players on the team. Do you really want to bring in a 1st round pick as a guy who has a reputation of not being a work, of not being a hard guy? … I find it hard to believe a guy is all of a sudden going to flip that switch.

[burmafrd]

both these guys make sense and use logic.

ITS THE END OF THE WORLD!!!!

[jswalker1981]

both these guys make sense and use logic.

ITS THE END OF THE WORLD!!!!

:laugh2:

[Teague31]

2nd team CUSA? no thanks at 14.

[LeonDixson]

both these guys make sense and use logic.

ITS THE END OF THE WORLD!!!!
The mediots have graduated from moron to mere idiots. J/K I agree with them on this one.

[jamesdojr]

Exactly. In the 2nd RND Poe is good value. No way in hell with the #14 pick in the draft. If you want him, trade down to the 20s because he'll be there. I still think that there is a chance he will be there in the second for Dallas. Before the combine, most projected him to be a second round pick. And most people were saying that he was not a very hard worker and took plays off. Not someone I want to roll the dice with my # 14 pick.

____________________________________


2nd team CUSA? no thanks at 14.

[jterrell]

This is an argument for scouts not media or fans.

To be qualified to decide this you need to see hours and hours of tape.

Very few people have a handle on Poe which is why he is moving up boards.

As to the sophomoric shots about being 2nd team all CUSA.... plenty of NFL stars had middling college careers. Jay Ratliff started one year of college football and had 1 sack that season. A lot of the really big DTs didn't put up impressive college stats.

[Idgit]

If you're looking at Poe, it's not because of where he is now. It's only because of where he could end up. That's a huge risk in the first round.

That said, guys that big and that fast with a quick first step don't come around very often. If you hit on one, you can build your defense around them, and with our pressure off the edge, it'd be tough to stop.

Poe's tall for a NT, actually, and scouts seem to agree he's got big problems maintaining pad level. I also think he's strong as a bull but not in great cardio vascular shape. That's not the same thing as 'lazy.' I don't think there's a huge threat that the guy is not good in a locker room. The problem is, his technique is not very good, and he's going to need a year or two to develop on a team that wants an impact player now. I seriously doubt the Cowboys are interested in taking such a big risk this year when so many other options are on the board, but I have to admit that, personally, I'm intrigued with this guy just because of his athleticism.

[burmafrd]

This is an argument for scouts not media or fans.

To be qualified to decide this you need to see hours and hours of tape.

Very few people have a handle on Poe which is why he is moving up boards.

As to the sophomoric shots about being 2nd team all CUSA.... plenty of NFL stars had middling college careers. Jay Ratliff started one year of college football and had 1 sack that season. A lot of the really big DTs didn't put up impressive college stats.

and where was Jay drafted? This is talking about a guy supposedly heading for the first rd.

[jterrell]

If you're looking at Poe, it's not because of where he is now. It's only because of where he could end up. That's a huge risk in the first round.

That said, guys that big and that fast with a quick first step don't come around very often. If you hit on one, you can build your defense around them, and with our pressure off the edge, it'd be tough to stop.

Poe's tall for a NT, actually, and scouts seem to agree he's got big problems maintaining pad level. I also think he's strong as a bull but not in great cardio vascular shape. That's not the same thing as 'lazy.' I don't think there's a huge threat that the guy is not good in a locker room. The problem is, his technique is not very good, and he's going to need a year or two to develop on a team that wants an impact player now. I seriously doubt the Cowboys are interested in taking such a big risk this year when so many other options are on the board, but I have to admit that, personally, I'm intrigued with this guy just because of his athleticism.

This to me is a fair take for sure.
I am on the same scared but intrigued wavelength.

As to technique though if he played at alabama or lsu I am fairly certain he'd have been exposed to NFL caliber coaching... but Memphis? Quite doubtful. Technique is the easiest thing to teach.

All that said the one thing Dallas has never had since we went to the 3-4 was the big nose that is supposed to make the rest of the defense go. So possibly adding that element is intriguing.

[Idgit]

This to me is a fair take for sure.
I am on the same scared but intrigued wavelength.

As to technique though if he played at alabama or lsu I am fairly certain he'd have been exposed to NFL caliber coaching... but Memphis? Quite doubtful. Technique is the easiest thing to teach.

All that said the one thing Dallas has never had since we went to the 3-4 was the big nose that is supposed to make the rest of the defense go. So possibly adding that element is intriguing.

Yeah. I *never* pay much attention to combine numbers. As long as a guy's speed doesn't disqualify him for playing a position at the NFL level, I don't care all that much how his numbers vary in that band of other quality NFL prospects.

But when you see a guy this big, this strong, this fast, with a good first step who never had the benefit of exceptional coaching and who 'takes plays off' because he gets winded at times, those are all the things you know you can address in his first season. At the very least, you're going to have a much better player in year two.

Problem is, he's probably got a limited role in year one, and you don't know just how much better he can actually get. So you're almost redshirting your first rounder (not really, but you know what I mean) in a year when you need to add talent on defense. You only consider it if the upside is tremendous. And in Poe's case, it actually could be.

That said, I expect Dallas to sit tight in round one and take a safe player at a position where we have an obvious need. That's really the smart play here, anyway. But guys like Poe make things interesting.

[btcutter]

This is an argument for scouts not media or fans.

To be qualified to decide this you need to see hours and hours of tape.

Very few people have a handle on Poe which is why he is moving up boards.

As to the sophomoric shots about being 2nd team all CUSA.... plenty of NFL stars had middling college careers. Jay Ratliff started one year of college football and had 1 sack that season. A lot of the really big DTs didn't put up impressive college stats.

I don't think it's a cheap shot at Poe.

It is merely pointing out that drafting at 14th in the 1st round you need to pick a sure fire starter with Pro Bowl potential.

Ratliff was a 7th round pick. That's a big difference than 1st.

Poe is more of a boom or bust type 1st round pick. Late first and early 2nd.

[jobberone]

If you're looking at Poe, it's not because of where he is now. It's only because of where he could end up. That's a huge risk in the first round.

That said, guys that big and that fast with a quick first step don't come around very often. If you hit on one, you can build your defense around them, and with our pressure off the edge, it'd be tough to stop.

Poe's tall for a NT, actually, and scouts seem to agree he's got big problems maintaining pad level. I also think he's strong as a bull but not in great cardio vascular shape. That's not the same thing as 'lazy.' I don't think there's a huge threat that the guy is not good in a locker room. The problem is, his technique is not very good, and he's going to need a year or two to develop on a team that wants an impact player now. I seriously doubt the Cowboys are interested in taking such a big risk this year when so many other options are on the board, but I have to admit that, personally, I'm intrigued with this guy just because of his athleticism.

On the nosey. He is not going to last until 20 IMO. Too much upside.

[Idgit]

On the nosey. He is not going to last until 20 IMO. Too much upside.

Where did Ngata go? 12? He's another one that rose quite a bit the last week or so prior to the draft.

[Hoofbite]

This is an argument for scouts not media or fans.

To be qualified to decide this you need to see hours and hours of tape.

Very few people have a handle on Poe which is why he is moving up boards.

As to the sophomoric shots about being 2nd team all CUSA.... plenty of NFL stars had middling college careers. Jay Ratliff started one year of college football and had 1 sack that season. A lot of the really big DTs didn't put up impressive college stats.

And he was drafted as such.

[dadymat]

no projects please.......thanx

[Cowboys&LakersFan]

If DeCastro is there for the taking you have to draft him.

[newlander]

This is an argument for scouts not media or fans.

To be qualified to decide this you need to see hours and hours of tape.

Very few people have a handle on Poe which is why he is moving up boards.

As to the sophomoric shots about being 2nd team all CUSA.... plenty of NFL stars had middling college careers. Jay Ratliff started one year of college football and had 1 sack that season. A lot of the really big DTs didn't put up impressive college stats.



........Jay was a 6th ROUNDER: not the 14th pick of the 1st round.......Poe is overrated: BIG time and Sherrod is right........no way at 14........no way.

[baj1dallas]

2nd team CUSA? no thanks at 14.

right, because a guy who went to a school that wasn't very good at football can't be a good player in the NFL.

[Juke99]

On the nosey. He is not going to last until 20 IMO. Too much upside.

:eek: This is a trademarked phrase. Please refrain from using it in the future without written permission. :D

[jobberone]

:eek: This is a trademarked phrase. Please refrain from using it in the future without written permission. :D

Yeah, well sue me!! :eek: :p:

[tyke1doe]

I like the idea of going back to back offensive linemen in the first round.
If DeCastro is all they say he is, you take him, team him with Tyron Smith and watch the Cowboys pound defenders and protect Tony Romo in the pocket.

I'm glad we're moving away from glamor picks and investing in meat and potatoe guys.