Best Pass Rushers in the 2012 Draft - Dallas Cowboys Forum

wittenacious · 04-13-2012

Quinton Coples: Looks tired, or maybe high, or too cool for school ... something's off ... not a fan of the guy, myself ... don't trust that he'll be all-in, especially after getting paid.

Nick Perry: "... he shows you a lot of things that LaMarr Woodley ... he has those characteristics." ... "He can tackle the quarterback ..." Eh, sounds like he's got some unevenness to his game.

Melvin Ingram: "It seems like Melvin Ingram has been just descending the entire time" ... "really short arms" ... "but he's so athletic" ... is he worth our 1st Round pick? Not sure. ??? Seems there are better choices to me.

Whitney Mercilus: Intriguing player to me ... I like the "look" of the guy's game, but need him to be a 3-down player, not just a 3rd down pass rusher, to get my total confidence ... is he just a "one year wonder?" Can't help but think he's more than that.

Vinny Curry: Not a 1st Rounder, but an interesting prospect ... "quick off the ball" ... "explosive off the ball" ... "natural feel for rushing the quarterback" ... top of the 2nd Round, maybe? ... is he worth a Cowboys pick in the 2nd?

Mike Martin: Per Mayock: "... a guy a little bit down the line" ... "... he's put together like you can't believe, this is not a sloppy 300 pounds."

More food for thought. Should we have any particular interest in any of these discussed pass rushers? I like Whitney Mercilus. What do you guys say?

johnnyd · 04-13-2012

Quinton Coples: Looks tired, or maybe high, or too cool for school ... something's off ... not a fan of the guy, myself ... don't trust that he'll be all-in, especially after getting paid.

Agreed , plus those 2 arm brand things gross me out.

Eskimo · 04-13-2012

I don't think this is a great pass rush draft and who ends up being the best player is far from certain. I do think that those who are counting Coples out are being too quick to rush to judgment on a kid who probably had a messed up mind this year and possesses incredible upside. This is that rare guy who has the frame and strength to play 3-4 DE but also the explosivness and finesse to rush the passer. Guys like this don't come around too often and I really think he is hard to pass up. I remember people had very similar conversations about Calais Campbell after his Senior year with motor concerns and what would happen to him in the pros.

The other two guys that I like in this draft are Bruce Irvin and Mercilus Whitney. Both of these guys have great motors and great stories. I think they have a lot of hunger and will excel in the pros with all the adversity they have overcome in their lives. The light has really come on for both of them and both are great athletes with natural passrush instincts.

I still think this is a weak draft in impact players but has enormous depth and we need to trade down to spread out our options so we hit on more picks in the end. This draft is deep well into the 4th round.

theogt · 04-13-2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eskimo

I don't think this is a great pass rush draft and who ends up being the best player is far from certain.

It's heavy the in first round, but very light in later rounds for sure.

Eskimo · 04-13-2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by theogt

It's heavy the in first round, but very light in later rounds for sure.

A lot of the picks are thought to be late first rounders to early second rounders amongst the pass rushers. You have to remember that most people aren't expecting Cox, Brockers or Melvin Ingram to be very good pass rushers, just good all-around players. Those guys are all solidly first rounders.

In the second third of the first round you have Coples and Upshaw. Coples can be big-time but Upshaw has a low ceiling as a pass rusher, IMO.

In the latter thrid of the first round to the mid second round there are lots of guys like McLellin, Branch, Hightower, Curry and Whitney.

After that there is Bruce Irvin and a couple of others like Jake Bequette and then there isn't much after that.

As usual, if you want to get your pass rusher you have to take a shot in the first two rounds unless you get lucky and Irvin drops into the 3rd.

It just irks me so much that we can't hit on a great pass rusher later in the draft for so many years now. We have drafted one guy in 30 years with more than one double digit sack year. Only one guy and that is despite 3-4 vs. 4-3 and several different defensive and head coaches. Of course there were only 2 GMs thoughout - Schramm and Jerry Jones.

theogt · 04-14-2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eskimo

A lot of the picks are thought to be late first rounders to early second rounders amongst the pass rushers. You have to remember that most people aren't expecting Cox, Brockers or Melvin Ingram to be very good pass rushers, just good all-around players. Those guys are all solidly first rounders.

In the second third of the first round you have Coples and Upshaw. Coples can be big-time but Upshaw has a low ceiling as a pass rusher, IMO.

In the latter thrid of the first round to the mid second round there are lots of guys like McLellin, Branch, Hightower, Curry and Whitney.

After that there is Bruce Irvin and a couple of others like Jake Bequette and then there isn't much after that.

As usual, if you want to get your pass rusher you have to take a shot in the first two rounds unless you get lucky and Irvin drops into the 3rd.

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You just named 10 pass rushers that could go in the first round and even forgot Nick Perry who may end up being the best of the group. That was my point.

If someone isn't expecting Cox or Ingram to be good pass rushers at the next level, I'd stop paying attention to them.

bpfred · 04-16-2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by Eskimo

I don't think this is a great pass rush draft and who ends up being the best player is far from certain. I do think that those who are counting Coples out are being too quick to rush to judgment on a kid who probably had a messed up mind this year and possesses incredible upside. This is that rare guy who has the frame and strength to play 3-4 DE but also the explosivness and finesse to rush the passer. Guys like this don't come around too often and I really think he is hard to pass up. I remember people had very similar conversations about Calais Campbell after his Senior year with motor concerns and what would happen to him in the pros.

I think Coples is the best pass rusher in the draft, and expect him to be a double digit sack guy--if his weight stays about where it is now, or a little lower. Watching him move, the strength and quickness, I just think he is better than these other guys. A LOT better.

I like Branch, Perry and Mercilus, and think they have chances to be pretty good, but don't really expect any any of them to get10+ sacks.

Ingram is the player that scares me. He has really good quickness--it's his best attribute. He's got good speed, not great speed. The 4.66 he ran at the combine came after he dropped his weight from 272 at the Senior Bowl to 264. His 10 yard split was good but not great--not as good as Coples. I view him as a 4.7 40 guy. He's short and got short arms--two strikes in my opinion. If anything happens to detrimentally affect his quickness he could be out of the league pretty quickly. On the other hand he has really good quickness, and can make plays because of it.

I view Upshaw as a 4th rounder. I have a hard time seeing him as a star in any role. Definately not in the same class as some of the other Alabama defenders who deserve to be mentioned as 1st rounders.

Fredd · 04-16-2012

I personally have wanted Coples long before his "slide" began...those people thinking he won't play "after he gets paid" aren't thinking correctly...he will be on a rookie scale meaning he won't get "mega-bux" unless he performs at an elite level for a few years....I'll take those few years...

Bulldog · 04-16-2012

I believe that most are looking at this the wrong way. Most of the peeps on this board are looking at Outside Linebackers when they should be looking at the 5 techniques.

The Cowboys don't need double digit sacks from the DE, they need a DE that can be a 6 or 7 sack guy to pair with Spencer. If they can get that kind of production from a DE, then Spencer could lose the "Almost Anthony" moniker. A disruptive DE would make Spencer a better pass rusher.

JMO.

Cowboy Junkie · 04-13-2012

Bruce Irvin
Mercilus Whitney

TheDallasDon · 04-13-2012

a_minimalist · 04-14-2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by Cowboy Junkie

Bruce Irvin
Mercilus Whitney

This would be my dream come true!

cowboy_ron · 04-13-2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by wittenacious

Quinton Coples: Looks tired, or maybe high, or too cool for school ... something's off ... not a fan of the guy, myself ... don't trust that he'll be all-in, especially after getting paid.

Nick Perry: "... he shows you a lot of things that LaMarr Woodley ... he has those characteristics." ... "He can tackle the quarterback ..." Eh, sounds like he's got some unevenness to his game.

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I would love Curry in the 2nd

theogt · 04-13-2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by cowboy_ron

I would love Curry in the 2nd

Seems like a pure 4-3 DE to me. Not sure I want him roaming around too much. Put his hand in the dirt and let him push people around.

TheDallasDon · 04-13-2012

Quote:

Originally Posted by theogt

Seems like a pure 4-3 DE to me. Not sure I want him roaming around too much. Put his hand in the dirt and let him push people around.

I like Curry as OLB but would rather grab B.Irvin.......who is my favorite LB prospect this year.