Dallas Cowboys draft series: Western Michigan S Louis Delmas

[cowboyjoe]

Dallas Cowboys draft series: Western Michigan S Louis Delmas
12:00 AM Tue, Mar 31, 2009 | Permalink | Yahoo! Buzz
Tim MacMahon E-mail News tips

Size: 5-11, 202
Combine 40-yard dash: 4.50


Here is the link to the video;
http://cowboysblog.dallasnews.com/ar...tern-mich.html


POSITIVES
Delmas is the most complete safety in the draft. He's a big hitter and reliable tackler who excels in run support. He's a converted cornerback with good speed and range who is comfortable in coverage and has playmaking ability (12 career interceptions). He's a great special teams player. He's a high-character guy who overcame being abandoned by his parents as a child and was one of Western Michigan's captains the last two seasons.

NEGATIVES
The biggest knock on his game is that he tends to bite on play-action fakes because he is so aggressive against the run. His size is somewhat concerning due to durability questions after he missed a total of four games his sophomore and junior seasons due to injuries. He reportedly scored a 12 on the Wonderlic, bringing into question the intelligence of a player who could be the quarterback of the secondary.

COWBOY FIT
Gerald Sensabaugh would have a hard time keeping Delmas out of the Cowboys' starting lineup. But the odds are slim that Delmas, who is widely considered the top safety on the board, would slip to the 51st overall pick. However, with 11 picks in the draft, the Cowboys could easily move up in the second round to get Delmas.

WESTERN MICHIGAN SECONDARY COACH TIM DAOUST
"Louis has that unbelievable knack to close on a football in the air. He has great, great instincts. He's that rare safety who can cover a guy in the slot but will put his face on you. For a 200-pounder, he will bring the pain. ... In the past four years, he has fixed so many mistakes people made in front of him. He can just find the ball. ... We played a lot of zone here. We were a Cover 4 team with some Cover 2 concepts, so he didn't play a lot of man. But his first year he played corner and was an all-conference corner as a freshman. He has that ability. We just kept him in the middle of the field most of the time because of his range. ... He's got great feet and hips. He can change direction. Top-end speed is probably what doesn't make him a corner. But he can be a nickel back, or in a Cover 2 scheme, he'd be a great corner. ... If you talk to people around our league, [run support] is the first thing they'd mention about him. We put him back there at safety and got him involved in the run game as quickly as possible. He brings all of that 200 pounds against the run. He's phenomenal against the run, maybe to the point where he's susceptible to play-action. ... People have been pleasantly surprised [by his football smarts] when they came in here and interviewed him. He's had a lot thrown at him, because we had three defensive coordinators in three years. He's going to ask questions. Not only that, he's going to ask good questions, second-level questions. By no means is he a dumb kid. I've coached some, and Louis definitely isn't one of them. ... What makes this kid such a great kid without a doubt is the energy he brings to the football team. He's a phenomenal leader. He has that 'it' factor. He's had a lot of tough times in his life. A lot of people will quit in tough times. Louis Delmas will persevere. He's going to make it."

SCRAPBOOK
Motivated by his beginnings, WMU's Louis Delmas living by his word (Kalamazoo Gazette)

A 60-minute man from Western Michigan (dallasnews.com NFL blog)

[Zimmy Lives]

Originally Posted by cowboyjoe

Dallas Cowboys draft series: Western Michigan S Louis Delmas
12:00 AM Tue, Mar 31, 2009 | Permalink | Yahoo! Buzz
Tim MacMahon E-mail News tips

Size: 5-11, 202
Combine 40-yard dash: 4.50


Here is the link to the video;
http://cowboysblog.dallasnews.com/ar...tern-mich.html


POSITIVES
Delmas is the most complete safety in the draft. He's a big hitter and reliable tackler who excels in run support. He's a converted cornerback with good speed and range who is comfortable in coverage and has playmaking ability (12 career interceptions). He's a great special teams player. He's a high-character guy who overcame being abandoned by his parents as a child and was one of Western Michigan's captains the last two seasons.

NEGATIVES
[View Full Quote]The biggest knock on his game is that he tends to bite on play-action fakes because he is so aggressive against the run. His size is somewhat concerning due to durability questions after he missed a total of four games his sophomore and junior seasons due to injuries. He reportedly scored a 12 on the Wonderlic, bringing into question the intelligence of a player who could be the quarterback of the secondary.

COWBOY FIT
Gerald Sensabaugh would have a hard time keeping Delmas out of the Cowboys' starting lineup. But the odds are slim that Delmas, who is widely considered the top safety on the board, would slip to the 51st overall pick. However, with 11 picks in the draft, the Cowboys could easily move up in the second round to get Delmas.

WESTERN MICHIGAN SECONDARY COACH TIM DAOUST
"Louis has that unbelievable knack to close on a football in the air. He has great, great instincts. He's that rare safety who can cover a guy in the slot but will put his face on you. For a 200-pounder, he will bring the pain. ... In the past four years, he has fixed so many mistakes people made in front of him. He can just find the ball. ... We played a lot of zone here. We were a Cover 4 team with some Cover 2 concepts, so he didn't play a lot of man. But his first year he played corner and was an all-conference corner as a freshman. He has that ability. We just kept him in the middle of the field most of the time because of his range. ... He's got great feet and hips. He can change direction. Top-end speed is probably what doesn't make him a corner. But he can be a nickel back, or in a Cover 2 scheme, he'd be a great corner. ... If you talk to people around our league, [run support] is the first thing they'd mention about him. We put him back there at safety and got him involved in the run game as quickly as possible. He brings all of that 200 pounds against the run. He's phenomenal against the run, maybe to the point where he's susceptible to play-action. ... People have been pleasantly surprised [by his football smarts] when they came in here and interviewed him. He's had a lot thrown at him, because we had three defensive coordinators in three years. He's going to ask questions. Not only that, he's going to ask good questions, second-level questions. By no means is he a dumb kid. I've coached some, and Louis definitely isn't one of them. ... What makes this kid such a great kid without a doubt is the energy he brings to the football team. He's a phenomenal leader. He has that 'it' factor. He's had a lot of tough times in his life. A lot of people will quit in tough times. Louis Delmas will persevere. He's going to make it."

SCRAPBOOK
Motivated by his beginnings, WMU's Louis Delmas living by his word (Kalamazoo Gazette)

A 60-minute man from Western Michigan (dallasnews.com NFL blog)

I don't think the late Sean Taylor (God rest his soul) was known for his intelligence but he excelled with great instinct and athletic ability.

As long as this guy can hit and tackle, I can live with the bites on play fakes. Heck, even the great T-New bites on play fakes and he's supposed to have a big brain.