Quote:
Originally Posted by TheCount
I'd be interested to hear why you like him so much. Not that I don't, obviously, but you seem to be especially high on Cooper.
|
Good question.
Pass-Blocking:
The NFL is a pass-happy league. Cooper is super quick and a very good pass-blocker. He is a better pass-blocker than Warmack, IMO.
Run Blocking:
Cooper is not going to annihilate a defender the way the Warmack or Warford can; however, he is strong and plays with better leverage in the running game than other really quick pass-blocking type Guards like Dallas Thomas. Being 6-3 vs 6-5 is an advantage at OG. Taller Guards need more weight to be effective.
Zone Blocking Scheme:
Callahan wants to implement a Zone Blocking Scheme. His quote from last year “I paid for my kids to go to college coaching the ZBS”.
This scheme is more dependent on quickness than brute strength/power.
An interior Olineman is never going to hit 100% of the reach blocks and blocks in space required in the ZBS; however, the quicker the player the higher the percentage of those plays that he is going to make. The opposite is not necessarily true. It does not really matter how much you blow up a defender with power, as long as he gets blocked. It is fun to see Warmack demolish guys and there is some intimidation factor, but overall if a defender is blocked out of the play, then he’s blocked out of the play.
Future:
Heavy guys like Warmack come with some long-term concerns. Warmack has good enough quickness now at age 21; however, a little weight gain or a few birthdays could slow him down to the point of sub-par quickness.
As college players get into the NFL and get older, the natural tendency is for them to gain some weight; however, they almost never get quicker. Cooper with more weight just means more power because he has quickness to spare; whereas, more weight would not help Warmack, it would only make him slower.
The final straw:
Some reports indicate that some scouts believe that Cooper could play Center. Not that it is proof of anything, but Cooper did start one game at Center in college.
If Cooper is an option at Center, then his draft stock automatically bumps up a few spots, IMO. Center’s are just too difficult to find in Free Agency. If you want a dominant one, you usually have to draft him early.
The position on the Cowboys roster that concerns me the most is Center. They have several candidates (Costa, Kowalski, and Bernadeau). I don’t consider Cook an option due to his poor run blocking. He provided a very value service in 2012 by helping to keep Romo from getting killed; however, the Cowboys must have better run blocking in the future.
Summary:
Elite quickness combined with very good strength/power.
Zone Blocking Scheme.
Possibility of playing Center would push him over the top.
.