Just Finished Watching Our Draft Class

Verdammung

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First off, sorry for posting another thread, but as you can see, I typed a lot of words & I didn't want to hijack someone else's thread.

#12 Overall: LB Micah Parsons, Penn State
First things first, the maneuver to trade back to #12 & getting a free third round pick was an excellent one. The Eagles clearly identified the Giants as wanting to draft Devonta Smith, so we were going to play him twice a year regardless.
Second, after seeing both of the top corners going right in front of us, we had three options; Micah Parsons, Caleb Farley, or Rashawn Slater. Farley has medical concerns & Slater is almost a luxury/future pick, so Parsons had the easiest path to fixing a position of need
I gave Parsons a true 1st round grade, one of the few I gave, indicating I viewed him as a top 10 talent. While by no means a perfect prospect, I see great potential in him & I believe he can become one of the best linebackers in the league. I notably commended his productivity as a tackler & run stopper, run stuff ability, pass rushing ability, generic playmaking ability, & upfield burst. People like to bring up his coverage ability as concern, and while I agree it is imperfect, I do see enough flashes to suggest he can be better with development.
His measurables are elite.
Overall, I think the main animosity towards this pick comes from the disappointment of not having corners, the value of the position, & the hazing allegations against him, but as long as you're comfortable with the allegations I don't believe a better pick was possible.​
#44 Overall: CB Bossman Fat a.k.a Kelvin Joseph, Kentucky
Leading up to the draft, I kept hearing about how much people thought he was a first round value with personality red flags, but I never bought in myself. Since the Cowboys drafted him, I've reexamined his notes to try and find what I am missing that everyone else sees.
I think he's decent in man coverage, but I thought he struggled in zone coverage. His big claim to fame was shutting down Devonta Smith during his Heisman campaign (so here's to hoping he continues doing so as a pro). I saw a couple of interceptions; including an impressive effort along the sideline against Georgia. I thought he struggled with his back to the QB; notably against Auburn.
On the subject of his personality issues, Dave Helman drove the point home that he's not a bad person, he just has interests outside of football that will strain his focus on football. While it's not nothing, I think it's unwarranted to pass on the guy if you think he has first round value.
His measurables are average for the most part. He has a good 40 time, but a sub-par 3 cone. He didn't do the bench press.
Overall, while I am not excited, I do see where I can be wrong about the player & we desperately needed to draft a corner. While I had Asante Samuel Jr. & Aaron Robinson graded higher, it's now obvious the coaching staff wants length at CB that would have disqualified both. After losing the opportunity to draft Horn or Surtain in the 1st, personal disappointment was the only possibility remaining.​
#75 Overall: DT Osa Odighizuwa, UCLA
Full disclosure, while I have watched my five game quota on him, I recently realized that only one of those games came from his 2020 season, so it's entirely possible he was a much better player as a senior than as a junior & I'm not giving him enough credit.
First off, regardless of the quality of his tape, I don't like this pick. I've long since held that between Trysten Hill & Neville Gallimore, you have invested in the 3 Tech position, and that the prudent course of action would be to get a veteran safety net & give your young talent a chance to compete to become starters. Odighizuwa is a lightweight even for a 3 Tech & he's probably never going to be anything else, so now you've used a third consecutive top-100 pick on trying to fix the 3 Tech position.
I liked his quickness off the snap; showing disruption & anticipation. I liked his effort. I didn't see an efficient pass rusher; he did have a good game against Stanford (2019). I saw give & take power; the people on The Draft Show were talking about how well he held up against the run, but I saw the opposite.
His measurables are good for his weight. He's underweight at 282 lbs. He didn't run a 40 yard dash.
Overall, I don't feel that comfortable commenting on the quality of the player as I haven't watched that much of his senior tape, but I wouldn't have gone this direction regardless.​
#84 Overall: DE Chauncey Golston, Iowa
4-3 LE playing limited snaps inside & at OLB. Not perfect, but generally good run defender with getoff, diagnosis, & production. Decent enough power. I saw a good enough pass rusher on his senior tape, but he did struggle on his junior tape. Main concern with his pass rush is he can get eliminated at times. Lacks the traits of a speed rusher; mobility, edge rush, & twich off the snap.
His measurables are on par for a DE with good height & great arm length.
Overall, probably my third favorite pick of the draft, offering floor appeal, but lacking ceiling. Probably targeted as a replacement for Tyrone Crawford. It's a little rich to pick him in the top 100, but I don't hate it.​
#99 Overall: CB Nahshon Wright, Oregon State
The pick that pissed everyone off. A lot of people hadn't heard of him before being picked in the top 100 (myself included) & frankly there's only one game of his on youtube, so I can't give much of an opinion on him.
Suffice it to say, I didn't see anything exceptionally good or exceptionally bad on his game against Washington. He sustained over coverage playing off. He flashed well reacting to under-breaking routes. He stripped one ball. He broke up one out-break. He gave up separation to an in-break. He drew a penalty covering downfield one snap.
His measurables are lowkey awful. Great height & long arms aside; he tested sub-par on all of his drills given his low weight of 183 lbs, failing to meet positional averages for many of them.
Overall, it's hard to condemn a prospect with such a limited sample size, but Dane Brugler had him as a 7th round flier prospect and I'm erring with Brugler's opinion over the opinion of the Cowboys. It seems like an irrational reach for a prospect with height & little else to fill a scheme archtype.​
#115 Overall: LB Jabril Cox, LSU
4-3 OLB.
Primarily known for his coverage ability. Decent production stopping the run & as a tackler. Shows upfield burst. Struggles with power against the run. Thought he struggled against misdirection. Doesn't offer much as a blitzer.
Draftscout doesn't have his pro day numbers, but a quick google suggests a sub 4.60 40 yard dash with decent jumps. He's over 6'3" & a bit lightweight at 232 lbs.
Overall, I think he faces stiff competition to see the field this season. However, with a season of development & contract concerns with Jaylon Smith & LVE, there is a real possibility the Cowboys drafted it's 2022 LB tandem with Parsons & Cox.​
#138 Overall: OT Josh Ball, Marshall
I only found two games of Marshall OL tape from 2020; UAB & Appalachian State.
Dane Brugler said he was a top 100 talent with personality red flags; I can see where people might think he's talented, but I personally wasn't impressed.
Not much of a mobile blocker, but he flashed mobility. Unnoteworthy power. He doesn't struggle a lot in protection, but he doesn't impress me either. He struggled as a run blocker. He kept getting subbed out against Appalachian State; is conditioning a problem for him? Inexplicably subbed out with 2 minutes to go against UAB.
His testing numbers are mediocre, but he boasts 6'7"+ height & 35 inch arms.
Overall, I hate this pick. He's not so bad on tape that I'm upset he got drafted in the 4th round, but a cursory glance at his issues with domestic violence effectively took him off my board.​
#179 Overall: WR Simi Fehoko, Stanford
Played X & Y. Had an insanely productive game against UCLA. Flashes well with mobility. Thought I saw a physical player against tackles. I thought his route running was mediocre; not awful, but not inspiring for his long-term aspirations of being a starter. No make miss ability. Mixed results as a contested target. Struggled with drops.
His measurables are rock solid; tested well with a big body.
Overall, I can understand why some people were excited about him as a prospect. I'm not quite sure about his long term prospects of becoming an NFL starter, but with his measurables you are taking a shot at him becoming a core special teamer, which is acceptable given the point at which he was drafted.​
#192 Overall: DT Quinton Bohanna, Kentucky
Trash can full of dirt. Played 3-4 NT. Decent power. Limited production against the run, but did manage some stuffs. I thought I saw some quick twich to him, but not against Alabama. Literally offers nothing as a pass rusher.
His measurables... roughly the same testing numbers as a literal trash can full of dirt.
Overall, he is the embodiment of the low value NT. It's exciting that the Cowboys finally invested something at the position after neglecting it for years & he has few obstacles towards becoming a contributor, but it's low expectations for a late draft pick. Looking back in hindsight at the 3rd round picks, I think it's fair to ask whether or not reallocating your draft picks to pick up Tommy Togiai or Tyler Shelvin could have added more upside at the position.​
#227 Overall: DB Israel Mukuama, South Carolina
Versatile usage at South Carolina; I saw him play outside corner, slot, box safety, single high safety, & cover 2. It's reported we're looking at him as a safety, which is slightly better than trying him at outside corner, but at the same time I don't have a high confidence level in his run support. I'll be blunt; I don't like him in coverage. It's mixed results in zone & he gets burned in man coverage. He had limited production breaking up passes, but he did make a couple of interceptions; including a great one-hander. He was subbed out twice with injury in the games I watched.
He only did the jumps as his pro day, but he's taller than 6'4" with 34 inch arms.
Overall, he's a late pick, so I can't grill the Cowboys for taking a flier on him. However, I don't have confidence he'll make the team, let alone become a contributor.​
#238 Overall: OG Matt Farniok, Nebraska
Watched two games of his; Iowa & Ohio State.
Played RG; reported positional flexibility on display against Iowa when the starting center high-snapped a ball & he took over for a drive. I liked him sustaining blocks in protection against Iowa. Unextraordinary power. Decent enough recognition. Saw decent enough mobility, but thought he struggled executing as a mobile blocker. Saw him get beat repeatedly for pressure; including against one Chauncey Golston. Saw more negative than positive as a run blocker.
His measurables are decent; notably his 3 Cone & short shuttle.
Overall, he's a 7th round flier taken in the 7th round.
Overall, the commitment to trying to fix our abysmal 2020 defense is clear, but despite all the investment, outside of the linebacker position I'm not convinced our defense will be more talented than it was before. Golston & Odighizuwa will likely replace Tyrone Crawford's role. Joseph will match Chidobe Awuzie's ability. The Cowboys continued their perpetual neglect in investing in the NT & safety positions; waiting till rounds 6 & 7 to address them. The burden of improving our defense will lay at the coaching ability of Dan Quinn & the simplification of the scheme.

 

JBS

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Great post. A lot of work went in and your opinion deserves credit just for that.

I think you have a pretty spot on assessment of the class overall. For me the wild card is Joseph. If the Cowboys can develop him then the class should be a big win overall. If not, it's probably going to be a big loss.

I think Parsons is going to be a big time hit. Jospeh is the wild card. The first 2 thirds are going to give you depth on the DL and improve the rush defense..Cox has a chance to develop into a starting lb in a year or so..and maybe 1 or 2 of the rest of the bunch can provide some kind of contribution.

With 11 picks and 5 of them in the top 100, it's probably not going to live up to what the class could have been..but if they hit, especially if they hit big, with those first two picks, it'll be a win no matter what..but there is definitely no guarantee there
 

Creeper

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Good work. You are a little more negative than I was, even though I am a self-admitted cynic, but at least you took the time to watch these guys play. Everything you say, could be correct. But I can't help but feel that part of the negativity is that this is just a weak draft class and except for a few position players, everyone has warts. The fact is all the defensive players in this draft are in some way questionable, especially after the first round.

I wasn't a fan of the Parsons pick but I get why they picked him considering how the draft was going. I have a higher opinion of Joseph but to me, he was the best pick at that spot considering who had come off the board already. I agree with your thoughts on round 3. I would have gone somewhere else than Osa Odighizuwa, and I would not have taken Golston. But when McNeill and Williams were taken a few picks ahead of them they really did not have any good options in the 3rd. Maybe Chazz Surratt? There really were no really good options I can see unless they reached for someone like Jay Tufele. In retrospect they should have traded up to the front of round 3 and gotten McNeill or Williams.
 

Malhavoc

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I think Parsons is going to be a star and I think Joseph will also be a day 1 starter that will have his ups and downs but will ultimately be a good player. Way higher on Osa then you are. I think he’s going to be a solid pass rusher on the interior. I think the value in Cox as a coverage LB is significant considering how awful we were last year. I like these 4 quite a bit more than you, but we’ll see in the fall.
 

Future

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Don't agree with all of it, but this is a great breakdown
 

CowboyRoy

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First off, sorry for posting another thread, but as you can see, I typed a lot of words & I didn't want to hijack someone else's thread.

#12 Overall: LB Micah Parsons, Penn State
First things first, the maneuver to trade back to #12 & getting a free third round pick was an excellent one. The Eagles clearly identified the Giants as wanting to draft Devonta Smith, so we were going to play him twice a year regardless.
Second, after seeing both of the top corners going right in front of us, we had three options; Micah Parsons, Caleb Farley, or Rashawn Slater. Farley has medical concerns & Slater is almost a luxury/future pick, so Parsons had the easiest path to fixing a position of need
I gave Parsons a true 1st round grade, one of the few I gave, indicating I viewed him as a top 10 talent. While by no means a perfect prospect, I see great potential in him & I believe he can become one of the best linebackers in the league. I notably commended his productivity as a tackler & run stopper, run stuff ability, pass rushing ability, generic playmaking ability, & upfield burst. People like to bring up his coverage ability as concern, and while I agree it is imperfect, I do see enough flashes to suggest he can be better with development.
His measurables are elite.
Overall, I think the main animosity towards this pick comes from the disappointment of not having corners, the value of the position, & the hazing allegations against him, but as long as you're comfortable with the allegations I don't believe a better pick was possible.​
#44 Overall: CB Bossman Fat a.k.a Kelvin Joseph, Kentucky
Leading up to the draft, I kept hearing about how much people thought he was a first round value with personality red flags, but I never bought in myself. Since the Cowboys drafted him, I've reexamined his notes to try and find what I am missing that everyone else sees.
I think he's decent in man coverage, but I thought he struggled in zone coverage. His big claim to fame was shutting down Devonta Smith during his Heisman campaign (so here's to hoping he continues doing so as a pro). I saw a couple of interceptions; including an impressive effort along the sideline against Georgia. I thought he struggled with his back to the QB; notably against Auburn.
On the subject of his personality issues, Dave Helman drove the point home that he's not a bad person, he just has interests outside of football that will strain his focus on football. While it's not nothing, I think it's unwarranted to pass on the guy if you think he has first round value.
His measurables are average for the most part. He has a good 40 time, but a sub-par 3 cone. He didn't do the bench press.
Overall, while I am not excited, I do see where I can be wrong about the player & we desperately needed to draft a corner. While I had Asante Samuel Jr. & Aaron Robinson graded higher, it's now obvious the coaching staff wants length at CB that would have disqualified both. After losing the opportunity to draft Horn or Surtain in the 1st, personal disappointment was the only possibility remaining.​
#75 Overall: DT Osa Odighizuwa, UCLA
Full disclosure, while I have watched my five game quota on him, I recently realized that only one of those games came from his 2020 season, so it's entirely possible he was a much better player as a senior than as a junior & I'm not giving him enough credit.
First off, regardless of the quality of his tape, I don't like this pick. I've long since held that between Trysten Hill & Neville Gallimore, you have invested in the 3 Tech position, and that the prudent course of action would be to get a veteran safety net & give your young talent a chance to compete to become starters. Odighizuwa is a lightweight even for a 3 Tech & he's probably never going to be anything else, so now you've used a third consecutive top-100 pick on trying to fix the 3 Tech position.
I liked his quickness off the snap; showing disruption & anticipation. I liked his effort. I didn't see an efficient pass rusher; he did have a good game against Stanford (2019). I saw give & take power; the people on The Draft Show were talking about how well he held up against the run, but I saw the opposite.
His measurables are good for his weight. He's underweight at 282 lbs. He didn't run a 40 yard dash.
Overall, I don't feel that comfortable commenting on the quality of the player as I haven't watched that much of his senior tape, but I wouldn't have gone this direction regardless.​
#84 Overall: DE Chauncey Golston, Iowa
4-3 LE playing limited snaps inside & at OLB. Not perfect, but generally good run defender with getoff, diagnosis, & production. Decent enough power. I saw a good enough pass rusher on his senior tape, but he did struggle on his junior tape. Main concern with his pass rush is he can get eliminated at times. Lacks the traits of a speed rusher; mobility, edge rush, & twich off the snap.
His measurables are on par for a DE with good height & great arm length.
Overall, probably my third favorite pick of the draft, offering floor appeal, but lacking ceiling. Probably targeted as a replacement for Tyrone Crawford. It's a little rich to pick him in the top 100, but I don't hate it.​
#99 Overall: CB Nahshon Wright, Oregon State
The pick that pissed everyone off. A lot of people hadn't heard of him before being picked in the top 100 (myself included) & frankly there's only one game of his on youtube, so I can't give much of an opinion on him.
Suffice it to say, I didn't see anything exceptionally good or exceptionally bad on his game against Washington. He sustained over coverage playing off. He flashed well reacting to under-breaking routes. He stripped one ball. He broke up one out-break. He gave up separation to an in-break. He drew a penalty covering downfield one snap.
His measurables are lowkey awful. Great height & long arms aside; he tested sub-par on all of his drills given his low weight of 183 lbs, failing to meet positional averages for many of them.
Overall, it's hard to condemn a prospect with such a limited sample size, but Dane Brugler had him as a 7th round flier prospect and I'm erring with Brugler's opinion over the opinion of the Cowboys. It seems like an irrational reach for a prospect with height & little else to fill a scheme archtype.​
#115 Overall: LB Jabril Cox, LSU
4-3 OLB.
Primarily known for his coverage ability. Decent production stopping the run & as a tackler. Shows upfield burst. Struggles with power against the run. Thought he struggled against misdirection. Doesn't offer much as a blitzer.
Draftscout doesn't have his pro day numbers, but a quick google suggests a sub 4.60 40 yard dash with decent jumps. He's over 6'3" & a bit lightweight at 232 lbs.
Overall, I think he faces stiff competition to see the field this season. However, with a season of development & contract concerns with Jaylon Smith & LVE, there is a real possibility the Cowboys drafted it's 2022 LB tandem with Parsons & Cox.​
#138 Overall: OT Josh Ball, Marshall
I only found two games of Marshall OL tape from 2020; UAB & Appalachian State.
Dane Brugler said he was a top 100 talent with personality red flags; I can see where people might think he's talented, but I personally wasn't impressed.
Not much of a mobile blocker, but he flashed mobility. Unnoteworthy power. He doesn't struggle a lot in protection, but he doesn't impress me either. He struggled as a run blocker. He kept getting subbed out against Appalachian State; is conditioning a problem for him? Inexplicably subbed out with 2 minutes to go against UAB.
His testing numbers are mediocre, but he boasts 6'7"+ height & 35 inch arms.
Overall, I hate this pick. He's not so bad on tape that I'm upset he got drafted in the 4th round, but a cursory glance at his issues with domestic violence effectively took him off my board.​
#179 Overall: WR Simi Fehoko, Stanford
Played X & Y. Had an insanely productive game against UCLA. Flashes well with mobility. Thought I saw a physical player against tackles. I thought his route running was mediocre; not awful, but not inspiring for his long-term aspirations of being a starter. No make miss ability. Mixed results as a contested target. Struggled with drops.
His measurables are rock solid; tested well with a big body.
Overall, I can understand why some people were excited about him as a prospect. I'm not quite sure about his long term prospects of becoming an NFL starter, but with his measurables you are taking a shot at him becoming a core special teamer, which is acceptable given the point at which he was drafted.​
#192 Overall: DT Quinton Bohanna, Kentucky
Trash can full of dirt. Played 3-4 NT. Decent power. Limited production against the run, but did manage some stuffs. I thought I saw some quick twich to him, but not against Alabama. Literally offers nothing as a pass rusher.
His measurables... roughly the same testing numbers as a literal trash can full of dirt.
Overall, he is the embodiment of the low value NT. It's exciting that the Cowboys finally invested something at the position after neglecting it for years & he has few obstacles towards becoming a contributor, but it's low expectations for a late draft pick. Looking back in hindsight at the 3rd round picks, I think it's fair to ask whether or not reallocating your draft picks to pick up Tommy Togiai or Tyler Shelvin could have added more upside at the position.​
#227 Overall: DB Israel Mukuama, South Carolina
Versatile usage at South Carolina; I saw him play outside corner, slot, box safety, single high safety, & cover 2. It's reported we're looking at him as a safety, which is slightly better than trying him at outside corner, but at the same time I don't have a high confidence level in his run support. I'll be blunt; I don't like him in coverage. It's mixed results in zone & he gets burned in man coverage. He had limited production breaking up passes, but he did make a couple of interceptions; including a great one-hander. He was subbed out twice with injury in the games I watched.
He only did the jumps as his pro day, but he's taller than 6'4" with 34 inch arms.
Overall, he's a late pick, so I can't grill the Cowboys for taking a flier on him. However, I don't have confidence he'll make the team, let alone become a contributor.​
#238 Overall: OG Matt Farniok, Nebraska
Watched two games of his; Iowa & Ohio State.
Played RG; reported positional flexibility on display against Iowa when the starting center high-snapped a ball & he took over for a drive. I liked him sustaining blocks in protection against Iowa. Unextraordinary power. Decent enough recognition. Saw decent enough mobility, but thought he struggled executing as a mobile blocker. Saw him get beat repeatedly for pressure; including against one Chauncey Golston. Saw more negative than positive as a run blocker.
His measurables are decent; notably his 3 Cone & short shuttle.
Overall, he's a 7th round flier taken in the 7th round.
Overall, the commitment to trying to fix our abysmal 2020 defense is clear, but despite all the investment, outside of the linebacker position I'm not convinced our defense will be more talented than it was before. Golston & Odighizuwa will likely replace Tyrone Crawford's role. Joseph will match Chidobe Awuzie's ability. The Cowboys continued their perpetual neglect in investing in the NT & safety positions; waiting till rounds 6 & 7 to address them. The burden of improving our defense will lay at the coaching ability of Dan Quinn & the simplification of the scheme.

Bottom line is parsons and maybe Joseph and the rest is rotation fodder and garbage. Cox is the only thing decent past the 2nd round.
 

CowboyRoy

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I think Parsons is going to be a star and I think Joseph will also be a day 1 starter that will have his ups and downs but will ultimately be a good player. Way higher on Osa then you are. I think he’s going to be a solid pass rusher on the interior. I think the value in Cox as a coverage LB is significant considering how awful we were last year. I like these 4 quite a bit more than you, but we’ll see in the fall.
Cox won’t even ply this year.
 

DanA

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First off, sorry for posting another thread, but as you can see, I typed a lot of words & I didn't want to hijack someone else's thread.

Snipped
Overall, the commitment to trying to fix our abysmal 2020 defense is clear, but despite all the investment, outside of the linebacker position I'm not convinced our defense will be more talented than it was before. Golston & Odighizuwa will likely replace Tyrone Crawford's role. Joseph will match Chidobe Awuzie's ability. The Cowboys continued their perpetual neglect in investing in the NT & safety positions; waiting till rounds 6 & 7 to address them. The burden of improving our defense will lay at the coaching ability of Dan Quinn & the simplification of the scheme.

Great post, I agree with your assessment of the players except I'm perhaps slightly higher on Joseph (so excuse the cut job which took out all the stuff I agreed with). I don't see Joseph the top 15 talent talked about, but I do think there's plenty to work with. He had a good forty and broad jump, and I think the other tests are a product of a guy that has been a little reliant on natural gifts, and hasn't done the work on his footwork or in the weight room. I really don't know this, but I suspect the program made an example of his for clowning around in the weight room, and not doing the work on his footwork with his head out of the game (post Covid). Hopefully he loves money though, and with the time afforded professional NFL players, he can gain that extra weight, strength and technique.

What he does have is raw 4.3 speed, the ability to track the ball, and the desire to stick his nose in a tackle. I find those are the skills developed at a young age and hard to improve by the time a kid enters the NFL. Footwork, strength, and understanding of the game are the stuff improved in the NFL, and if he can get them up to standard, I think he could be a decent rookie, and really good player second year and beyond. We will see how hard he works though.

In terms of the overall defense. I think it's significantly improved for the following reasons:

1. Personnel on the D-line
Last season Aldon Smith and Randy Gregory were the only D-line players with arm length that were 34" or longer. Not surprising that our D-linemen struggled to use their hands to read and react in the two gap scheme Nolan asked them to play. They roster as whole just plain sucked at it, and constantly lost the hand fights, were turned/sealed, and allowed opposition O-linemen players to get to the second level and wash out our LB's. Add to that Nolan initially asked Lawrence and Griffen to play standing, and put out linebackers in a position where they didn't know which gap they should fill.

This seasons players are simply built different, we've added six guys to the D-line (Urban, Watkins, Bohanna, Odigizuwa, Golston, and Basham) and every single one of them have arms at or exceeding 34". Now maybe not all six of them have a role to play in 2021 but they are built very different and I would not be surprised to see some of the guys lacking length traded. Even still, Quinn's defence is a little more like Marinelli's in that the 3T is asked to shoot the gap, and he runs a lot of stunts (even more than Marinelli) so I do think guys like Hill, Gallimore, and Woods still have a big role to play.

2. Personnel at linebackers
I think we have a more versatile linebacker group. Before they were all kind the same but now we've added a guy (Parsons) whose much better at getting O-linemen that have gotten to the second level, and still managing to fill his gap than LVE and Jaylon, along with two coverage guys (Neale & Cox) that are much better at this aspect. That's not a knock on Jaylon/LVE, they've both been pro-bowlers and if given space to work sideline to sideline are excellent options but they haven't always been that great. I'm expecting a much higher level of play.

3. Secondary play
You'd expect Diggs to take a step forward, and I'd hope Joseph plays the whole season where Awuzie missed half of it. Even still, I think the biggest problem we had last year was related to blown assignments at corner rather than being out played with Xavier Woods/ Darian Thompson the ones that were perhaps bad players. Kazee I think can be significantly better player when healthy but I was hoping for a bit more help here. I agree though, we simply can't have so many blown assignments so a lot of it will come down to coaching
 
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Stak78

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I was very disappointed in the way the Cowboys drafted. Parsons and Cox were the only two picks I was pleased with. Our three third round picks all look to be a serious waste of a great opportunity. The Cowboys drafted really well last year and had hope it would continue. It has not.
 

john van brocklin

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First off, sorry for posting another thread, but as you can see, I typed a lot of words & I didn't want to hijack someone else's thread.

#12 Overall: LB Micah Parsons, Penn State
First things first, the maneuver to trade back to #12 & getting a free third round pick was an excellent one. The Eagles clearly identified the Giants as wanting to draft Devonta Smith, so we were going to play him twice a year regardless.
Second, after seeing both of the top corners going right in front of us, we had three options; Micah Parsons, Caleb Farley, or Rashawn Slater. Farley has medical concerns & Slater is almost a luxury/future pick, so Parsons had the easiest path to fixing a position of need
I gave Parsons a true 1st round grade, one of the few I gave, indicating I viewed him as a top 10 talent. While by no means a perfect prospect, I see great potential in him & I believe he can become one of the best linebackers in the league. I notably commended his productivity as a tackler & run stopper, run stuff ability, pass rushing ability, generic playmaking ability, & upfield burst. People like to bring up his coverage ability as concern, and while I agree it is imperfect, I do see enough flashes to suggest he can be better with development.
His measurables are elite.
Overall, I think the main animosity towards this pick comes from the disappointment of not having corners, the value of the position, & the hazing allegations against him, but as long as you're comfortable with the allegations I don't believe a better pick was possible.​
#44 Overall: CB Bossman Fat a.k.a Kelvin Joseph, Kentucky
Leading up to the draft, I kept hearing about how much people thought he was a first round value with personality red flags, but I never bought in myself. Since the Cowboys drafted him, I've reexamined his notes to try and find what I am missing that everyone else sees.
I think he's decent in man coverage, but I thought he struggled in zone coverage. His big claim to fame was shutting down Devonta Smith during his Heisman campaign (so here's to hoping he continues doing so as a pro). I saw a couple of interceptions; including an impressive effort along the sideline against Georgia. I thought he struggled with his back to the QB; notably against Auburn.
On the subject of his personality issues, Dave Helman drove the point home that he's not a bad person, he just has interests outside of football that will strain his focus on football. While it's not nothing, I think it's unwarranted to pass on the guy if you think he has first round value.
His measurables are average for the most part. He has a good 40 time, but a sub-par 3 cone. He didn't do the bench press.
Overall, while I am not excited, I do see where I can be wrong about the player & we desperately needed to draft a corner. While I had Asante Samuel Jr. & Aaron Robinson graded higher, it's now obvious the coaching staff wants length at CB that would have disqualified both. After losing the opportunity to draft Horn or Surtain in the 1st, personal disappointment was the only possibility remaining.​
#75 Overall: DT Osa Odighizuwa, UCLA
Full disclosure, while I have watched my five game quota on him, I recently realized that only one of those games came from his 2020 season, so it's entirely possible he was a much better player as a senior than as a junior & I'm not giving him enough credit.
First off, regardless of the quality of his tape, I don't like this pick. I've long since held that between Trysten Hill & Neville Gallimore, you have invested in the 3 Tech position, and that the prudent course of action would be to get a veteran safety net & give your young talent a chance to compete to become starters. Odighizuwa is a lightweight even for a 3 Tech & he's probably never going to be anything else, so now you've used a third consecutive top-100 pick on trying to fix the 3 Tech position.
I liked his quickness off the snap; showing disruption & anticipation. I liked his effort. I didn't see an efficient pass rusher; he did have a good game against Stanford (2019). I saw give & take power; the people on The Draft Show were talking about how well he held up against the run, but I saw the opposite.
His measurables are good for his weight. He's underweight at 282 lbs. He didn't run a 40 yard dash.
Overall, I don't feel that comfortable commenting on the quality of the player as I haven't watched that much of his senior tape, but I wouldn't have gone this direction regardless.​
#84 Overall: DE Chauncey Golston, Iowa
4-3 LE playing limited snaps inside & at OLB. Not perfect, but generally good run defender with getoff, diagnosis, & production. Decent enough power. I saw a good enough pass rusher on his senior tape, but he did struggle on his junior tape. Main concern with his pass rush is he can get eliminated at times. Lacks the traits of a speed rusher; mobility, edge rush, & twich off the snap.
His measurables are on par for a DE with good height & great arm length.
Overall, probably my third favorite pick of the draft, offering floor appeal, but lacking ceiling. Probably targeted as a replacement for Tyrone Crawford. It's a little rich to pick him in the top 100, but I don't hate it.​
#99 Overall: CB Nahshon Wright, Oregon State
The pick that pissed everyone off. A lot of people hadn't heard of him before being picked in the top 100 (myself included) & frankly there's only one game of his on youtube, so I can't give much of an opinion on him.
Suffice it to say, I didn't see anything exceptionally good or exceptionally bad on his game against Washington. He sustained over coverage playing off. He flashed well reacting to under-breaking routes. He stripped one ball. He broke up one out-break. He gave up separation to an in-break. He drew a penalty covering downfield one snap.
His measurables are lowkey awful. Great height & long arms aside; he tested sub-par on all of his drills given his low weight of 183 lbs, failing to meet positional averages for many of them.
Overall, it's hard to condemn a prospect with such a limited sample size, but Dane Brugler had him as a 7th round flier prospect and I'm erring with Brugler's opinion over the opinion of the Cowboys. It seems like an irrational reach for a prospect with height & little else to fill a scheme archtype.​
#115 Overall: LB Jabril Cox, LSU
4-3 OLB.
Primarily known for his coverage ability. Decent production stopping the run & as a tackler. Shows upfield burst. Struggles with power against the run. Thought he struggled against misdirection. Doesn't offer much as a blitzer.
Draftscout doesn't have his pro day numbers, but a quick google suggests a sub 4.60 40 yard dash with decent jumps. He's over 6'3" & a bit lightweight at 232 lbs.
Overall, I think he faces stiff competition to see the field this season. However, with a season of development & contract concerns with Jaylon Smith & LVE, there is a real possibility the Cowboys drafted it's 2022 LB tandem with Parsons & Cox.​
#138 Overall: OT Josh Ball, Marshall
I only found two games of Marshall OL tape from 2020; UAB & Appalachian State.
Dane Brugler said he was a top 100 talent with personality red flags; I can see where people might think he's talented, but I personally wasn't impressed.
Not much of a mobile blocker, but he flashed mobility. Unnoteworthy power. He doesn't struggle a lot in protection, but he doesn't impress me either. He struggled as a run blocker. He kept getting subbed out against Appalachian State; is conditioning a problem for him? Inexplicably subbed out with 2 minutes to go against UAB.
His testing numbers are mediocre, but he boasts 6'7"+ height & 35 inch arms.
Overall, I hate this pick. He's not so bad on tape that I'm upset he got drafted in the 4th round, but a cursory glance at his issues with domestic violence effectively took him off my board.​
#179 Overall: WR Simi Fehoko, Stanford
Played X & Y. Had an insanely productive game against UCLA. Flashes well with mobility. Thought I saw a physical player against tackles. I thought his route running was mediocre; not awful, but not inspiring for his long-term aspirations of being a starter. No make miss ability. Mixed results as a contested target. Struggled with drops.
His measurables are rock solid; tested well with a big body.
Overall, I can understand why some people were excited about him as a prospect. I'm not quite sure about his long term prospects of becoming an NFL starter, but with his measurables you are taking a shot at him becoming a core special teamer, which is acceptable given the point at which he was drafted.​
#192 Overall: DT Quinton Bohanna, Kentucky
Trash can full of dirt. Played 3-4 NT. Decent power. Limited production against the run, but did manage some stuffs. I thought I saw some quick twich to him, but not against Alabama. Literally offers nothing as a pass rusher.
His measurables... roughly the same testing numbers as a literal trash can full of dirt.
Overall, he is the embodiment of the low value NT. It's exciting that the Cowboys finally invested something at the position after neglecting it for years & he has few obstacles towards becoming a contributor, but it's low expectations for a late draft pick. Looking back in hindsight at the 3rd round picks, I think it's fair to ask whether or not reallocating your draft picks to pick up Tommy Togiai or Tyler Shelvin could have added more upside at the position.​
#227 Overall: DB Israel Mukuama, South Carolina
Versatile usage at South Carolina; I saw him play outside corner, slot, box safety, single high safety, & cover 2. It's reported we're looking at him as a safety, which is slightly better than trying him at outside corner, but at the same time I don't have a high confidence level in his run support. I'll be blunt; I don't like him in coverage. It's mixed results in zone & he gets burned in man coverage. He had limited production breaking up passes, but he did make a couple of interceptions; including a great one-hander. He was subbed out twice with injury in the games I watched.
He only did the jumps as his pro day, but he's taller than 6'4" with 34 inch arms.
Overall, he's a late pick, so I can't grill the Cowboys for taking a flier on him. However, I don't have confidence he'll make the team, let alone become a contributor.​
#238 Overall: OG Matt Farniok, Nebraska
Watched two games of his; Iowa & Ohio State.
Played RG; reported positional flexibility on display against Iowa when the starting center high-snapped a ball & he took over for a drive. I liked him sustaining blocks in protection against Iowa. Unextraordinary power. Decent enough recognition. Saw decent enough mobility, but thought he struggled executing as a mobile blocker. Saw him get beat repeatedly for pressure; including against one Chauncey Golston. Saw more negative than positive as a run blocker.
His measurables are decent; notably his 3 Cone & short shuttle.
Overall, he's a 7th round flier taken in the 7th round.
Overall, the commitment to trying to fix our abysmal 2020 defense is clear, but despite all the investment, outside of the linebacker position I'm not convinced our defense will be more talented than it was before. Golston & Odighizuwa will likely replace Tyrone Crawford's role. Joseph will match Chidobe Awuzie's ability. The Cowboys continued their perpetual neglect in investing in the NT & safety positions; waiting till rounds 6 & 7 to address them. The burden of improving our defense will lay at the coaching ability of Dan Quinn & the simplification of the scheme.

Thanks for the effort!
Looking forward to the season
 

Carter

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Nice Breakdown but i think you focus too much on what they cant do well.

I agree with the Nashon Wright Pick. I Think he will be out of the League in 3 years and likely only be kept because we wont look stupid cutting a 3rd Rounder before the Seasons starts. The guy did 6 Reps on the Bench. My Grandma likely does more.

I think the 2nd Day was awful overall. I had two corners rated higher than Joseph too and im not sure he cares enough about football but i can understand the picking given that Quinn wants plus size DBs. I think Osa and Gholston could have been had later if we liked them. Both are high energy, good character guys that try hard. But the Talent to be an impact player is not there. I dont see any ceiling with those two. I doubt either one will ever be a Starter or Key Rotational Player.

On the third day though we crushed it and that made up for Day 2 in my opinion. Getting Cox in the fourth, aswell as Fehoko and Israel later on made up for Day 2.

I think Cox will ultimately play a lot of Nickel and SS and Israel will be coverted into a Safety too. So i think we did strenghten Safety at the Draft.

Instead of one of Gholston or Osa i would have liked a more talented 1 Tech like Togiai or Shelton.

I think Cowboys were set to take Milton Wiliams but someone traded up and took him 2 Picks before we were on the clock.
 

SFloridaCowboy

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This year's draft was empty at the DL positions with classical sized first round talent.

Based upon your comments, 1992 1st round pick Kevin Smith was a reach, with a sub 190 lb weight, as not being solid enough to handle the rigors of NFL play.

Jay Ratliff in the 7th round as not much of a player to select. No one had him rated higher than a 7th rounder. How did that turn out?

Leon Lett was a person who was from Emporia State who played against inferior players leaguers and also played basketball, diluting his devotion to football. Not worthy of drafting? A wasted pick?

Did you blast the drafting of center Frederick when everyone said he was a third round talent at best?

You call 282 lbs undersized for DT. If you have two DT's, one 282 all muscle and a champion wrestler and the second of the same height, but at 320 with 40 lbs of fat around his middle, is the one fatty "NFL size" better because of his weight, or is he fooling you with his corpulence?

DT Laroi Glover at 6'2" 285 was a fifth rounder who made many Pro Bowls.

I will take Harvey Martin in his prime, pass rushing at 255 over any 320 lb LOT today.

I will take Randy White at 275 against any 330 lb guard today.

I will take 6'9" 275 Too Tall Jones against any 320 lb RT today.

Most offensive linemen are 30-40 more lbs overweight. The weight alone does not make them better at the point of attack than a superiorly gifted defensive lineman with enormous strength and moves and counter moves, who weighs 275 and has a flat stomach.
 

John813

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In regards to Osa Odighizuwa you got to remember now by 2021 we are on our 3rd DC since Hill was drafted and 2nd since Gallimore was.
What traits Rod was mesmerized by with Hill, maybe his signature on the napkin, may not be looked for as much by Quinn.
Or maybe Quinn will move him back to the NT in his 3-4 packages(same position he played at UCF) with Osa O as a DE.

We do have quite a few "3 techs" on the roster but unfortunately the DC position has been anything but set recently. Guys who may of been "safe" may not be under Quinn.
 

stinkface

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I'll keep my comments simple. Pretty much the draft sucked outside of Parsons and I'm not totally sold on him other then he is a freak of nature. I felt there was so much more we could have done with the numbers of picks we had worked the board. It was almost as if they turned off the phones in the draft room after the first round. When you have that much draft ammo, by God use it. I call this the "Sit on your hands Draft". I certainly hope I'm wrong, but I see a lot of waiver folks in these picks. Heck, our Undrafted Free Agents might be better then anything we picked after round 3 except possibly for the LSU linebacker.

Rant over. PS. Hope I'm wrong, but there is more to playing defensive back besides being tall. Most of these tall guys we selected are slow and weak.
 

LACowboysFan1

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I can't be too critical of this draft, if for no other reason than they had so many needs they had to, imho, draft for lots of positions, and they needed all of their 10 picks to do that.

Sure, for example I don't see a 183 lbs corner making the team except maybe on special teams (though maybe he's just one of those guys who don't fill out fully until they're like 23 years old or didn't have a good weight program at their college), but most post-3rd round players don't.

People whine and cry about how poorly Dallas drafts but have no idea how many of the vaunted Patriots draftees fall by the wayside early, for example.

It's one draft, not going to make OR break this team. Yes, we're all tired of the loooonnnngggg stretch (for the Cowboys anyway) with no SBs, but it does no good to diss the new Cowboys draftees before they even get signed....
 

Dalmations202

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<snip>
Overall, the commitment to trying to fix our abysmal 2020 defense is clear, but despite all the investment, outside of the linebacker position I'm not convinced our defense will be more talented than it was before. Golston & Odighizuwa will likely replace Tyrone Crawford's role. Joseph will match Chidobe Awuzie's ability. The Cowboys continued their perpetual neglect in investing in the NT & safety positions; waiting till rounds 6 & 7 to address them. The burden of improving our defense will lay at the coaching ability of Dan Quinn & the simplification of the scheme.

This unfortunately is exactly as I see it 100%. Excellent job with your review.
 

LACowboysFan1

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This unfortunately is exactly as I see it 100%. Excellent job with your review.

Though was there a 1T that deserved a first or second round pick? I have no problem with the Cowboys not reaching for a 1T player, at least they got one, that's more than they did the last few years...
 

LACowboysFan1

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Cox won’t even ply this year.

Have wondered why the Cowboys haven't really tried to replicate their Darren Woodson success - an undersized (for the NFL) college linebacker with good speed put a safety. Drop a few pounds his speed, already ok, might improve, depends if he's at his natural playing weight or did he bulk up a bit to be able to play lb in college?

Cox might be good a strong safety candidate. Just a thought.

Though I think you're wrong about his not playing, apparently Quinn will go with a base 3-4, so with 4 linebackers on the field, and Lee now gone I think he'll get significant playing time.

But we'll see....
 

Dalmations202

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Though was there a 1T that deserved a first or second round pick? I have no problem with the Cowboys not reaching for a 1T player, at least they got one, that's more than they did the last few years...
I agree, but yes, Bobby Brown was there.
Honestly they could have taken McNeil.

While yes they got a trash can full of dirt, they didn't get a trashcan full of dirt that demands a double team, and can get pressure on the QB.

There were several available at times, but none that Dallas prioritized enough to draft. Been this way for years, and although darn near every evaluation of them every year shows they need one .... they just don't care. Jerry is going to do it his way, and his way builds a mediocre team as the last 20+ years have shown.

Here is to hoping that he can find his unicorn, ie Aaron Donald, and somehow he can make it work without having the normal established pieces that normally make it work. If not, then we are just going to keep seeing the mediocre teams we have been seeing for the last long while.
 
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