Rank'em: the 10 biggest surprises of the OTAs

davidariust24

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Jon Vea Johnson has speed and nice size. The players. Darius jackson is apart of that great draft class with Dak,Zeke,Smith, M. Collins and Gathers. I've always felt he could a great backup and maybe an eventual starter somewhere. Hyder is someone I have to see.
It's good to hear that Wise has potential. Armstrong is a guy that I saw potential in last preseason. He has all the raw tools. I really feel he will take that starting spot from Quinn by mid season. I love to hear that Quinn is doing well.
M Collins has always had potential to be a very good 3T. If he stays healthy for this camp, it's going to show during the season. Hes always had great lower body strength and if he increases his upper body strength, look out for a DT who will be amongst the top DTs in sacks. He already had quickness.
Jourdan Lewis was one of the players I like coming out of college he has it. I really feel that he can become Revis like. He covers awesome and he looks for interceptions and he loves to tackle.
Randall Cobb, people dont understand how good this guy really is. Rodgers can spread it around like Dak so stats may not be consistent. He can play. In my eyesight if cooper is a 10 cobb is a 9 to 9.5 he can flat out play and can be a number one receiver if he stays healthy.
DAK,DAK,DAK!! Its is great to hear he is throwing the ball better than any offseason he has played in. He is throwing more accurate than ever. He has better toys than ever. He has always made nice decisions. Hes a leader and if he is truly throwing the ball better with all the intangibles he has , he is no doubt worth the 34 million he is being offered and it's time to sign him.https://www.dallascowboys.com/news/rank-em-the-10-biggest-surprises-of-otas
 

Whyjerry

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Thanks for this. Color me crazy but I think Lewis is the best CB on the team. Chido looks too comfortable with himself. Jones? I can’t get over S Jones. Brown I like but he get burned.

Lewis is the best of them. I am telling you.
 

GenoT

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Dak, Collins, Quinn and Cobb are all veterans. Why would anyone be surprised that they looked good playing 3/4-speed in non-hitting OTAs?

As for Darius “Practice Squad” Jackson, he always looks good in OTAs/preseason.

So maybe 5 actual “surprises”?
 

Bobhaze

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The only surprise I ever have for OTAs is how little we really learn about how these new players will actually play when they are wearing pads in a real game. Rico is in the OTA HOF, but somehow he can’t remember who to block when the live bullets start, lol.
 

Typhus

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Jon Vea Johnson has speed and nice size. The players. Darius jackson is apart of that great draft class with Dak,Zeke,Smith, M. Collins and Gathers. I've always felt he could a great backup and maybe an eventual starter somewhere. Hyder is someone I have to see.
It's good to hear that Wise has potential. Armstrong is a guy that I saw potential in last preseason. He has all the raw tools. I really feel he will take that starting spot from Quinn by mid season. I love to hear that Quinn is doing well.
M Collins has always had potential to be a very good 3T. If he stays healthy for this camp, it's going to show during the season. Hes always had great lower body strength and if he increases his upper body strength, look out for a DT who will be amongst the top DTs in sacks. He already had quickness.
Jourdan Lewis was one of the players I like coming out of college he has it. I really feel that he can become Revis like. He covers awesome and he looks for interceptions and he loves to tackle.
Randall Cobb, people dont understand how good this guy really is. Rodgers can spread it around like Dak so stats may not be consistent. He can play. In my eyesight if cooper is a 10 cobb is a 9 to 9.5 he can flat out play and can be a number one receiver if he stays healthy.
DAK,DAK,DAK!! Its is great to hear he is throwing the ball better than any offseason he has played in. He is throwing more accurate than ever. He has better toys than ever. He has always made nice decisions. Hes a leader and if he is truly throwing the ball better with all the intangibles he has , he is no doubt worth the 34 million he is being offered and it's time to sign him.https://www.dallascowboys.com/news/rank-em-the-10-biggest-surprises-of-otas
Love the enthusiasm, and not trying to cherry pick,, but I guess I have to in this case...
Cobb has never been and will never be a WR1, esp at this point in his career.. signing Cobb was an attempt to neutralize the Tavon Austin failure.
Have hopes for both, and feel that both can still contribute,, actually hope that neither make the final cut because that means that we got some younger guys that are showing upside that's worth investing in.
 

speedkilz88

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Typhus

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Nice pics @speedlilz88, but are those your personnel rankings?
 

Techsass

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So what do y'all see in Kerry Hyder? I keep hearing a faint buzz about him, but don't know what to expect.
Looks like he was on the practice squad his first 2 years (1 game), played 2016 & did get 8 sacks, then was on IR all of 2017. He played 7 games last year & got 1 sack, but I'm thinking he wasn't a starter.
 

Bobhaze

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So what do y'all see in Kerry Hyder? I keep hearing a faint buzz about him, but don't know what to expect.
Looks like he was on the practice squad his first 2 years (1 game), played 2016 & did get 8 sacks, then was on IR all of 2017. He played 7 games last year & got 1 sack, but I'm thinking he wasn't a starter.
I saw Kerry Hyder play several times in person when he played at Texas Tech and I love the way he plays. He’s a “motor” guy. Not a naturally gifted player but his motor runs high at all times. Strong, quick, steady if not spectacular. He will be a dependable rotation guy, but probably not a star. Good to have on our team but probably never going to be a pro bowler.
 

xwalker

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Jon Vea Johnson has speed and nice size. The players. Darius jackson is apart of that great draft class with Dak,Zeke,Smith, M. Collins and Gathers. I've always felt he could a great backup and maybe an eventual starter somewhere. Hyder is someone I have to see.
It's good to hear that Wise has potential. Armstrong is a guy that I saw potential in last preseason. He has all the raw tools. I really feel he will take that starting spot from Quinn by mid season. I love to hear that Quinn is doing well.
M Collins has always had potential to be a very good 3T. If he stays healthy for this camp, it's going to show during the season. Hes always had great lower body strength and if he increases his upper body strength, look out for a DT who will be amongst the top DTs in sacks. He already had quickness.
Jourdan Lewis was one of the players I like coming out of college he has it. I really feel that he can become Revis like. He covers awesome and he looks for interceptions and he loves to tackle.
Randall Cobb, people dont understand how good this guy really is. Rodgers can spread it around like Dak so stats may not be consistent. He can play. In my eyesight if cooper is a 10 cobb is a 9 to 9.5 he can flat out play and can be a number one receiver if he stays healthy.
DAK,DAK,DAK!! Its is great to hear he is throwing the ball better than any offseason he has played in. He is throwing more accurate than ever. He has better toys than ever. He has always made nice decisions. Hes a leader and if he is truly throwing the ball better with all the intangibles he has , he is no doubt worth the 34 million he is being offered and it's time to sign him.https://www.dallascowboys.com/news/rank-em-the-10-biggest-surprises-of-otas
Jon Vea Johnson has speed and nice size. The players. Darius jackson is apart of that great draft class with Dak,Zeke,Smith, M. Collins and Gathers. I've always felt he could a great backup and maybe an eventual starter somewhere. Hyder is someone I have to see.
It's good to hear that Wise has potential. Armstrong is a guy that I saw potential in last preseason. He has all the raw tools. I really feel he will take that starting spot from Quinn by mid season. I love to hear that Quinn is doing well.
M Collins has always had potential to be a very good 3T. If he stays healthy for this camp, it's going to show during the season. Hes always had great lower body strength and if he increases his upper body strength, look out for a DT who will be amongst the top DTs in sacks. He already had quickness.
Jourdan Lewis was one of the players I like coming out of college he has it. I really feel that he can become Revis like. He covers awesome and he looks for interceptions and he loves to tackle.
Randall Cobb, people dont understand how good this guy really is. Rodgers can spread it around like Dak so stats may not be consistent. He can play. In my eyesight if cooper is a 10 cobb is a 9 to 9.5 he can flat out play and can be a number one receiver if he stays healthy.
DAK,DAK,DAK!! Its is great to hear he is throwing the ball better than any offseason he has played in. He is throwing more accurate than ever. He has better toys than ever. He has always made nice decisions. Hes a leader and if he is truly throwing the ball better with all the intangibles he has , he is no doubt worth the 34 million he is being offered and it's time to sign him.https://www.dallascowboys.com/news/rank-em-the-10-biggest-surprises-of-otas

1. The practices are NOT in Pads.
2. The media has very limited access to the practices and the public does not have access.
3. Because of the reasons above, the off-season media reports about players rarely match up to what we see once everyone is allowed to attend training camp practices and what we see in pre-season games.


Jon Vea Johnson has speed and nice size.
Yes, it's good when the WR coach mentions your name in a positive way; however, he dropped 3 consecutive passes at one point.


The players. Darius jackson is apart of that great draft class with Dak,Zeke,Smith, M. Collins and Gathers. I've always felt he could a great backup and maybe an eventual starter somewhere.
Don't hold your breath or bet money on DJ. He has barely done anything despite good size/speed.

He'll compete with Weber for the 4th spot (including FB as one of the 4 RBs) and they might not even carry 4.

Hyder is someone I have to see.
Look for game footage from the 2016 Lions (All-22 if you have access or youtube).

It's good to hear that Wise has potential.
Many of the draft media had him as a mid round pick. They all have potential. Many players that don't make NFL teams were the best player in the history of their High School.

Armstrong is a guy that I saw potential in last preseason. He has all the raw tools. I really feel he will take that starting spot from Quinn by mid season. I love to hear that Quinn is doing well.
Highly unlikely that Armstrong starts over Quinn. It will be big for him if he can make the team AND be active on game days. The next step would be for him to get a significant amount of the snaps in the base defense at RDE with Quinn getting the snaps in passing situations. Last season Gregory was got the majority of the passing downs and Taco (8 starts) and Crawford played the majority of the base downs.

M Collins has always had potential to be a very good 3T. If he stays healthy for this camp, it's going to show during the season. Hes always had great lower body strength and if he increases his upper body strength, look out for a DT who will be amongst the top DTs in sacks. He already had quickness.
M.Collins might be the most under-rated player on the team the past few years; however, he needs to make it to game 1 healthy which he has not done any of the previous 3 years.

Jourdan Lewis was one of the players I like coming out of college he has it. I really feel that he can become Revis like. He covers awesome and he looks for interceptions and he loves to tackle.
Lewis is a solid player; however, there is a fan/media narrative that he is a great player which is far from proven. I did a review of Lewis and Brown a few weeks ago:
https://cowboyszone.com/threads/analysis-comparison-of-cbs-lewis-and-brown.434110/

Randall Cobb, people dont understand how good this guy really is. Rodgers can spread it around like Dak so stats may not be consistent. He can play. In my eyesight if cooper is a 10 cobb is a 9 to 9.5 he can flat out play and can be a number one receiver if he stays healthy.
If healthy Cobb is an upgrade to Beasley. He's been a better and more versatile player than Beasley and it's not really close.

DAK,DAK,DAK!! Its is great to hear he is throwing the ball better than any offseason he has played in. He is throwing more accurate than ever. He has better toys than ever. He has always made nice decisions. Hes a leader and if he is truly throwing the ball better with all the intangibles he has , he is no doubt worth the 34 million he is being offered and it's time to sign him.
Dak is better and more accurate than many fans/media claim. The stats back that up. However, improvements in throwing mechanics are never really known until the real games start.
 

Eanwen

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Just wanted to point out there's a whopping 4 DE's listed here and none of them are named Taco. I guess we'll see what's what come TC and Preseason.
 

Bullflop

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Dak, Collins, Quinn and Cobb are all veterans. Why would anyone be surprised that they looked good playing 3/4-speed in non-hitting OTAs?

As for Darius “Practice Squad” Jackson, he always looks good in OTAs/preseason.

So maybe 5 actual “surprises”?

Very true, although, if five of them actually make the active roster, that would indicate an exceptional year.

Naturally, there are no guarantees but it's pretty encouraging, really. All told, it's a generous talent infusion.
 
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Cebrin

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Here’s a surprise...Sean Lee hasn’t tweaked a hammy yet.

I wrote an aggravated drunk response to this, but then I realized it's not worth it. I'll take the high road. "Thanks, Sean Lee ..You deserved better coaching, a position that fit your body, and a fan base that respects what you have done with little around you."
 

Pants

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wasn't their a little buzz surrounding Donovan Wilson and Michael Jackson (HEE-hee) during camp? they weren't in the top 10, so just asking
 

Stash

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The only surprise I ever have for OTAs is how little we really learn about how these new players will actually play when they are wearing pads in a real game. Rico is in the OTA HOF, but somehow he can’t remember who to block when the live bullets start, lol.

Very true, I remember last year at this time when Jihad Ward was this "steal" from the Raiders and was "dominant" in shorts and t-shirts.

Then the pads came on...
 

Stash

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So what do y'all see in Kerry Hyder? I keep hearing a faint buzz about him, but don't know what to expect.
Looks like he was on the practice squad his first 2 years (1 game), played 2016 & did get 8 sacks, then was on IR all of 2017. He played 7 games last year & got 1 sack, but I'm thinking he wasn't a starter.

The Lions made a scheme change last year and had Hyder playing out of position and that really hurt him. Much like Quinn, Hyder is strictly a 4-3 defensive end. I'd pencil him as yet another depth defensive end in what looks like a crowded room.
 

Stash

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wasn't their a little buzz surrounding Donovan Wilson and Michael Jackson (HEE-hee) during camp? they weren't in the top 10, so just asking

Yes, there has been some. I know that with Byron Jones and Awuzie out, Jackson and the young corners (Olumba) have been getting many more reps and I've heard done good reports.

Wilson has been praised for his smarts and preparedness and had an impressive INT a day or two ago.
 

jazzcat22

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Love the enthusiasm, and not trying to cherry pick,, but I guess I have to in this case...
Cobb has never been and will never be a WR1, esp at this point in his career.. signing Cobb was an attempt to neutralize the Tavon Austin failure.
Have hopes for both, and feel that both can still contribute,, actually hope that neither make the final cut because that means that we got some younger guys that are showing upside that's worth investing in.

Has Austin been a failure?
Can't say from all the games he missed. He made a few big plays before his injury, but the entire team was struggling as well. So can't say he was a bust at that point, because the entire team was busted.
I won't say he is a failure from an injury either. It is just unfortunate it happened.

When he returned, he did not have a huge impact on offense, but they had Cooper then, and still had Beasley, but he was not all that bad either. But we seen his impact in the return game.
I will see how he does in TC first before I say he was a failure. But could be he just gets beat out by a much deeper WR core this year.
 
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