CFZ My thoughts on the Cowboys's Draft

Oz-of-Cowboy-Country said:

The Waletzko pick is the only pick I'm not liking.

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OT – Matt Waletzko – North Dakota
Background
Matt Waletzko grew up in Cold Spring, MN. Matt played baseball and basketball from a young age, but did not pick up football until middle school. In high school, he played three years on varsity as the starting left tackle. Waletzko ranked as the No. 297 OT recruit in the 2018 recruiting class. While he had multiple division II offers in hand, the only division I offer came from FCS North Dakota.

This is what I would call a home run block
In 2018 as a true freshman, Waletzko played in nine games and started the final five games at left tackle. Entering his sophomore year as the starting left tackle, Waletzko started the first six games of the year. However, he suffered a knee injury in the sixth game and was forced to miss the remainder of the season. During the COVID-19 shortened 2020 season, Waletzko started all seven games at left tackle and was named 2nd-Team All-MVFC.


For the 2020 season, North Dakota led the nation in the fewest negative yardage plays, only allowing two sacks on the season. During his final season (2021), Waletzko started 10 of 11 games, was named 2nd-Team All-American, FIrst-Team All-MVFC, and served as a team captain. Following the season, Waletzko was the first North Dakota player to participate in the Senior Bowl since Jim Kleinsasser in 1999.

“From the people I’ve talked to, he’s got better every day which is what they want to see from a smaller school guy. Some were saying he was the best offensive lineman there at practice.”

North Dakota OC Danny Freund on Senior Bowl practices (h/t Tom Miller / Grandforks Herald)



Matt Waletzko Draft Profile
Waletzko is an outstanding athlete for the tackle position. Standing 6-foot-8 and weighing in at 312 pounds, he absolutely has the frame to play in the NFL, but does need to add mass. While 312 pounds sounds adequate, once you think about his height (6’8″) it becomes clear that he will need to add weight. At North Dakota, his weight was not a constant. When he arrived on campus, he weighed 320 lbs, but dropped down to about 305 lbs in fall camp. Continuing the trend, he dropped down to 295 in his second season before adding better quality mass to get up to about 315 lbs. What is the moral of the story here? The Matt Waletzko has the frame to continue adding mass.

His athletic testing is green across the board, meaning that he is above average in every measure except for weight. Waletzko has special length and agility for the offensive tackle position. He is tied with Obinna Eze for the longest arms among offensive tackles in this year’s class. Additionally, he has the sixth-best shuttle time, the third-best 3-cone, the ninth-best 10-yard split, and performed the fourth-most bench reps.

Matt Waletzko Draft Profile
On tape, Waletzko’s athleticism clearly translates to an ability to play in space. When watching him, you will often see him surprise second level defenders with how quickly he is reaching them, resulting in a number of home run blocks at the FCS level. He really excels on combo blocks where he can secure and move on to the next level. His lateral ability shows out in pass pro where he can mirror bendy edge rushers. Additionally, Waletzko packs a rapid, solid punch. His high IQ and demeanor match the NFL athleticism of an NFL offensive tackle.

Despite his strong showing on the bench press, Waletzko will still need to add mass in his lower half. His taller stature makes it difficult to find leverage, and that will only become more difficult at the next level. As his pads rise, his base tends to narrow, creating balance issues that put Waletzko on the ground too often. Meanwhile, he will need seasoning on reading stunts and twists to prevent issues he has shown with tunnel vision. Ultimately, Matt Waletzko may need a season or two of learning the game and practicing against NFL caliber players, but the upside is there for him to become a real contributor.


Waletzko opened up a lot of big plays for North Dakota in his time there.
Stat Breakdown

Matt Waletzko Stats
Across his career at North Dakota, Matt Waletzko primarily played at left tackle. While he did play 63 snaps at right tackle in his freshman year, that is likely too small of a sample size to assume any positional versatility. While I do not see any reason for him to make a move inside, his lateral movement and combo-block abilities could play well there with added mass.

In 2020, Waletzko played in a very balanced offense that ran the ball 51% of the time. Among those runs, they ran zone concepts 63% of plays and gap concepts only 24% of plays. North Dakota was more zone heavy than most offenses, per PFF. Waletzko graded out above average in both gap and zone concepts in 2020. Additionally, he was above average in pass protection with a grade of 79.3. He did not allow a single sack, and allowed pressure on 1.8% of pass snaps. For comparison, the average OT pressure rate across college football was 5%.


In 2021, we see a lot of the same trends. The offense became more pass heavy, running the football at only a 43% clip. They also implemented more gap concepts, creeping towards the 38% college football average. Waletzko showed steady, but not exceptional improvement on both zone and gap grades. Despite the increased passing rate, Waletzko graded out better in pass blocking than in the previous year. His pressure rate allowed did increase slightly, but he did not allow a single sack.

NFL Draft OT Stats
Best Team Fits: Bears, Broncos, Buccaneers, Cardinals, Jaguars, Rams, Saints, Texans


Projected Draft Round: 7th Round (per Dane Brugler)

Via NFLMockDraftDatabase.com

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gimmesix said:

Why? What's not to like? He's a big man who can move very well for his size. Being from a small school, it's going to be a big leap to the pros, but the attributes are there to develop. One of my favorite picks. I think he may end up being a better left tackle than Tyler Smith, who I believe will show he belongs at guard. Of course, that's going to depend on both players' development.

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Oz-of-Cowboy-Country said:

I have a run first mindset. So every player we field should be a grade "A" run blocker. That's why I didn't like Cooper as much and why I don't like Shultz at all. Waletzko is just not my type of player. I want big, mean, nasty, bulldozers on my OL.

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cmoney23 said:

I went into this draft with low expectations. Not just for the Cowboys but for the draft as a whole. It was a historically 'bad draft'. I think I read somewhere that the Cowboys only had 15/16 guys with first-round grades?

I didn't have Tyler Smith on my radar and was a little miffed at the pick when we made it. I like the need it could potentially fill but, who? LOL
So I watched some tape on him. Specifically, every snap he had in the Ohio State Game and a lot of the OKState game. WOW!!! THIS DUDE IS A MONSTER! I've never in my 20 years of evaluating players in the draft seen a tackle just ragdoll people the way he did. I've never seen a tackle just set a seal block with the level of ease he does. He has some flaws... he has issues with, what looks like grabbing when players get into his body. It almost appears like he is too big and it's just a jumble of arms and body. If he learns to just let the defender fall down and lay on them, that problem is solved. I don't recall one instance where he got beat in the tape I saw. It's bound to happen, but impressive stuff.

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cmoney23 said:

I went into this draft with low expectations. Not just for the Cowboys but for the draft as a whole. It was a historically 'bad draft'. I think I read somewhere that the Cowboys only had 15/16 guys with first-round grades?

I didn't have Tyler Smith on my radar and was a little miffed at the pick when we made it. I like the need it could potentially fill but, who? LOL
So I watched some tape on him. Specifically, every snap he had in the Ohio State Game and a lot of the OKState game. WOW!!! THIS DUDE IS A MONSTER! I've never in my 20 years of evaluating players in the draft seen a tackle just ragdoll people the way he did. I've never seen a tackle just set a seal block with the level of ease he does. He has some flaws... he has issues with, what looks like grabbing when players get into his body. It almost appears like he is too big and it's just a jumble of arms and body. If he learns to just let the defender fall down and lay on them, that problem is solved. I don't recall one instance where he got beat in the tape I saw. It's bound to happen, but impressive stuff.

Sam Williams. Another one where I was looking at my TV with the "stink eye" I wanted Nacobe Dean there. But watching Williams on tape gives me a lot to like. He will rack up sacks. (This isn't a new thought, but it's accurate) he needs work but the god-given ability is there to make an early impact.

Jalen Tolbert... was a great pick. I would have loved it in the second. He catches the ball cleanly, with his hands, runs good routes, and has a good route tree. He will be plug-and-play and give us great depth with Gallup and his injury history.

Jake Fergeson. another need pick that if you look hard enough, it's Jason Witten. He ran like crap at the combine and didn't play in an offense at Wisconsin that featured him but he is a great catcher of the football. Like Witten. Gets Open. Plays faster than he is. Willing blocker. He can come in and be a TE2 and take over TE1 next year if needed.

Waletzko... Who knows. Don't love this pick but it is the 5th round.

Bland... Another 5th round pick. He's a lotto ticket. They all are at this point.

Clark. This pick was the second pick I actually loved and was hoping we'd make at the time. Spinal Fusion is not a death nail. The Cowboys don't do everything well... but they do know their medical. This guy could be a STEAL!!

Ridgeway. This pick got me pumped. I've sat on here and read "why can't we get a run-stuffing DT??" Well, boys, WE DID!!! He might not get a sack a year playing every snap but he will keep our LBs clean and plug up the middle.

Harper, a ST guy, LB Depth. Lotto ticket. Small but fast. Could fit in sub-packages and ST?


If you made it this far! Congrats!!! You get a cookie! Enjoy the conversation.

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quickccc said:

- Tyler Smith is a totally wait and see. He’ll not only have to learn the OG position, ..but also at the NFL level.

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quickccc said:

- As for rag dolling, who exactly did Tyler rag doll across the line from him..?
What he got away with at Tulsa with raw ability and sloppy play, wont hold up like that at NFL level.
This will be a guy that will have rag-doll dance with Philly’s Jordan Davis, Commandoes’ Jon Allen and NYG’s Leonard Williams.in this division.

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cmoney23 said:

It was a historically 'bad draft'.

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Oz-of-Cowboy-Country said:

The Waletzko pick is the only pick I'm not liking.

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big dog cowboy said:

Not sure where you got this information from because it was actually considered a pretty good deep draft. Some of the guys taken in the 6th and 7th rounds are pretty good.

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jazzcat22 said:

6-7, 300 plus pounds, if not big enough? Team has him at 305. With a year of weight training, and proper diet, could get to 325 easily. He could rag doll DL and LB.
I am intrigued to see his progress.

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cmoney23 said:

I went into this draft with low expectations. Not just for the Cowboys but for the draft as a whole. It was a historically 'bad draft'. I think I read somewhere that the Cowboys only had 15/16 guys with first-round grades?

I didn't have Tyler Smith on my radar and was a little miffed at the pick when we made it. I like the need it could potentially fill but, who? LOL
So I watched some tape on him. Specifically, every snap he had in the Ohio State Game and a lot of the OKState game. WOW!!! THIS DUDE IS A MONSTER! I've never in my 20 years of evaluating players in the draft seen a tackle just ragdoll people the way he did. I've never seen a tackle just set a seal block with the level of ease he does. He has some flaws... he has issues with, what looks like grabbing when players get into his body. It almost appears like he is too big and it's just a jumble of arms and body. If he learns to just let the defender fall down and lay on them, that problem is solved. I don't recall one instance where he got beat in the tape I saw. It's bound to happen, but impressive stuff.

Sam Williams. Another one where I was looking at my TV with the "stink eye" I wanted Nacobe Dean there. But watching Williams on tape gives me a lot to like. He will rack up sacks. (This isn't a new thought, but it's accurate) he needs work but the god-given ability is there to make an early impact.

Jalen Tolbert... was a great pick. I would have loved it in the second. He catches the ball cleanly, with his hands, runs good routes, and has a good route tree. He will be plug-and-play and give us great depth with Gallup and his injury history.

Jake Fergeson. another need pick that if you look hard enough, it's Jason Witten. He ran like crap at the combine and didn't play in an offense at Wisconsin that featured him but he is a great catcher of the football. Like Witten. Gets Open. Plays faster than he is. Willing blocker. He can come in and be a TE2 and take over TE1 next year if needed.

Waletzko... Who knows. Don't love this pick but it is the 5th round.

Bland... Another 5th round pick. He's a lotto ticket. They all are at this point.

Clark. This pick was the second pick I actually loved and was hoping we'd make at the time. Spinal Fusion is not a death nail. The Cowboys don't do everything well... but they do know their medical. This guy could be a STEAL!!

Ridgeway. This pick got me pumped. I've sat on here and read "why can't we get a run-stuffing DT??" Well, boys, WE DID!!! He might not get a sack a year playing every snap but he will keep our LBs clean and plug up the middle.

Harper, a ST guy, LB Depth. Lotto ticket. Small but fast. Could fit in sub-packages and ST?


If you made it this far! Congrats!!! You get a cookie! Enjoy the conversation.

Click to expand...

cmoney23 said:

I went into this draft with low expectations. Not just for the Cowboys but for the draft as a whole. It was a historically 'bad draft'. I think I read somewhere that the Cowboys only had 15/16 guys with first-round grades?

I didn't have Tyler Smith on my radar and was a little miffed at the pick when we made it. I like the need it could potentially fill but, who? LOL
So I watched some tape on him. Specifically, every snap he had in the Ohio State Game and a lot of the OKState game. WOW!!! THIS DUDE IS A MONSTER! I've never in my 20 years of evaluating players in the draft seen a tackle just ragdoll people the way he did. I've never seen a tackle just set a seal block with the level of ease he does. He has some flaws... he has issues with, what looks like grabbing when players get into his body. It almost appears like he is too big and it's just a jumble of arms and body. If he learns to just let the defender fall down and lay on them, that problem is solved. I don't recall one instance where he got beat in the tape I saw. It's bound to happen, but impressive stuff.

Sam Williams. Another one where I was looking at my TV with the "stink eye" I wanted Nacobe Dean there. But watching Williams on tape gives me a lot to like. He will rack up sacks. (This isn't a new thought, but it's accurate) he needs work but the god-given ability is there to make an early impact.

Jalen Tolbert... was a great pick. I would have loved it in the second. He catches the ball cleanly, with his hands, runs good routes, and has a good route tree. He will be plug-and-play and give us great depth with Gallup and his injury history.

Jake Fergeson. another need pick that if you look hard enough, it's Jason Witten. He ran like crap at the combine and didn't play in an offense at Wisconsin that featured him but he is a great catcher of the football. Like Witten. Gets Open. Plays faster than he is. Willing blocker. He can come in and be a TE2 and take over TE1 next year if needed.

Waletzko... Who knows. Don't love this pick but it is the 5th round.

Bland... Another 5th round pick. He's a lotto ticket. They all are at this point.

Clark. This pick was the second pick I actually loved and was hoping we'd make at the time. Spinal Fusion is not a death nail. The Cowboys don't do everything well... but they do know their medical. This guy could be a STEAL!!

Ridgeway. This pick got me pumped. I've sat on here and read "why can't we get a run-stuffing DT??" Well, boys, WE DID!!! He might not get a sack a year playing every snap but he will keep our LBs clean and plug up the middle.

Harper, a ST guy, LB Depth. Lotto ticket. Small but fast. Could fit in sub-packages and ST?


If you made it this far! Congrats!!! You get a cookie! Enjoy the conversation.

Click to expand...

kskboys said:

Good stuff!!!

Can you make it w/ stevia?

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Oz-of-Cowboy-Country said:

The Waletzko pick is the only pick I'm not liking.

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gimmesix said:

Why? What's not to like? He's a big man who can move very well for his size. Being from a small school, it's going to be a big leap to the pros, but the attributes are there to develop. One of my favorite picks. I think he may end up being a better left tackle than Tyler Smith, who I believe will show he belongs at guard. Of course, that's going to depend on both players' development.

Click to expand...