Video: 105:3 The Fan: Evaluating Mazi Smith After A Rough Preseason

[kskboys]

We don't see this the same or aren't communicating it effectively. Many players are drafted with the mindset that even if I get nothing more than what they have shown on tape, I am getting a really good player who can contribute. ie, their floor is perfectly fine for that draft slot. Sure, we'd love for them to exceed that.

Oftentimes when we analyze why a player failed to live up to the investment, it's because someone way overvalued what they "might" become generally due to athletic measurables.

Your last sentence happens a lot.

 

[kskboys]

Obviously they have hopes he develops into something much more, but if he can eat up blocks and keep our LB's clean and able to run to the ball, its a good first year.

He won't be able to eat up blocks if he keeps standing up at the snap.

 

[kskboys]

No because anyone drafted runs a risk of not panning out. Was Peyton manning a terrible pick because he was a project who set a record for INTs his first season?

PManning was not a project pick.

 

[thunderpimp91]

PManning was not a project pick.

So what are we calling a project then? Honest question too, not trying to be combative, I just don’t get it. I don’t get how mazi is a project and by some a bust after 2 preseason games meanwhile manning throws 28ints, 56 comp % and 6.5ypa his rookie year but wasn’t a project?

 

[starfan1]

Agreed, MSM is pretty much Dead. With the amount of misinformation that they push it’s a wonder that they have any audience at all.

We still have a lot of people the MSM caters too. They buy it hook line and sinker

 

[lukemartin79]

If Mazi isn’t a very good player by end of year 2 then Voch must be the moron.
Guess it’s only morons who are disappointed to watch their first round pick, 340 lbs touted as a freak athlete be glacially slow off the snap, get blown off the line, and look generally clueless on how to shed a block? Yes we are all rooting for him and yes we know he’s not going to be a star immediately but it’s not fair to tell people they don’t know football bc they were expecting their first round pick to actually be able to play quickly instead of basically a near redshirt year.

He was the 26th pick in the draft - not a top 5 or 10 pick. Nobody should have been expecting him to be Donald from the get go. He will come off the bench, get what 15-25 snaps a game and by mid-season maybe he becomes more of a force and pushes for more time. Hell learn from the others and from watching as the season goes- give the kid a chance.

 

[Beaker42]

The "real" first round is typically only 15-16 players. After that, there's little difference through the mid 3rd round.

Aaaaaaaaand here we go with the excuses. Even if that was the case, and we consider our 1st rounder a 2nd, he should still be better than he’s been. D Ed ent game against the Raiders so he might be getting the idea.

 

[Beaker42]

He’s a bit of a development project. Yes, he’s had some bad snaps but he also had some very good ones. Fortunately, we have Hankins so we don’t need him to be a Day 1 starter. The issues I see are technical with leverage and pad height which are coachable.

Way too early to write him off.

Uhhh, yeah - we kind of do. Hankins’ PFF grade for last season was a 46 or so. Not ideal for a DT on a squad supposedly within their window.

 

[Adreme]

So what are we calling a project then? Honest question too, not trying to be combative, I just don’t get it. I don’t get how mazi is a project and by some a bust after 2 preseason games meanwhile manning throws 28ints, 56 comp % and 6.5ypa his rookie year but wasn’t a project?

Entirely different era. Starting a QB as a rookie was not a thing you did back then because what you got was a lot of turnovers. Not only did they start Manning but they tried to make the entire offense run around their rookie QB which for that era was unheard of. Manning was not considered a project but was considered one of the highest rated prospects of all time. For a modern comparison he was rated in the same way people rated Trevor Lawrence.

 

[Kwyn]

How rough was it?

We’re people expecting him to look like and all-pro in the preseason?

Interior D-Line takes time. It’s not a twitch or raw athleticism type of role.

It’s like if we expected Tyler to just pancake dudes on every play before we even got to week one.

 

[Kwyn]

If Smith kind of fizzles out, the Cowboys should institute a new draft rule in their drafting procedures:

Don't draft Michigan DL in the first round.

Saw this take before from you.

What’s your allegiance? Ohio State or Michigan State?

Seems to be based on some personal stuff

 

[Kwyn]

Still to early to write him off. Some players take a couple years to develop.

Although ide imagined him playing a little better for someone described as an athletic freak. Slow off the snap and honestly looked clueless most of the time.

It doesnt matter how naturally gifted someone is. If they are a "dumb" player most athletes never translate to their full potential.

First time I’ve seen anyone call him “dumb”

Didn’t he graduate high school three years?

If you read his family history, it’s pretty strong and there’s a lot of intellectual history there from his mom and grandfather.

I’m assuming you’re going to say he’s “football dumb”, but there’s no evidence of that.

All of his college coaches talked about his desire to learn and change.

 

[Kwyn]

I saw Plate Tectonics blow past Mazi on the LOS last game. Hard to watch...

Dude. Doomsday and the Steel Curtain, all 22 of them, lined up at once would be destroyed by plate tectonics

 

[Kwyn]

First rd picks should not be projects.

Yeah? I could assemble a list.

Not only of players drafted at the end of the round who took a couple of years to develop but guys drafted in the top 20 who didn’t do anything… ever

 

[Kwyn]

Aaaaaaaaand here we go with the excuses. Even if that was the case, and we consider our 1st rounder a 2nd, he should still be better than he’s been. D Ed ent game against the Raiders so he might be getting the idea.

Please share with us your tape breakdown.

You’re reading Cowboy Zone posts and thinking that’s analysis.

We’re not buying it.

 

[CowboysFaninHouston]

all I want from him his first year is to help in run defense, specially up the middle. anything else would be icing on the cake. if he can do that. if he can stop the run and it will show up in averages over the season, then its fine.

 

[Qcard]

How rough was it?

We’re people expecting him to look like and all-pro in the preseason?

Interior D-Line takes time. It’s not a twitch or raw athleticism type of role.

It’s like if we expected Tyler to just pancake dudes on every play before we even got to week one.

 

[Teague31]

Said it in another thread, when you pick at the end of every round you usually end up overdrafting.

 

[speedkilz88]

 

[MajesticRey]

If Mazi isn’t a very good player by end of year 2 then Voch must be the moron.
Guess it’s only morons who are disappointed to watch their first round pick, 340 lbs touted as a freak athlete be glacially slow off the snap, get blown off the line, and look generally clueless on how to shed a block? Yes we are all rooting for him and yes we know he’s not going to be a star immediately but it’s not fair to tell people they don’t know football bc they were expecting their first round pick to actually be able to play quickly instead of basically a near redshirt year.

This isn’t even remotely true.