honyock
Well-Known Member
- Messages
- 1,540
- Reaction score
- 702
We're in a very slow FA season and with the draft approaching, I decided to look back at the rookies who had been associated or linked to the Cowboys pre-draft in 2012. (I sometimes forget about them as soon as we don't draft them, so this is as much for my own curiosity as anything).
The includes those that visited the team, were rumored or speculated as targets, or those talked about here on CZ. I did a mid-season grade on them in November, so here is the end-of-season report.
I didn't include players who never were realistic for Dallas (Matt Kalil, who was terrific for Minnesota) or who I didn't remember much pre-draft speculation about. I didn't include Claiborne since he's been discussed and dissected so extensively here. I probably left off a few and concentrated mainly on the first two rounds and then the offensive linemen. There are plenty of conflicting opinions out there, so I tried to get as much of a consensus or cross section of reviews of them. So here ya go:
Mark Barron- Very good start through the first six games, then struggled the remainder of the season. In particular, had problems in coverage. Bucs seem to believe it was just rookie learning curve and are still very high on him.
Harrison Smith - Excellent year for Smith. Athleticism, great instincts, toughness, good hands, nasty attitude, he was credited for helping change the Vikings secondary's mindset. Already began moving into a leadership role as a rookie. Easily the best safety in the rookie class so far. Great trade-up by Minnesota to get him.
Dre Kirkpatrick- Various injuries caused him to miss all but five games for the Bengals.
Fletcher Cox- Nice rookie season for Cox. 5.5 sacks and led all Eagles linemen in tackles even while regularly double-teamed. Very good run defender, rated number 17 defensive tackle in the league by PFF. Pretty much what he was expected to be (a compliment, he had high expectations) and one of the few bright spots for the Eagle defense.
Dontari Poe - Not a very good start for Poe. Often didn't even draw a double team and was easily handled by one blocker as KC's nose tackle, didn't show great instincts, not effective at occupying blocks or clogging lanes. Is a hard worker so may take some time, but if I were a Chief's fan, I'd be worried.
Michael Brockers- Suffered a high ankle sprain in the Rams' final preseason games, missed the first three games and was slowed by the ankle all season. Struggled through the first half, then showed steady improvement the second half of the season, even with the ankle issue. Four sacks in 14 games, showed solidly against the run and pass. Pretty impressive season considering the nagging injury.
Chandler Jones - great start for the Pats, slow finish. Had 6 sacks in the first half and was mentioned as an early candidate for defensive rookie of the year. Had an ankle injury in the second half and another in the playoffs to the other ankle, nver was the same player. Finished with no more sacks for the season. Got good news after the season, won't need surgery on either ankle.
Dont'a Hightower - solid season as a run-stopping SLB for the Patriots. Struggled in coverage, needs to get better there to be a three down player.
Courtney Upshaw - Fined $20,000 early by the Ravens for weight issues.
Started slowly but ended up starting nine games, was a solid edge run defender. Added a Super Bowl ring to his two national championships at Alabama.
Shea McClellin - Fought through a knee injury and concussion, was a rotation player at linebacker for the Bears. Showed good instincts, athleticism and motor, got some criticism for not being strong at the point of attack. They're pretty high on him if he can stay healthy.
Bruce Irvin - Seattle got some criticism for picking Irvin, who was seen as a somewhat one-dimensional pass-rusher, at #15. He responded by leading all rookies with 8 sacks and another in the playoffs, although most of his sacks were in the first half of the season. He didn't quiet the one-dimensional critique in the Atlanta playoff game, when an injury forced him into an every down role and he struggled. Really good situational pass rusher, but needs to develop more than that to stay on the field more often.
Nick Perry - Up and down early season for Perry with the Packers, battling injuries and the shift from 4-3 end to 3-4 outside backer. Season ended on injured reserve following week 6. 2013 is a big prove-it year for him, he's got boom-or-bust potential. One NFC scout compared him to Vernon Gholston. Ouch.
Whitney Mercilus - Struggled with the transition to 3-4 OLB, saw limited duty early, but played more the second half as injuries took their toll on his teammates. Had 6 sacks in his limited action, a Houston rookie record, but Houston's run defense suffered when he was on the field. Showed real knack for getting to the qb but needs to show he's not a one trick pony.
Luke Kuechly – Earned several Defensive Rookie of the Year honors. Led the entire league (not just rookies, the whole league) with 164 tackles, 15 more than his nearest competitor. A tackling machine. Great pick for the Panthers. Imagine Sean Lee without the injuries.
Melvin Ingram- A work in progress for San Diego. Struggled for playing time, struggled when he became a starter due to injuries in week 13, got washed out of plays too often. One pre-draft rap on him was that he didn't do anything particularly well, and his rookies season lived up to that description.
Bobby Wagner Outstanding rookie year, 7th in the league in tackles, 3 interceptions, second in voting for AP Defensive Rookie of the Year. The best defensive rookie not named Kuechly.
Janoris Jenkins - made several all-rookie teams for St Louis at corner. Had four defensive touchdowns.
Vontaze Burfict (listed as a palate cleanser), UDFA for Cincinnati, had an awful lead-up to the draft, the poster child for how far you can fall. But he showed up in Cincy in good shape, led the team in tackles, showed instincts and aggressiveness, and kept his emotions under control. If he can keep his head right, the Bengals got a steal.
(I just didn't remember who was talked about on offense outside of the line leading up to the draft).
Cordy Glenn- starter for the Bills at left tackle. Looked great the first half of the season, struggled the second half, either hit the rookie wall or some nagging injuries slowed him down. Good run blocker, good against bull rushes, had some problems the second half in pass protection against quicker defenders. Still, a solid season and the Bills are very high on him going forward.
Peter Konz - played increasingly at right guard for the Falcons as the season went on, got mediocre/average/decent grades, depending on who you listen to. Got better in the second half then hit the wall and struggled in December. Rumors around the Falcons that he'll be moved to center this year.
Kevin Zeitler - Day one starter for the Bengals at right guard, positive-to-studly reviews, made several all-rookie teams. Just what everyone thought pre-draft, very, very solid player from game one, became an anchor in Cincy's chaotic o-line all year.
Reilly Reiff - Only started one game for the Lions, and was mainly used as a sixth lineman/tight end in the run game. He's projected to start this year although they're not sure where - maybe at either tackle spot or at guard. They're still high on him, but as first rounder he just couldn't get on the field much.
David DeCastro- struggled in training camp, then suffered what looked like a season ending injury. Fought his way back and made his first start against the Cowboys. Got uneven reviews - pretty good against Dallas, got destroyed by Geno Atkins (like pretty much everyone else) and was inconsistent. Probably came back too soon from the injury. 2013 will tell whether the pre-draft hype was accurate, and whether he can come back full strength from the knee injury.
Amini Silatolu – Day one starter at guard for Carolina, went through some serious early season struggles, trouble with assignments, big adjustment for a small school guy. Then he started to figure it out and played well enough the second half to make some all-rooie teams. Powerful run blocker. Should only get better.
Keleche Osemele - starter at right tackle for the Ravens, did better than anticipated, solid first season.
Philip Blake (Denver, 4th round) – suffered a thumb injury and was placed on IR before week 3, out for the season. Different sites had him listed as either a backup center or backup guard before the injury.
Ben Jones - (Houston, 4th round) Lots of playing time at right guard including a few starts. Up and down season, hit the wall later on, better in protection than in the run game. Needs to get stronger.
Mike Brewster (Jaguars, UDFA) - Started seven games at guard for the Jaguars, decent reviews, placed on IR in December.
David Molk (Chargers, 7th round) - I couldn't find much of anything about him this year, so I'm assuming he's somewhere deep on the Chargers depth chart.
And the one that got away...
Trevor Robinson - UDFA for the Bengals. Played guard at Notre Dame but was moved to center by Cincy, was starting by mid-season and made the AP all-rookie team. (That may have mainly been because he had no competition, but hey...) Wrestled the job away from 10 year starter Jeff Faine and got pretty solid reviews by Bengals folks.
Biggest positive suprises (from this list only):
Harrison Smith - was supposed to be good, but not this good this fast.
Vontaze Burfict - for at least one year, had his head right and played up to the early hype.
Amini Silatolu - it took him awhile but he made the adjustment pretty quickly for a small school guy.
Trevor Robinson - hey, a UDFA starting at center as a rookie and playing solidly. That's a gift.
Biggest disappointments - it's early, but Poe and Ingram didn't impress anyone. I'm not including those that were injured as disappointments.
The includes those that visited the team, were rumored or speculated as targets, or those talked about here on CZ. I did a mid-season grade on them in November, so here is the end-of-season report.
I didn't include players who never were realistic for Dallas (Matt Kalil, who was terrific for Minnesota) or who I didn't remember much pre-draft speculation about. I didn't include Claiborne since he's been discussed and dissected so extensively here. I probably left off a few and concentrated mainly on the first two rounds and then the offensive linemen. There are plenty of conflicting opinions out there, so I tried to get as much of a consensus or cross section of reviews of them. So here ya go:
Defense:
Mark Barron- Very good start through the first six games, then struggled the remainder of the season. In particular, had problems in coverage. Bucs seem to believe it was just rookie learning curve and are still very high on him.
Harrison Smith - Excellent year for Smith. Athleticism, great instincts, toughness, good hands, nasty attitude, he was credited for helping change the Vikings secondary's mindset. Already began moving into a leadership role as a rookie. Easily the best safety in the rookie class so far. Great trade-up by Minnesota to get him.
Dre Kirkpatrick- Various injuries caused him to miss all but five games for the Bengals.
Fletcher Cox- Nice rookie season for Cox. 5.5 sacks and led all Eagles linemen in tackles even while regularly double-teamed. Very good run defender, rated number 17 defensive tackle in the league by PFF. Pretty much what he was expected to be (a compliment, he had high expectations) and one of the few bright spots for the Eagle defense.
Dontari Poe - Not a very good start for Poe. Often didn't even draw a double team and was easily handled by one blocker as KC's nose tackle, didn't show great instincts, not effective at occupying blocks or clogging lanes. Is a hard worker so may take some time, but if I were a Chief's fan, I'd be worried.
Michael Brockers- Suffered a high ankle sprain in the Rams' final preseason games, missed the first three games and was slowed by the ankle all season. Struggled through the first half, then showed steady improvement the second half of the season, even with the ankle issue. Four sacks in 14 games, showed solidly against the run and pass. Pretty impressive season considering the nagging injury.
Chandler Jones - great start for the Pats, slow finish. Had 6 sacks in the first half and was mentioned as an early candidate for defensive rookie of the year. Had an ankle injury in the second half and another in the playoffs to the other ankle, nver was the same player. Finished with no more sacks for the season. Got good news after the season, won't need surgery on either ankle.
Dont'a Hightower - solid season as a run-stopping SLB for the Patriots. Struggled in coverage, needs to get better there to be a three down player.
Courtney Upshaw - Fined $20,000 early by the Ravens for weight issues.
Started slowly but ended up starting nine games, was a solid edge run defender. Added a Super Bowl ring to his two national championships at Alabama.
Shea McClellin - Fought through a knee injury and concussion, was a rotation player at linebacker for the Bears. Showed good instincts, athleticism and motor, got some criticism for not being strong at the point of attack. They're pretty high on him if he can stay healthy.
Bruce Irvin - Seattle got some criticism for picking Irvin, who was seen as a somewhat one-dimensional pass-rusher, at #15. He responded by leading all rookies with 8 sacks and another in the playoffs, although most of his sacks were in the first half of the season. He didn't quiet the one-dimensional critique in the Atlanta playoff game, when an injury forced him into an every down role and he struggled. Really good situational pass rusher, but needs to develop more than that to stay on the field more often.
Nick Perry - Up and down early season for Perry with the Packers, battling injuries and the shift from 4-3 end to 3-4 outside backer. Season ended on injured reserve following week 6. 2013 is a big prove-it year for him, he's got boom-or-bust potential. One NFC scout compared him to Vernon Gholston. Ouch.
Whitney Mercilus - Struggled with the transition to 3-4 OLB, saw limited duty early, but played more the second half as injuries took their toll on his teammates. Had 6 sacks in his limited action, a Houston rookie record, but Houston's run defense suffered when he was on the field. Showed real knack for getting to the qb but needs to show he's not a one trick pony.
Luke Kuechly – Earned several Defensive Rookie of the Year honors. Led the entire league (not just rookies, the whole league) with 164 tackles, 15 more than his nearest competitor. A tackling machine. Great pick for the Panthers. Imagine Sean Lee without the injuries.
Melvin Ingram- A work in progress for San Diego. Struggled for playing time, struggled when he became a starter due to injuries in week 13, got washed out of plays too often. One pre-draft rap on him was that he didn't do anything particularly well, and his rookies season lived up to that description.
Bobby Wagner Outstanding rookie year, 7th in the league in tackles, 3 interceptions, second in voting for AP Defensive Rookie of the Year. The best defensive rookie not named Kuechly.
Janoris Jenkins - made several all-rookie teams for St Louis at corner. Had four defensive touchdowns.
Vontaze Burfict (listed as a palate cleanser), UDFA for Cincinnati, had an awful lead-up to the draft, the poster child for how far you can fall. But he showed up in Cincy in good shape, led the team in tackles, showed instincts and aggressiveness, and kept his emotions under control. If he can keep his head right, the Bengals got a steal.
Offense (the OL edition)
(I just didn't remember who was talked about on offense outside of the line leading up to the draft).
Cordy Glenn- starter for the Bills at left tackle. Looked great the first half of the season, struggled the second half, either hit the rookie wall or some nagging injuries slowed him down. Good run blocker, good against bull rushes, had some problems the second half in pass protection against quicker defenders. Still, a solid season and the Bills are very high on him going forward.
Peter Konz - played increasingly at right guard for the Falcons as the season went on, got mediocre/average/decent grades, depending on who you listen to. Got better in the second half then hit the wall and struggled in December. Rumors around the Falcons that he'll be moved to center this year.
Kevin Zeitler - Day one starter for the Bengals at right guard, positive-to-studly reviews, made several all-rookie teams. Just what everyone thought pre-draft, very, very solid player from game one, became an anchor in Cincy's chaotic o-line all year.
Reilly Reiff - Only started one game for the Lions, and was mainly used as a sixth lineman/tight end in the run game. He's projected to start this year although they're not sure where - maybe at either tackle spot or at guard. They're still high on him, but as first rounder he just couldn't get on the field much.
David DeCastro- struggled in training camp, then suffered what looked like a season ending injury. Fought his way back and made his first start against the Cowboys. Got uneven reviews - pretty good against Dallas, got destroyed by Geno Atkins (like pretty much everyone else) and was inconsistent. Probably came back too soon from the injury. 2013 will tell whether the pre-draft hype was accurate, and whether he can come back full strength from the knee injury.
Amini Silatolu – Day one starter at guard for Carolina, went through some serious early season struggles, trouble with assignments, big adjustment for a small school guy. Then he started to figure it out and played well enough the second half to make some all-rooie teams. Powerful run blocker. Should only get better.
Keleche Osemele - starter at right tackle for the Ravens, did better than anticipated, solid first season.
The other top rated pre-draft centers:
Philip Blake (Denver, 4th round) – suffered a thumb injury and was placed on IR before week 3, out for the season. Different sites had him listed as either a backup center or backup guard before the injury.
Ben Jones - (Houston, 4th round) Lots of playing time at right guard including a few starts. Up and down season, hit the wall later on, better in protection than in the run game. Needs to get stronger.
Mike Brewster (Jaguars, UDFA) - Started seven games at guard for the Jaguars, decent reviews, placed on IR in December.
David Molk (Chargers, 7th round) - I couldn't find much of anything about him this year, so I'm assuming he's somewhere deep on the Chargers depth chart.
And the one that got away...
Trevor Robinson - UDFA for the Bengals. Played guard at Notre Dame but was moved to center by Cincy, was starting by mid-season and made the AP all-rookie team. (That may have mainly been because he had no competition, but hey...) Wrestled the job away from 10 year starter Jeff Faine and got pretty solid reviews by Bengals folks.
Biggest positive suprises (from this list only):
Harrison Smith - was supposed to be good, but not this good this fast.
Vontaze Burfict - for at least one year, had his head right and played up to the early hype.
Amini Silatolu - it took him awhile but he made the adjustment pretty quickly for a small school guy.
Trevor Robinson - hey, a UDFA starting at center as a rookie and playing solidly. That's a gift.
Biggest disappointments - it's early, but Poe and Ingram didn't impress anyone. I'm not including those that were injured as disappointments.
