honyock
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Sheldon Richardson, Chance Warmack, Star Lotulelei, Jonathan Cooper, etc. Here's the third annual look at the draftees from last year that either visited the Cowboys, were rumored to have interest from the team, or that were debated or lusted after here on CZ. I haven't listed anyone actually drafted by Dallas, just those that were talked about pre-draft, then went elsewhere.
Not following every team in the league, every year I wonder about those names that were talked about and how they did or didn't pan out. Obviously the jury is still out on lots of them, one year isn't long enough to know for the most part. But here is a year one report card on some of them. I got the reports from a variety of online sources, so those of you who follow some of the teams mentioned may have a better or more accurate report than I do.
Hopefully before the draft I'll have time to do a three year report on the 2011 class, the first class I did this with. That's the JJ Watt/Cameron Jordan/Carimi/Castonzo/Solder class. But here's year one for the 2013 class, organized by position. This list is heavy on OL, DL, and Safety. Players who visited the Cowboys pre-draft are underlined.
Ezekial Ansah (1st) DE Detroit Was expected to be raw with a steep learning curve, but produced at a pretty high level. Very good in run defense and led all rookies with eight sacks. Obviously helped by some pretty good d-line teammates, but an impressive season anyway. Pretty high upside.
Star Lotulelei (1st) DT Carolina Showed why he was so highly rated by draftniks for most of the draft season. Really shone as a run stuffer in the middle of the Panthers defense. Ok in pass defense but dominating against the run. Helped put the Panthers young defense on the map.
Sheldon Richardson DT NY Jets Great rookie year for Richardson. Was named defensive rookie of the year on many lists. Already close to dominant as a run stuffer. Athletic, high motor, disruptive. SI did a post-season re-draft and Richardson was their top pick in retrospect.
Shariff Floyd (1st) DT Minnesota Was slowed by a knee issue and then surgery in the preseason. Split time most of the season with Kevin Williams at DT. Played about every third series for most of the year. Had his best stretch in the final four games where he was much more active and aggressive. Viking coaches are at least saying they are pleased with his progression.
Björn Werner (1st) DE Indy Missed three games with a foot injury early in the season. Didn’t make much impact when he played, mainly a rotational lineman, got three sacks but otherwise pretty weak in passrushing duties. Coaches want him to get stronger. Probably headed for another year as a rotation guy.
Datone Jones (1st) Green Bay Suffered an ankle injury at the end of training camp, by midseason was finally playing significant snaps, then tailed off and had his snaps cut by the coaching staff pretty sharply by the end of the year. Disappointing year for Jones, expectations were high that he could step in and make an impact in year one. It sounds like the Packers still don’t really know what they’ve got in him.
Sylvester Williams (1st) DT Denver The Broncos preached patience early with Williams. Translation: very slow start.. Inactive for a three of the first nine games, less than 20 snaps in the others in that stretch. Injuries gave him a chance late in the year and he took advantage, ended up starting late season through the playoffs. Got pretty strong praise from HC John Fox for fighting through his struggles and ending the season playing well. The second half turned his season from a disappointment into a pretty solid rookie season.
Tank Carradine (2nd) DE SF Never saw the field for the 49’ers in 2013, was activated halfway through the season but his surgically repaired knee didn’t respond. Had a second knee surgery after the season to remove scar tissue from the knee.
Kawaan Short (2nd) DT Carolina The concern for Short coming out of Purdue were motor issues. No signs of that in Carolina. Key rotation player in the middle of the Panther’s line, the combination of he and Lotulelei completely turned around the Panthers run defense. A better pass rusher than Lotulelei. Great second round pick. SI had him picked at #13 in their re-draft.
Jonathan Hankins (2nd) DT Giants Had to fight for playing time behind veterans in the line rotation. Not a huge impact in limited snaps. Better as a run stuffer than a pass rusher but the team wants him to get stronger.
Margus Hunt (2nd) DE, Cincinnati Very limited action, saw only 159 snaps, mainly later in the season. Very raw, still in project mode.
Bennie Logan (3rd) DT Philly Started the final eight games at nose tackle. Got generally positive reviews from Eagles watchers. Showed good quickness and explosion. Team wants him heavier for 2014.
Damontre Moore (3rd) DE NYG Missed time early with injuries, then the coaches seemed to lose confidence in his readiness for game action. Played undisciplined and was penalty prone, struggled to master the defensive schemes. The Giants are talking about seeing him as a starter this year, but needs to show more discipline and understanding of the defense.
John Jenkins (3rd) DT New Orleans Quietly had a good rookie year. Worked through the year in a rotation at nose tackle, and started a few games as an injury fill-in. Very solid in both run defense and as a pocket collapser. May be the starting NT this year. With Jenkins, Vaccaro, receiver Kenny Stills, and a late showing by Terron Armstead, a very good draft class by the Saints.
Jordan Hill (3rd) DT, Seattle Injuries turned 2013 into close to a redshirt year for Hill. Only played four games, wasn’t on the active roster for the playoffs.
Brandon Williams (3rd) DT Balt Very limited playing time. Inactive for first three games, then worked his way into the rotation before being a healthy inactive for six of the final eight games. Disappointing end to the season after it was thought he’d get more playing time when Marcus Spears was released in mid-season. Coaches talk about having “a little maturing to do”.
Brian Schwenke (4th) C Tennessee Broke into the starting lineup at center early in the season, got very strong reviews from word go. Suffered a high ankle sprain in week 10, missed a game and struggled with mobility the rest of the season. Ankle surgery after the season. The Titans are very high on him, see him as their long-term center.
Khaled Holmes (4th) C Indy Ankle injury early in camp, didn’t impress in preseason, only played 12 snaps during the season. According to the team, will be competing for a starting spot with Phil Costa in 2014.
Barrett Jones (4th) OC/OG St Louis Out recovering from his Lisfranc foot injury until late in the season, then played mainly special teams.
Guard/Tackle
Jonathan Cooper (1st) OG Arizona Injured in preseason and out for the year.
Chance Warmack (1st) OG Tennessee Started and played every snap. Mixed reviews…Good run blocker, pretty good on the move in the run game, struggled in pass protection. Not a bad season overall, just didn't hit hte ground running like some of the pre-draft hype predicted. The Titans were pleased with his improvement over the course of the season.
DJ Fluker (1st) OT San Diego Mainly playing RT, showed the power everyone expected in run blocking and plenty of athleticism in pass pro. Very solid rookie season, showed up on most all-rookie teams, outperformed the more highly touted tackles taken ahead of him in Round 1. Struggled a bit in a four game stint at left tackle, but looked worthy of the pick at #11.
Justin Pugh (1st) OT NY Giants Started at right tackle for a Giants OL that was terrible. Started very slowly, by the end of the season was the teams best OL (not sure how much that says). Needs to improve in pass protection, but generally got good marks for season 1. Did make the pro football writers all-rookie team.
Kyle Long (1st) OG Chicago Taken higher than expected by the Bears and proved worthy of the selection. Good in pass pro, run blocking, got to the second level consistently, and showed the kind of tough streak you want in a guard. Los of all-rookie recognition.
Menelik Watson (2nd) OT Oakland Health problems most of the year. Played in five games, started two.
Way too early to tell.
Larry Warford (3rd) OG Detroit Stepped in as starter immediately and has Risen to good-to-dominant at RG. Didn’t surrender a sack all season, and was a Star run blocker. Made virtually every all-rookie team. A steal in the third round.
Brian Winters (3rd) OG NY Jets Took over as starter for the Jets at left guard in week 5. The reviews were bad. Really bad. Many rumors he’d be benched late in the season. Struggled in both run blocking and pass pro. Among league leaders in sacks allowed.
Terron Armstead (3rd) OT Finally moved to starting LT in week 16, very shaky game against Carolina, then followed it up with very solid starts to finish the season. The Saints are happy with his progression, very athletic, moves well in space, just needs to get stronger in the offseason. Should step in and be a longterm starter.
Dallas Thomas (3rd) OT Miami After a poor preseason, Thomas logged two plays during the regular season. Couldn’t find the field for a team that had a starting tackle and guard missing for long stretches due to, well, you know, the Incognito story. The good news is that Thomas seems to be safely ahead of David Arkin on the projected 2014 depth chart. Disappointing season for a guard who many thought to be pretty quickly NFL-ready.
David Bakhatiari (4th) GB Bakhatiari Forced to start at LT when Brian Bulaga went down in the preseason. Did pretty well – graded high in pass pro but struggled in the run game. Needs to get stronger, was vulnerable to bull rushes in addition to his run blocking issues. But a good and promising season for a rookie that wasn’t highly touted and wasn't expected to see the field much.
David Quessenberry (6th) OG, Houston Broken foot just before game 1, out for the season.
Tyrann Mathieu (3rd) CB Arizona Arizona has used Mathieu in a variety of roles single deep safety, up in run support, as a slot corner, occasionally as an outside corner, and he was very good, both in coverage and in some aggressive run support. And has shown maturity and good work ethic to boot. On lots of all-rookie lists. So far, looks like a 3rd round steal by the Cards.
Kenny Vacarro (1st) FS New Orleans Very good reviews for Vacarro from the Saints. Rob Ryan used him in a lot of roles - blitzing, run support, slot corner, both safety positions, and at linebacker at times. He blew some coverages but also made big plays, and was a key part of the resurgence in the Saints defense. His injury late in the year was a blow to them. Showed good instincts in coverage and lots and lots of aggressiveness.
Eric Reid (1st) FS San Fran Starter right away for SF. Physical and aggressive, showed good awareness and smarts. Very good pick, the only worry was concussion issues…he had two during the season, a possibly ominous health-related start for a rookie.
Matt Elam (1st) FS Baltimore Starter since game 2 at free safety, really struggled in coverage during stretches. , Plenty of Ravens watchers believe he was out of position there and more of a natural SS. Somewhere between and okay and slightly disappointing rookie season.
Jonathan Cyprien (2nd) SS Jacksonville The Jaguars put him at strong safety…struggled early (slight to gigantic struggles, depending on who close to the Jags you listen to). Showed improvement (slight to huge, again who you listen to) the second half of the season. Still on the learning curve.
DJ Swearinger (2nd) SS Houston After an injury to their starting SS, the Texans decided to start Swearinger and live with the rookie growing pains. Got generally pretty good reviews, played with aggressiveness and confidence and attitude. Growing pains but decent rookie season.
TJ McDonald (3rd) FS St Louis Missed the first 11 games with a broken leg. Not much to go on, too early to tell.
Sharmako Thomas (3rd) SS Pitt Used mainly in sub packaes by the Steelers. Got pretty good reviews, expected to push for a starting job in 2014.
Phillip Thomas (3rd) SS Washington Out for the season with a Lisfranc injury.
Bacarri Rambo (6th) SS Wash Pressed into a starting role to start the season due to injuries. Got terrible grades, couldn’t cover or tackle. Lost his starting job quickly. Over his head, poor tackler, couldn’t contribute much on special teams. His upside may be be as a backup.
Giovani Bernard (2nd) Cincy Had a good rookie season, effective in both the run game and passing game. Didn't start any games but worked in a tandem with BenJarvus Green-Ellis. Nice hands as a receiver, showed both good power and elusiveness.
Eddie Lacy (2nd) Green Bay Excellent pick, named offensive rookie of the year in several lists. Helped keep the Packers competitive after Aaron Rogers went down. Good pick by the Packers.
Le’Veon Bell (2nd) Missed some time early due to injury. Finished strong in his last five games, his ypc increased late in the year. Fits the mold of workhorse Steelers running backs.
Not following every team in the league, every year I wonder about those names that were talked about and how they did or didn't pan out. Obviously the jury is still out on lots of them, one year isn't long enough to know for the most part. But here is a year one report card on some of them. I got the reports from a variety of online sources, so those of you who follow some of the teams mentioned may have a better or more accurate report than I do.
Hopefully before the draft I'll have time to do a three year report on the 2011 class, the first class I did this with. That's the JJ Watt/Cameron Jordan/Carimi/Castonzo/Solder class. But here's year one for the 2013 class, organized by position. This list is heavy on OL, DL, and Safety. Players who visited the Cowboys pre-draft are underlined.
Defensive Line
Ezekial Ansah (1st) DE Detroit Was expected to be raw with a steep learning curve, but produced at a pretty high level. Very good in run defense and led all rookies with eight sacks. Obviously helped by some pretty good d-line teammates, but an impressive season anyway. Pretty high upside.
Star Lotulelei (1st) DT Carolina Showed why he was so highly rated by draftniks for most of the draft season. Really shone as a run stuffer in the middle of the Panthers defense. Ok in pass defense but dominating against the run. Helped put the Panthers young defense on the map.
Sheldon Richardson DT NY Jets Great rookie year for Richardson. Was named defensive rookie of the year on many lists. Already close to dominant as a run stuffer. Athletic, high motor, disruptive. SI did a post-season re-draft and Richardson was their top pick in retrospect.
Shariff Floyd (1st) DT Minnesota Was slowed by a knee issue and then surgery in the preseason. Split time most of the season with Kevin Williams at DT. Played about every third series for most of the year. Had his best stretch in the final four games where he was much more active and aggressive. Viking coaches are at least saying they are pleased with his progression.
Björn Werner (1st) DE Indy Missed three games with a foot injury early in the season. Didn’t make much impact when he played, mainly a rotational lineman, got three sacks but otherwise pretty weak in passrushing duties. Coaches want him to get stronger. Probably headed for another year as a rotation guy.
Datone Jones (1st) Green Bay Suffered an ankle injury at the end of training camp, by midseason was finally playing significant snaps, then tailed off and had his snaps cut by the coaching staff pretty sharply by the end of the year. Disappointing year for Jones, expectations were high that he could step in and make an impact in year one. It sounds like the Packers still don’t really know what they’ve got in him.
Sylvester Williams (1st) DT Denver The Broncos preached patience early with Williams. Translation: very slow start.. Inactive for a three of the first nine games, less than 20 snaps in the others in that stretch. Injuries gave him a chance late in the year and he took advantage, ended up starting late season through the playoffs. Got pretty strong praise from HC John Fox for fighting through his struggles and ending the season playing well. The second half turned his season from a disappointment into a pretty solid rookie season.
Tank Carradine (2nd) DE SF Never saw the field for the 49’ers in 2013, was activated halfway through the season but his surgically repaired knee didn’t respond. Had a second knee surgery after the season to remove scar tissue from the knee.
Kawaan Short (2nd) DT Carolina The concern for Short coming out of Purdue were motor issues. No signs of that in Carolina. Key rotation player in the middle of the Panther’s line, the combination of he and Lotulelei completely turned around the Panthers run defense. A better pass rusher than Lotulelei. Great second round pick. SI had him picked at #13 in their re-draft.
Jonathan Hankins (2nd) DT Giants Had to fight for playing time behind veterans in the line rotation. Not a huge impact in limited snaps. Better as a run stuffer than a pass rusher but the team wants him to get stronger.
Margus Hunt (2nd) DE, Cincinnati Very limited action, saw only 159 snaps, mainly later in the season. Very raw, still in project mode.
Bennie Logan (3rd) DT Philly Started the final eight games at nose tackle. Got generally positive reviews from Eagles watchers. Showed good quickness and explosion. Team wants him heavier for 2014.
Damontre Moore (3rd) DE NYG Missed time early with injuries, then the coaches seemed to lose confidence in his readiness for game action. Played undisciplined and was penalty prone, struggled to master the defensive schemes. The Giants are talking about seeing him as a starter this year, but needs to show more discipline and understanding of the defense.
John Jenkins (3rd) DT New Orleans Quietly had a good rookie year. Worked through the year in a rotation at nose tackle, and started a few games as an injury fill-in. Very solid in both run defense and as a pocket collapser. May be the starting NT this year. With Jenkins, Vaccaro, receiver Kenny Stills, and a late showing by Terron Armstead, a very good draft class by the Saints.
Jordan Hill (3rd) DT, Seattle Injuries turned 2013 into close to a redshirt year for Hill. Only played four games, wasn’t on the active roster for the playoffs.
Brandon Williams (3rd) DT Balt Very limited playing time. Inactive for first three games, then worked his way into the rotation before being a healthy inactive for six of the final eight games. Disappointing end to the season after it was thought he’d get more playing time when Marcus Spears was released in mid-season. Coaches talk about having “a little maturing to do”.
Offensive Line
CenterBrian Schwenke (4th) C Tennessee Broke into the starting lineup at center early in the season, got very strong reviews from word go. Suffered a high ankle sprain in week 10, missed a game and struggled with mobility the rest of the season. Ankle surgery after the season. The Titans are very high on him, see him as their long-term center.
Khaled Holmes (4th) C Indy Ankle injury early in camp, didn’t impress in preseason, only played 12 snaps during the season. According to the team, will be competing for a starting spot with Phil Costa in 2014.
Barrett Jones (4th) OC/OG St Louis Out recovering from his Lisfranc foot injury until late in the season, then played mainly special teams.
Guard/Tackle
Jonathan Cooper (1st) OG Arizona Injured in preseason and out for the year.
Chance Warmack (1st) OG Tennessee Started and played every snap. Mixed reviews…Good run blocker, pretty good on the move in the run game, struggled in pass protection. Not a bad season overall, just didn't hit hte ground running like some of the pre-draft hype predicted. The Titans were pleased with his improvement over the course of the season.
DJ Fluker (1st) OT San Diego Mainly playing RT, showed the power everyone expected in run blocking and plenty of athleticism in pass pro. Very solid rookie season, showed up on most all-rookie teams, outperformed the more highly touted tackles taken ahead of him in Round 1. Struggled a bit in a four game stint at left tackle, but looked worthy of the pick at #11.
Justin Pugh (1st) OT NY Giants Started at right tackle for a Giants OL that was terrible. Started very slowly, by the end of the season was the teams best OL (not sure how much that says). Needs to improve in pass protection, but generally got good marks for season 1. Did make the pro football writers all-rookie team.
Kyle Long (1st) OG Chicago Taken higher than expected by the Bears and proved worthy of the selection. Good in pass pro, run blocking, got to the second level consistently, and showed the kind of tough streak you want in a guard. Los of all-rookie recognition.
Menelik Watson (2nd) OT Oakland Health problems most of the year. Played in five games, started two.
Way too early to tell.
Larry Warford (3rd) OG Detroit Stepped in as starter immediately and has Risen to good-to-dominant at RG. Didn’t surrender a sack all season, and was a Star run blocker. Made virtually every all-rookie team. A steal in the third round.
Brian Winters (3rd) OG NY Jets Took over as starter for the Jets at left guard in week 5. The reviews were bad. Really bad. Many rumors he’d be benched late in the season. Struggled in both run blocking and pass pro. Among league leaders in sacks allowed.
Terron Armstead (3rd) OT Finally moved to starting LT in week 16, very shaky game against Carolina, then followed it up with very solid starts to finish the season. The Saints are happy with his progression, very athletic, moves well in space, just needs to get stronger in the offseason. Should step in and be a longterm starter.
Dallas Thomas (3rd) OT Miami After a poor preseason, Thomas logged two plays during the regular season. Couldn’t find the field for a team that had a starting tackle and guard missing for long stretches due to, well, you know, the Incognito story. The good news is that Thomas seems to be safely ahead of David Arkin on the projected 2014 depth chart. Disappointing season for a guard who many thought to be pretty quickly NFL-ready.
David Bakhatiari (4th) GB Bakhatiari Forced to start at LT when Brian Bulaga went down in the preseason. Did pretty well – graded high in pass pro but struggled in the run game. Needs to get stronger, was vulnerable to bull rushes in addition to his run blocking issues. But a good and promising season for a rookie that wasn’t highly touted and wasn't expected to see the field much.
David Quessenberry (6th) OG, Houston Broken foot just before game 1, out for the season.
Cornerback
Tyrann Mathieu (3rd) CB Arizona Arizona has used Mathieu in a variety of roles single deep safety, up in run support, as a slot corner, occasionally as an outside corner, and he was very good, both in coverage and in some aggressive run support. And has shown maturity and good work ethic to boot. On lots of all-rookie lists. So far, looks like a 3rd round steal by the Cards.
Safety
Kenny Vacarro (1st) FS New Orleans Very good reviews for Vacarro from the Saints. Rob Ryan used him in a lot of roles - blitzing, run support, slot corner, both safety positions, and at linebacker at times. He blew some coverages but also made big plays, and was a key part of the resurgence in the Saints defense. His injury late in the year was a blow to them. Showed good instincts in coverage and lots and lots of aggressiveness.
Eric Reid (1st) FS San Fran Starter right away for SF. Physical and aggressive, showed good awareness and smarts. Very good pick, the only worry was concussion issues…he had two during the season, a possibly ominous health-related start for a rookie.
Matt Elam (1st) FS Baltimore Starter since game 2 at free safety, really struggled in coverage during stretches. , Plenty of Ravens watchers believe he was out of position there and more of a natural SS. Somewhere between and okay and slightly disappointing rookie season.
Jonathan Cyprien (2nd) SS Jacksonville The Jaguars put him at strong safety…struggled early (slight to gigantic struggles, depending on who close to the Jags you listen to). Showed improvement (slight to huge, again who you listen to) the second half of the season. Still on the learning curve.
DJ Swearinger (2nd) SS Houston After an injury to their starting SS, the Texans decided to start Swearinger and live with the rookie growing pains. Got generally pretty good reviews, played with aggressiveness and confidence and attitude. Growing pains but decent rookie season.
TJ McDonald (3rd) FS St Louis Missed the first 11 games with a broken leg. Not much to go on, too early to tell.
Sharmako Thomas (3rd) SS Pitt Used mainly in sub packaes by the Steelers. Got pretty good reviews, expected to push for a starting job in 2014.
Phillip Thomas (3rd) SS Washington Out for the season with a Lisfranc injury.
Bacarri Rambo (6th) SS Wash Pressed into a starting role to start the season due to injuries. Got terrible grades, couldn’t cover or tackle. Lost his starting job quickly. Over his head, poor tackler, couldn’t contribute much on special teams. His upside may be be as a backup.
Running Back
Giovani Bernard (2nd) Cincy Had a good rookie season, effective in both the run game and passing game. Didn't start any games but worked in a tandem with BenJarvus Green-Ellis. Nice hands as a receiver, showed both good power and elusiveness.
Eddie Lacy (2nd) Green Bay Excellent pick, named offensive rookie of the year in several lists. Helped keep the Packers competitive after Aaron Rogers went down. Good pick by the Packers.
Le’Veon Bell (2nd) Missed some time early due to injury. Finished strong in his last five games, his ypc increased late in the year. Fits the mold of workhorse Steelers running backs.
? Great post!
