A case for Nkemdiche at #4

[31smackdown]

I'm a little surprised that Nkemdiche is not being talked up more around here? Is it because we have Crawford and people are looking at him as a 1Tech that the staff does not value?

The guy was constantly double teamed by even the best teams he played and wore down a bit at his current weight having to work so hard, but he is one of the few, if not only, guy that shows NFL type of strength with quickness at that position. If you add him to the a line with Crawford, DLaw, Hardy and Gregory you have a really strong rotational line and shores up one of the weaknesses of the defense while helping the other guys around him and the LB's.

 

[Killerinstinct]

I'm a little surprised that Nkemdiche is not being talked up more around here? Is it because we have Crawford and people are looking at him as a 1Tech that the staff does not value?

The guy was constantly double teamed by even the best teams he played and wore down a bit at his current weight having to work so hard, but he is one of the few, if not only, guy that shows NFL type of strength with quickness at that position. If you add him to the a line with Crawford, DLaw, Hardy and Gregory you have a really strong rotational line and shores up one of the weaknesses of the defense while helping the other guys around him and the LB's.

I think his recent incident where he got high and fell off a balcony has him dropping.

 

[JohnnyHopkins]

I think his recent incident where he got high and fell off a balcony has him dropping.

Literally!

 

[31smackdown]

I think his recent incident where he got high and fell off a balcony has him dropping.

Certainly there seems to be a lot of off the field type of concerns and checks to do on him which makes it risky in the top 10. Seems to be another one of those slightly odd guys like a Hardy or the Bennett brothers. That being said.. he seems to play football pretty well. We always drool over Fletcher Cox, so if the off the field stuff is just college immaturity type of stuff then he might be worth a look.

 

[Leadbelly]

I think if people look at his highlight videos, they'd see a superstar. If they look at full game cut-ups, they'd see a guy who flashes like a star once in a while but usually is not having a ton of success.

Has a lot more to work on than a top 5 player should. To my eyes he got by on superior athleticism and doesn't know much about being a DT. His issues are all teachable though (except for off the field stuff). And then there's the whole weird 'fell out a window' thing.

Definitely won the genetics contest. I wouldn't have a problem drafting him. He makes some plays most DTs can only make in their dreams.

 

[Awakened]

I said this in another thread I started, but I agree that Nkemdiche is a superstar talent. He's not a 1 technique. He's perfect for the 3 technique. If we could put Crawford at RDE and move Lawrence back to LDE, then THAT would be a formidable DL. Maybe sign a 1 technique to replace Hayden.

All that said, I'm not sure Cowboys should take a guy with questionable character for the 4th pick. Just not sure how much of a risk Nkemdiche would be, but he is a freak physically. Moves like a LB, but strong as an Ox.

 

[jterrell]

Nkemdiche is not a top 5 pick. He was very ballyhooed coming out of HS and has been good but not great since.

Guy has 6 career sacks....
He was a 20-25 area guy before the incidents.

And yes Ty Crawford would play into it.

 

[texbumthelife]

Because the guy doesn't play up to the hype? I am sorry, but Nkemdiche is the most over hyped guy in this draft. His game tape does not show much, in fact it echoes his poor stat lines. I know stats aren't everything, but they are one way prospects are validated and they aren't there. He was consistently double teamed, and rarely won those battles. He didn't spend much time in the backfield and was run out of a lot of plays. He doesn't have great burst or technique. Looks like a 3-4 DE to me. He may be a first round talent, but he is nowhere near top five talent. The fact he is even being uttered as a top ten pick is more of a testament to how weak this draft is than anything else.

Oh and FTR, the guy is being talked about quite a bit around here, his name comes up in nearly every thread. He's even being mentioned in the Fan Zone. No one here is sleeping on him.

 

[AzorAhai]

I don't think he's a top 5 pick even if he didn't go swan diving. I was expecting a whole lot more when I started with his tape, but just wasn't impressed. He can make a splash play and then disappear. I didn't see him play with enough power either. I see an inconsistent player with character issues. I damn sure wouldn't touch him anywhere near our pick. Especially since Crawford is here for at least another couple of seasons.

If you're hoping for a DT, look at Kenny Clark DT, UCLA or Austin Johnson DT, Penn St. Both could be available in Rd 2 and both would be a big upgrade to Hayden. They could also add a little pass rush, so hopefully they are actually on Marinellis list.

 

[jterrell]

Because the guy doesn't play up to the hype? I am sorry, but Nkemdiche is the most over hyped guy in this draft. His game tape does not show much, in fact it echoes his poor stat lines. I know stats aren't everything, but they are one way prospects are validated and they aren't there. He was consistently double teamed, and rarely won those battles. He didn't spend much time in the backfield and was run out of a lot of plays. He doesn't have great burst or technique. Looks like a 3-4 DE to me. He may be a first round talent, but he is nowhere near top five talent. The fact he is even being uttered as a top ten pick is more of a testament to how weak this draft is than anything else.

Oh and FTR, the guy is being talked about quite a bit around here, his name comes up in nearly every thread. He's even being mentioned in the Fan Zone. No one here is sleeping on him.

the guy he looks like on tape is shariff floyd.
he does not look like aaron donald. aaron donald is worth a top 5 pick as all cowboys fans knew even when most others didn't.

 

[AzorAhai]

Because the guy doesn't play up to the hype? I am sorry, but Nkemdiche is the most over hyped guy in this draft. His game tape does not show much, in fact it echoes his poor stat lines. I know stats aren't everything, but they are one way prospects are validated and they aren't there. He was consistently double teamed, and rarely won those battles. He didn't spend much time in the backfield and was run out of a lot of plays. He doesn't have great burst or technique. Looks like a 3-4 DE to me. He may be a first round talent, but he is nowhere near top five talent. The fact he is even being uttered as a top ten pick is more of a testament to how weak this draft is than anything else.

Oh and FTR, the guy is being talked about quite a bit around here, his name comes up in nearly every thread. He's even being mentioned in the Fan Zone. No one here is sleeping on him.

Lol you beat me to it.

 

[jterrell]

I don't think he's a top 5 pick even if he didn't go swan diving. I was expecting a whole lot more when I started with his tape, but just wasn't impressed. He can make a splash play and then disappear. I didn't see him play with enough power either. I see an inconsistent player with character issues. I damn sure wouldn't touch him anywhere near our pick. Especially since Crawford is here for at least another couple of seasons.

If you're hoping for a DT, look at Kenny Clark DT, UCLA or Austin Johnson DT, Penn St. Both could be available in Rd 2 and both would be a big upgrade to Hayden. They could also add a little pass rush, so hopefully they are actually on Marinellis list.

he has some burst but he doesn't locate the ball and seems allergic to quarterbacks.
i saw 3 or 4 instances where he beat a double team and ran right by a QB.
it looked like Dak Prescott ran right at him 3 or 4 times.

 

[texbumthelife]

the guy he looks like on tape is shariff floyd.
he does not look like aaron donald. aaron donald is worth a top 5 pick as all cowboys fans knew even when most others didn't.

Trust me my man, no one was sleeping on Aaron Donald.

I agree though. The only DT I am taking that high is someone who is proven to be a disruptive force and Nkemdiche is not that guy. He is an effort guy who doesn't show consistent effort. This team needs more guys like they like I need another hole in my head.

 

[jterrell]

Trust me my man, no one was sleeping on Aaron Donald.

I agree though. The only DT I am taking that high is someone who is proven to be a disruptive force and Nkemdiche is not that guy. He is an effort guy who doesn't show consistent effort. This team needs more guys like they like I need another hole in my head.

i meant the league, not here... he was easily the top choice amongst cowboys fans.
we just pretended he'd fall to us, lol.

 

[texbumthelife]

I don't think he's a top 5 pick even if he didn't go swan diving. I was expecting a whole lot more when I started with his tape, but just wasn't impressed. He can make a splash play and then disappear. I didn't see him play with enough power either. I see an inconsistent player with character issues. I damn sure wouldn't touch him anywhere near our pick. Especially since Crawford is here for at least another couple of seasons.

If you're hoping for a DT, look at Kenny Clark DT, UCLA or Austin Johnson DT, Penn St. Both could be available in Rd 2 and both would be a big upgrade to Hayden. They could also add a little pass rush, so hopefully they are actually on Marinellis list.

Speaking of Penn St guys, Carl Nassib isn't getting enough talk around here. Talk about disruptive... Wow! He'd have to prove it wasn't just a one year thing but that guys shows off the charts.

 

[texbumthelife]

he has some burst but he doesn't locate the ball and seems allergic to quarterbacks.
i saw 3 or 4 instances where he beat a double team and ran right by a QB.
it looked like Dak Prescott ran right at him 3 or 4 times.

I guess what I meant is, burst to beat guys he'll be going up against at the next level. He absolutely disappeared when he played NFL level talent.

 

[AzorAhai]

Speaking of Penn St guys, Carl Nassib isn't getting enough talk around here. Talk about disruptive... Wow! He'd have to prove it wasn't just a one year thing but that guys shows off the charts.

Yup. This is a very deep talent pool along the DL. There's not very many elite players at the top, but the 1st 2-3 RDs could be dominated by the position group. Lots of solid top 100 guys there.

 

[RS12]

A case for Nkemdiche at #4

No chance.

 

[31smackdown]

I've only watched a few cut ups and really it's all projection for most of these guys. I've rarely seen times when the guy was not double teamed and when he was not, he beat his guy and got penetration. Yes, I agree he does lose sight sometimes after getting tossed around by two guys and he does not pursue on plays away from him very much and can look gassed and slow after his initial burst. The problem I'm having is finding another DL who even flashes some of those same abilities in the power and shed areas. I see a lot of DL getting stonewalled on single blocks and just standing around the line against college talent and getting blown back on any double teams. When you project guys to the NFL, the guys that seem to do well are those with the physical attributes to mold with teaching. JJ Watt was strong as an ox in college but would look stiff or run by plays a lot, but if he was not the physical specimen he was to begin with he would not be able to even get started against NFL talent.

What I am basically hearing is that there are no DL that are worthy of a top 10 pick in this draft other than Bosa, who from what I have seen so far, doesn't look all that impressive on tape himself.

 

[bayeslife]

I'd take him if he has a monster combine. Will have to see.