CFZ A near mid-season progress report of this year’s draft

[Bobhaze]

Ridgeway is actually playing a lot. Just not for Dallas

Thanks…oops I missed that.

 

[BleedSilverandBlue]

As we approach mid-season, I would like to look at the 2022 draft and give a progress report on our picks and their value to the team. To be fair, it’s too early to really know enough to completely grade these guys. But it will still be interesting to look at their progress so far.

The 2022 Draft - Progress So Far

• LT Tyler Smith has been everything we hoped for and more. He’s still raw but he looks like the future at LT- the second most difficult position to find talent in football. Grade: A
• DE Sam Williams- started the year with only a few plays but now going into game 8, he is nearing 20 snaps and has been making the most of his PT. If he continues his current trajectory, he will be a beast for years to come. Grade: A-
• WR Jalen Tolbert- we needed immediate help at WR this year and we would have to say Tolbert has been a disappointment so far. A healthy scratch for multiple games, he has caught one pass so far. Way too early to declare him a bust but he’s certainly been underwhelming so far. Grade: D
• TE Jake Ferguson- has been an immediate help at TE. He’s had 8 receptions for 71 yards and a TD. He’s blocked well and already looks like Schultz is expendable at the end of the season. Grade: A-
• OL Matt Waletzko- a bad shoulder has robbed him of much playing time. His shoulder has landed him on IR so we haven’t had enough data to grade IMO. Grade: Incomplete
• CB Daron Bland- a pleasant surprise in TC, Bland appears to be the guy in slot coverage now with Jourdan Lewis’ injury. Lots of upside but also still unproven. The team appears to have more confidence in him that last yrs 2nd rounder Kelvin Joseph.Grade: B
• LB Damone Clark- his pre-draft injury has kept him from playing but we know he’s really fast and might be on the field soon. Not much to judge him on yet. Grade: Incomplete
• DL John Ridgeway- was somewhat disappointing in TC and PS games. Has played a little this year with a couple of assisted tackles but not much PT overall. Grade: C-
• LB Devin Harper- 6th round pick has not played much at all. Can’t tell if he has any future here yet and we need help at LB. Grade: Incomplete
• UFA TE Payton Hendershot- a true diamond in the rough that was undrafted. He not only made the team, he’s playing a lot. Has 7 receptions for 70 yds and a TD. Not quite as good a blocker as Ferguson but still an amazing find. Paired with Ferguson, he’s a real impact player already. Grade: A-

What progress report grades would you give these guys so far?
Late edit- Oops- Ridgeway isn’t here anymore. My bad

Overall, very very good draft. You would be hard pressed to find better. If Sam Williams' trajectory holds course and Damone Clark is even 75% as good as the legends claim he is, then this will be a class to remember. Ferguson has the look of potentially a future pro bowler and Hendershot has got some juice too. Bland is likely to be out next Anthony Brown or Jourdan Lewis and Tyler Smith has shown that he belongs in this league as a LT even though there have been some bumps in the road.

I sure hope that in a few years we are looking back on this draft as the key infusion of talent that was required to push us over the top and get back to the NFC championship.

 

[Risen Star]

For what it's worth, Broaddus said on The Break this week that the team really likes Waletzko. It's just the injury that has doomed his rookie season.

 

[817Gill]

For what it's worth, Broaddus said on The Break this week that the team really likes Waletzko. It's just the injury that has doomed his rookie season.

He was solid/serviceable when he played in PS. He looks like he belongs out there unlike Ball. Would be nice if he can at least be a reliable swing.

 

[817Gill]

How many people hated this class when it happened lol? Always wait and see how the players play before thinking the sky is falling.

 

[Risen Star]

He was solid/serviceable when he played in PS. He looks like he belongs out there unlike Ball. Would be nice if he can at least be a reliable swing.

I don't like his build. Too tall and lanky.

 

[Crown Royal]

Smith is a B+. Great run blocker but he's been beat. A's are reserved for people who don't get beat.

 

[beware_d-ware]

My grades, based not one what they've done but how they are looking for the next 3 years going forward.

Smith - B. He's definitely proven that he can start at tackle in this league, and that alone makes his pick a hit. But the question looking forward is, where is his pass blocking ceiling at? As it is, he is kind of leaky in pass pro, and some of the flaws from his scouting report are creeping in. Can he polish it up and block out the sun like Tyron, or is he going to be a run-first mauler who will give up some pressure to better DLs?

Williams - A+. Balls out every chance he gets. As far as PFF grades, per-snap productivity, etc, he is right there with Micah Parsons. There is a lot of sample size bias there on 15 snaps a game, but also flashes of monster talent far, far beyond an average 2nd round pick.

Tolbert - F. 3rd rounder, and even injuries can't get him on the field for a team desperate for WRs. He has 1 catch on the season and has been locked in the doghouse as a healthy inactive. It's hard to imagine a worse start for his career, and there is nothing positive to project going forward.

Ferguson - B. For a 4th rounder, you expect a backup or role player type, and that's what Fergy has been. Best case, he becomes a starter, but worse case, we aren't getting any less than we bargained for.

Bland - A. For a 5th round pick, getting onto the active roster is a win. Getting onto the roster, grabbing a clutch pick, and stepping into a starting job is way exceeding expectations. We found ourselves a steal.

 

[Creeper]

It is not really fair to rate rookies who hardly play. Mid and late round picks are not first rounders because they have developmental needs when they are drafted. Any player drafted in the 3rd round or later who is active and plays is a A in my book because so few of them turn out to be good players.

Since 1992 Dallas has drafted 27 players in the first round including in 2022. 16 of them have made a pro-bowl. They drafted 33 players in the 2nd. 10 have made a pro-bowl. They drafted 31 in the 3rd round. 3 have made a pro-bowl. They draft 44 players in the 4th round and only 2 have made a pro-bowl.

 

[Jumbo075]

Gotta be honest. The Cowboys have been doing an excellent job with the draft for a while, so much so that I’ve ceased being critical of them drafting players I don’t really know about, or skipping over players I like. I still like evaluating college players for the draft because it helps me know the players across the league. But the Cowboys’ brain trust has been consistently beating the NFL draft analysts in valuing players properly - going all the way back to drafting Travis Frederick with their 1st round pick in 2013.

Of course they still will have misses, as do all NFL teams. It would have been nicer to draft Travis Kelce rather than Gavin Escobar in 2013, and Keenan Allen over Terrence Williams. But the fact remains that the Cowboys consistently draft better than most other teams. They’ve earned the benefit of the doubt, and even slow developing players like Tolbert and Waletzko deserve our patience before we prematurely pass judgment.

 

[Montanalo]

As we approach mid-season, I would like to look at the 2022 draft and give a progress report on our picks and their value to the team. To be fair, it’s too early to really know enough to completely grade these guys. But it will still be interesting to look at their progress so far.

The 2022 Draft - Progress So Far

• LT Tyler Smith has been everything we hoped for and more. He’s still raw but he looks like the future at LT- the second most difficult position to find talent in football. Grade: A
• DE Sam Williams- started the year with only a few plays but now going into game 8, he is nearing 20 snaps and has been making the most of his PT. If he continues his current trajectory, he will be a beast for years to come. Grade: A-
• WR Jalen Tolbert- we needed immediate help at WR this year and we would have to say Tolbert has been a disappointment so far. A healthy scratch for multiple games, he has caught one pass so far. Way too early to declare him a bust but he’s certainly been underwhelming so far. Grade: D
• TE Jake Ferguson- has been an immediate help at TE. He’s had 8 receptions for 71 yards and a TD. He’s blocked well and already looks like Schultz is expendable at the end of the season. Grade: A-
• OL Matt Waletzko- a bad shoulder has robbed him of much playing time. His shoulder has landed him on IR so we haven’t had enough data to grade IMO. Grade: Incomplete
• CB Daron Bland- a pleasant surprise in TC, Bland appears to be the guy in slot coverage now with Jourdan Lewis’ injury. Lots of upside but also still unproven. The team appears to have more confidence in him that last yrs 2nd rounder Kelvin Joseph.Grade: B
• LB Damone Clark- his pre-draft injury has kept him from playing but we know he’s really fast and might be on the field soon. Not much to judge him on yet. Grade: Incomplete
• DL John Ridgeway- was somewhat disappointing in TC and PS games. Has played a little this year with a couple of assisted tackles but not much PT overall. Grade: C-
• LB Devin Harper- 6th round pick has not played much at all. Can’t tell if he has any future here yet and we need help at LB. Grade: Incomplete
• UFA TE Payton Hendershot- a true diamond in the rough that was undrafted. He not only made the team, he’s playing a lot. Has 7 receptions for 70 yds and a TD. Not quite as good a blocker as Ferguson but still an amazing find. Paired with Ferguson, he’s a real impact player already. Grade: A-

What progress report grades would you give these guys so far?
Late edit- Oops- Ridgeway isn’t here anymore. My bad

No offense, @Bobhaze but it feels a bit like we're grading on the curve.

I really like this draft class. However, it feels to me that only two - Smith and Ferguson - are exceeding expectations. The rest are either meeting expectations or failing or, if I want to be kind, Incomplete.

 

[Awakened]

As I already said, I feel certain that if the draft was held today, based on the body of work up to this day, Tyler Smith would be a Top 10 pick and Sam Williams would be a first rounder. How could that not be seen as a big success?

 

[xwalker]

Ridgeways stats for season so far...
2 assists

Averaging 30% if snaps on a team with 2 quality starting DTs.

He had an odd style that is difficult to evaluate.

Good at shedding blocks with upper body power but gets pushed back often due to lack of anchor.

Some coaches value that style and some don't.

 

[Typhus]

Averaging 30% if snaps on a team with 2 quality starting DTs.

He had an odd style that is difficult to evaluate.

Good at shedding blocks with upper body power but gets pushed back often due to lack of anchor.

Some coaches value that style and some don't.

Couldnt keep all of them, so I understood the Ridgeway release.

 

[Parcells4Life]

Doesn’t Harper play ST?

 

[Typhus]

For what it's worth, Broaddus said on The Break this week that the team really likes Waletzko. It's just the injury that has doomed his rookie season.

Wally got the redshirt, we finally figured out how to stash OL.

 

[DanA]

Graded on a scale

• Tyler Smith: B
• Sam Williams: B+
• Jalen Tolbert: D
• Ferguson: B
• Waletzko: ~
  
• Bland: A
• Ridgeway: F
• Harper: ~
• Hendershot: A

 

[JBS]

Smith: A
Williams: B
Tolbert: F
Ferguson: B
Waletzko: D
Bland: A
Clark: Incomplete
Ridgeway: F
Harper: C

Much more realistic grading scale. OP is way off on the grades

 

[noshame]

A overall

 

[blueblood70]

It seems a little generous for me.

Smith has admirably filled in Tyron bc he had to but he’s nearly leading the league in penalties and is bottom 10 in sacks allowed. Hoping we can move him to OG where I think he’ll thrive.

Williams has shown some playmaking ability but he’s not starting and is a situational player.

The TEs look promising.

I’d probably give it a C+ but it’s obviously very early to grade the class.

no such combo in the sports english language, NEARLY Leading LOL he is or isnt. judge him against other rookie Tackles the last few drafts, now see his grade..hes had to go against Hutchinson, Donald, and other pretty darn good pass rushers and sure had few hiccups..still b+- A- its far better than anyone expected.

Williams given snaps and what hes down with those snaps A, hes coming on Now and will earn more snaps and show out more..hes what we hoped for, and its tough to break into lineup that was producing like that until when you do you show you are better..hes already moved up my depth chart and passed fowler, Basham and Ghoston, hes now coming for Armstrong..thats impressive

he might end up being bookends with parsons in 2023 moving in front of tank..