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

[blueblood70]

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

your opinion

 

[blueblood70]

Smith: A-
Williams: B+
Tolbert: incomplete but say D for now. late bloomer like Miles Austin and ced wilson were not immediate contributors.
Ferguson: B
Waletzko: incomplete but D, i mean come on hes not truly had chance to play.
Bland: B- too small sample size for any better score
Clark: Incomplete
Ridgeway: F-yes you get cut and now pay for Washington , ouch.
Harper: I have zero idea haven't seen him play as a lB..

 

[Acceptablename]

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

Maybe because I’m a homer and Bland is a pet cat who with little playing time always makes something happen. Has one interception so I give him an A

 

[Fastpitch Dad]

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.

Well done, I could still sneak in Smith in the A area because of the difficult position and being moved right before the season started. But it would be nitpicking.

I think your grades are right in my opinion.

 

[RS12]

Nice write up Bob. Most importantly looks like they nailed the first two picks at important positions. This FO has been more hit than miss over the last decade in the second round so to see Sam Williams progressing weekly is one of seasons highlights.

 

[ConstantReboot]

Tolbert is having trouble just being activated. We lost two quality receivers during the offseason and our top free agent signing James Washington has been injured so there’s no excuse for him not getting some playing time. He came out of a strong WR class and has been a huge bust so far. I’m just hoping he can become serviceable at some point. I bet if the Cowboys had to do over, they would take a different player. It’s a real bad sign when your third round pick is a healthy scratch practically every week.

I wish the Cowboys would have taken a different player. There were much better wideouts in the 3rd round that could have helped us. Wish they had used another draft pick later on a wideout rather than Harper.

 

[darthseinfeld]

Ridgeway is actually playing a lot. Just not for Dallas

Wouldn't lament too much, he has two tackles on the season

 

[darthseinfeld]

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.

Like him or not the chances they move Smith away from LT long term are very small. Outside of the likelihood Tyron moves him inside for a few games this seasons, Tyler is likely home at LT

 

[MWH1967]

• 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 (A+) can't ask for better.
• 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 (Kid needs to find his way quick)
• 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-(Love his blocking skills)
• 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(Can't wait to see him work)
• 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-(D+ ) JAG- needs to be a barroom bouncer)
• 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-( 2 depth and not bad at all. Schultz has been put on notice.

 

[Verdict]

Tolbert was a late 3rd round pick WR. To judge him harshly is impatient and premature. Many rookie WRs take a year or 2 to get used to the NFL. See Gallup. Call this one incomplete.

The fact that Ridgeway is no longer on the team makes this one an F.

I agree with the others

I think it’s an F —-not because he didn’t do much for us, but because he was claimed by another team. If he turns out to be a hall of fame player or a bust his grade is still an F for us.

 

[zekecowboy]

Tolbert was a late 3rd round pick WR. To judge him harshly is impatient and premature. Many rookie WRs take a year or 2 to get used to the NFL. See Gallup. Call this one incomplete.

The fact that Ridgeway is no longer on the team makes this one an F.

I agree with the others

Blame losing Ridgeway on management, they could have put one of the players on IR that were hurt and Ridgeway would still be playing for Dallas.