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

[Bobhaze]

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

 

[ActualCowboysFan]

Ridgeway is actually playing a lot. Just not for Dallas

 

[mahoneybill]

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?

great summary. Agree with your assessments

 

[jazzcat22]

Even though Ridgeway is not with the team anymore, I was never impressed with him even n PS games. I say more like a D.
I am not sure how he is doing in Washington.

Pretty much agree with all the others.

 

[RodeoJake]

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

 

[MarcusRock]

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

I would revise this to a B or B+. For how he's performed versus the rough edges we expected, yes go with A. For sheer play he's done solid but been beat like a drum on a few reps in back to back games plus had a few penalties. If I've only heard his name once or twice I'd go with A too but it's been more than that so I'd slide him down on sheer play alone. For what we expected, yes, you're right that he's been what was hoped for in a "rookie" season. We could live with this every year too but I don't know if that makes him great.

 

[CowboyFrog]

Nice post, Tolbert is the miss so far, but he could get back as the year goes on.

 

[KJJ]

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

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.

 

[CowboyFrog]

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.

Agreed

 

[TheBigEasy]

Great post! Agree on everything other than Payton Hendershot. Maybe it's just me but he's had a lot of yellow laundry thrown in his direction and it's happened quite a few times in multiple games. Obviously still raw but he needs to clean that up if he wants to stay on the field on a consistent basis. Grade - C.

JMO...

 

[Typhus]

Ridgeway is actually playing a lot. Just not for Dallas

Ridgeways stats for season so far...
2 assists

 

[cnuball21]

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.

 

[Cowboyny]

Way too early to hand out grades, but the early look is a very strong class. Could even look better if Clark makes an impact. Biggest fail thus far is Tolbert, but he was a small schooled prospect who may take a little longer to adjust to the NFL Level. I am not considering him a bust just yet.

 

[Risen Star]

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

 

[Awakened]

Agree with OP, except:

Smith - A+ jackpot
Williams - A

Both of those were fantastic draft picks. Redraft and Smith would be Top 10 and Williams would be first round. No doubt about it.

 

[CowboyRoy]

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?

I would say that is homer take. If Smith is an A, then you cant make Wiliams an A-. He has played sparingly and up until last game hadnt done much. So you can give him an A for that one game, but not the whole season. I really like the kid, but hes a B. Didnt win a starting job and hasnt cracked much playing time as of yet.

Ridgeway is an F, not even with the team.

Walenzko is a straight up F.

 

[jujoboys]

Even though Ridgeway is not with the team anymore, I was never impressed with him even n PS games. I say more like a D.
I am not sure how he is doing in Washington.

Pretty much agree with all the others.

Ridgeway has 89 snaps with Washington in 5 games. With 0 solo tackles and 2 assisted tackles. Of course he has Daron Payne and Jonathan Allen ahead of him on the depth charts so he is never going to get much playing time unless there is an injury.

 

[CowboyRoy]

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

Thats not the exercise. The exercise is to grade them on their current work. Tolbert has to be a solid D.

 

[Typhus]

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?

Its a fair grade and was a very solid draft, getting early dividends from several rooks, and the grades will kick up when we get to see Clark working his way in with some snaps.

This draft brought us some speed on defense, and Sam Williams has been embraced by this defense and it's showing how fast a rook can develop.

I'm expecting the same introduction for Clark, LVEs time is limited, but he will provide some excellent depth.

Bland is interesting, has more range than Lewis, but Lewis could run with the slot receiver well, it's no easy job for a rook, vet slot DBs are valuable because of the experience there so we should expect some growing pains from Bland but he does have a higher ceiling then Lewis in the long term IMHO.

Ferguson and Hendershot, how cowuld we not be more excited about these two rooks, when was the last time we have seen more from a single rook TE but we got 2 that are finding a roll quickly.

Drafting those two TEs will play a big role in upcoming games, their value cannot be denied, gives this offense an advantage that D cords haven't been used to seeing when evaluating and setting a game plan.

Excellent Draft

 

[charron]

If you get 4 guys who can play then that draft class is a win. So far LT Tyler Smith, DE Sam Williams, TE Jake Ferguson, CB Daron Bland, UFA TE Payton Hendershot can all play some kinda role on game days. Then you have LB Damone Clark who could come in and be a complete monster.