Are there any great RTs with Martin's measurables?

[DFWJC]

Draft Brandon Thomas with 1st rd 7 pick and put him on IR to start at RT next year

Problem solved

Sadly, he'll be long gone by then. great idea though.

 

[visionary]

Sadly, he'll be long gone by then. great idea though.

I would be open to pick him with our rd 5 pick

 

[AbeBeta]

Draft Brandon Thomas with 1st rd 7 pick and put him on IR to start at RT next year

Problem solved

I like Thomas but I expect he is going higher. Recall people said Beasley would be there for us in the 3rd.

If Thomas is still there when the 5th starts we would do well to move up a few to get him

 

[Crown Royal]

His arms could be a bit of a problem with quick fast guys on the edge. His feet are about like Free's. His hands and punch appears to be a good bit better than Free. He can backup C, play G and go to RT if needed. G is his position.

Doug Free, to me, is a player who lives purely on technique. His only true physical gift is that he happens to be really tall and fat. He doesn't have a great anchor and isn't out physicallying anyone. To me, Martin is very much like doug free, but he gives up some height and gets some physical ability in return. He will alway sstruggle with the fast edge rusher, which makes him better suited to RT, but he immediately makes it possible for you to run to either side just as effectively should you play him there.

ALl that said, Garrett does want to play him at tackle for the time being and, if they get another guard next year, I would assume that they will bounce him to RT and let Doug walk.

 

[Hoofbite]

Measurement geeks won't like him because of the arms. But fact is, Joe Thomas has 32 1/2. Jake Long 32 7/8.

Arm length is just like WR height. Yes, you want optimal measurements. But if the WR can get open, who cares? With a lineman it is the same. The strength of their initial punch and their footwork, if top shelf, can minimize the loss of advantage with their reach. It is just idiotic how much stock is put into it when you have an upper echelon player who does all the other things right. If you are talking a less talented player, then you want the measurements to be closer to the preferred standard.

Kind of what I was thinking.

You gotta be in the right position first and foremost and if you're in the right position and lacking an inch or two, or three or four probably isn't going to prevent a guy from getting the job done.

 

[visionary]

I like Thomas but I expect he is going higher. Recall people said Beasley would be there for us in the 3rd.

If Thomas is still there when the 5th starts we would do well to move up a few to get him

Wouldn't move up for him but if he is there when we pick in rd 5 I would pull the trigger

Now give me 3 front 7 players in rds 2-4

 

[Crown Royal]

BTW @jobberone, I have to say as much as I wish Parnell and Weems would push Doug, I really do not like Free at guard. I think he would get bullrushed into Romo's lap far too often. His best assett at Tackle is his technique at setting an edge.

 

[jterrell]

Martin is the absolute best possible 6th OL we could have taken.
He can back up 4 positions and Free can slide over if need be to back up LT, so we are now covered at all 5 OL positions.
It does potentially save you one roster spot per game day.
While I think other guys rated higher at certain specific positions none would have added that roster flex.

All in all I think this is a good pick. It will benefit us in 2015 as we decide whether or not to pay Free again.

But as Jerry said, he was surprised Manziel didn't draw heavier offers for pick 16.
To me that drop would have been ideal once your top 3 targets are off the board.

Dallas made the best pick it could have at the time. I just wish they would have been picking 5-10 picks later with a couple extra picks in this very deep class.

I am not sure Martin is a day 1 starter because other guys have a year plus in this system and the OL played well last year but Martin is almost certain to play and help this team this year.

I think because the way the draft fell we have more pressure to create our own luck in the 2-4 rounds.

Realistically looking head OL is done through round 5.
There's one Safety left: Joyner, a few intriguing CB but we are deep there.
There's a few QB prospects, a few LB types at various values, a ton of WR still and a smattering of DL.

 

[thunderpimp91]

Measurement geeks won't like him because of the arms. But fact is, Joe Thomas has 32 1/2. Jake Long 32 7/8.

Arm length is just like WR height. Yes, you want optimal measurements. But if the WR can get open, who cares? With a lineman it is the same. The strength of their initial punch and their footwork, if top shelf, can minimize the loss of advantage with their reach. It is just idiotic how much stock is put into it when you have an upper echelon player who does all the other things right. If you are talking a less talented player, then you want the measurements to be closer to the preferred standard.

This pretty much ends the need for this thread. Very well said. The only question now is where does he play to give this team the most value.

 

[jobberone]

BTW @jobberone, I have to say as much as I wish Parnell and Weems would push Doug, I really do not like Free at guard. I think he would get bullrushed into Romo's lap far too often. His best assett at Tackle is his technique at setting an edge.

I think you are likely to be right although he did ok in TC last year. That's not the same as a game. He's actually pretty strong but he lets people get into him because of his hand work. If any tackle lets a player get under him they are going to be stood up and pushed back and off balance. He doesn't have the legs and butt for the power at G IMO but I could be wrong. That's one reason I like Mack. He has the hands and the base for a G but he doesn't have the feet. Maybe we could combine them into one player I will call Mackfree.

 

[jobberone]

Last year was Parnell's year and he blew it. I would not be surprised at all to see him not even make the final cuts.

I don't know what to think of him. I know he's very strong and has great feet and good hands. Why he can't put that all on the field consistently is a mystery to me. Maybe it's mental. Maybe he was hurt last year. He'll get another chance in TC along with Weems. Free is not the inevitable starter AFAIC. He's a slightly better than avg T but he has his own set of problems. I don't know much about Weems except the staff likes him. He's a big dude.

 

[jobberone]

No leary?

He's not a T. Just a G.

 

[jnday]

Just curious if there are any good/great RTs out there with comparable height/weight/arm length numbers to Martin. I really want this kid to replace Free.

No, there are not any RTs with Martin's measurements. Martin has the body of a guard and the short arms don't help either. I think he will end up as an OG only.

 

[jobberone]

Doug Free, to me, is a player who lives purely on technique. His only true physical gift is that he happens to be really tall and fat. He doesn't have a great anchor and isn't out physicallying anyone. To me, Martin is very much like doug free, but he gives up some height and gets some physical ability in return. He will alway sstruggle with the fast edge rusher, which makes him better suited to RT, but he immediately makes it possible for you to run to either side just as effectively should you play him there.

ALl that said, Garrett does want to play him at tackle for the time being and, if they get another guard next year, I would assume that they will bounce him to RT and let Doug walk.

I think Free is strong but lets guys get under him at times. When a tackle allows that they often look stupid. It's his hand technique and punch. He doesn't have a great hip throw for that punch and he just doesn't use his hands well. He's great on the edge. He doesn't have the glutes and core for a great run game either. He does set the edge well and he's capable of making a play in space but not consistently. He's a slightly better than avg RT.

 

[Crown Royal]

I think Free is strong but lets guys get under him at times. When a tackle allows that they often look stupid. It's his hand technique and punch. He doesn't have a great hip throw for that punch and he just doesn't use his hands well. He's great on the edge. He doesn't have the glutes and core for a great run game either. He does set the edge well and he's capable of making a play in space but not consistently. He's a slightly better than avg RT.

I can agree with this. I guess for me, his weaknesses are hidden at RT because his strengths are used more there. Those weaknesses would be exposed at RG. If guys can get under him at tackle, it will be a daily occurrence at guard.

 

[Alexander]

There's one Safety left: Joyner, a few intriguing CB but we are deep there.
There's a few QB prospects, a few LB types at various values, a ton of WR still and a smattering of DL.

I am hoping Joyner makes it to the third and is a consideration there.

 

[conner01]

Free will be a 31 year old free agent next year. They can probably get him to a team-friendly deal.

free is not a free agent next year. he is signed for 15 and 16 at 8 mil a year

 

[Risen Star]

Free gets a bad rap because of the down year after he signed his contract. 2011 he was great, 2012 he blew it but last year he played really well again. For the right price Free should stay on the roster.

Free has never been great. He's never even been really good. What he's been is overrated by a fan base who doesn't understand what they're watching. A front office too. When he has help, he's "good". When he doesn't, he's exposed as the mediocre player he's always been.

 

[thunderpimp91]

free is not a free agent next year. he is signed for 15 and 16 at 8 mil a year

Don't mean to hijack the thread, but do you have any idea how much counts agains the cap if we cut him? Just curious because now there is talk of Tennessee cutting Michael Roos. Getting way ahead of myself, but he would be an awesome target in my fantasy land.

 

[BigStar]

Free has never been great. He's never even been really good. What he's been is overrated by a fan base who doesn't understand what they're watching. A front office too. When he has help, he's "good". When he doesn't, he's exposed as the mediocre player he's always been.

Agreed. XWalker laid on in great detail all the help Free received last season from Waters/Bern to allow Free to simply worry about the outside move. They had to adjust the entire "natural: dynamic of the OL (inside out) to accomodate Free's inadequacies. Even if Martin is the starting G, the team needs to turn over any rock looking to replace this inadequate starter. Heck, the draft and UDFA hasn't concluded, we could still land our starting RT this season to take over in 2015.