Jumbo075
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With a few exceptions, the best Offensive Tackles have 34" arms at the minimum. One the reasons Tyron Smith is so dominant when healthy is his extremely long arms. Below is the arm length of the Cowboys current offensive linemen. One of the reason Collins struggles at Right Tackle is because of his short arms. Of course, lateral quickness is also a factor in who makes the best tackles. But NFL teams look for edge rushers with at least 34" arms. Collins struggles against long-armed pass rushers because he cannot consistently get his hands into their chest to create the leverage he needs to employ his power.
Typically, college Tackles who have short arms, kick inside to the interior of the line because of this issue with leverage. Collins petitioned the Cowboys for the chance to play tackle, and the Cowboys allowed him to do so after 34" armed Doug Free retired. Collins has never played as well as Free at the position, despite having more power and better lateral quickness - all because his arms are too short to gain leverage on the top pass rushers in the game.
Arm Length for Cowboys Offensive Linemen
32.25" - Joe Looney
32.875" - Zack Martin
33.0" - Travis Frederick
33.0" - Connor Williams
33.125" - Adam Redmond (roster bubble player)
33.25" La'el Collins
33.75" - Xavier Su'a-Filo
34.0" - Cameron Fleming
34.125" - Connor McGovern
34.25" - Jake Campos (roster bubble player)
36.375" - Tyron Smith
Martin has the 2nd shortest arms of all the Cowboys linemen. By contrast, Hall of Famer Larry Allen was able to kick outside because in addition to his power and quickness, he had 34" long arms. The Cowboys currently only have 4 offensive linemen with 34" or better arm length - Fleming, McGovern, Campos and Smith. I would bet on Fleming being the starter at Right Tackle next year unless the Cowboys acquire a better long-armed tackle. Fleming signed a contract that will pay him $3M this season - a pretty standard rate for a veteran swing tackle. But his pay jumps to $4.5M next year, which is in line with a average starting tackle salary.
Because of their short arms, neither Martin, nor Williams are well suited to play Right Tackle - although because of his superior technique, Martin might be okay. But why move Martin to a position where he'll be okay, when he's superior at his current job? McGovern was quoted as saying he can play all 5 positions, and he's a better prospect to move outside than either Martin or Williams. But he's also versative enough to play inside, and backup Travis Frederick at Center. With the uncertainty of Frederick's recovery, it makes sense that the Cowboys will play him at Center and Guard, but don't be shocked if he's given a chance to play Right Tackle, also. Meanwhile, reports that I've seen (don't ask me to prove it because I don't remember exactly where I saw them) say the Cowboys really like young Jake Campos as a long-term prospect to develop as a swing tackle back-up, as they did with undrafted Jermey Parnell a decade ago.
I'm not saying that it is impossible that the Cowboys would move Williams or Martin to right tackle. But I don't think it would optimal for the Cowboys. A tackle needs arm length, power and lateral quickness. I don't know if McGovern has all the traits to become a Right Tackle. But it is absolutely certain that neither Williams nor Martin is going to be able to grow their arms longer. The Cowboys have a couple of seasons to find out, with Collins slated to start at Right tackle this year, followed by Cameron Fleming next year. At the worst, McGovern can be a very valuable backup at all the positions on the Oline, which allows the Cowboys to have more flexibility with their roster. If McGovern cannot develop Right Tackle skills, the Cowboys would be better off drafting another long-armed prospect to play right tackle after 2020, when Fleming's contract expires.
Just as an aside, let's take a look at the arm length of the Cowboys defensive linemen:
Defensive Tackles
unknown - Daniel Ross (roster bubble player)
31.0" - Antwaun Woods
33.125 - Maliek Collins
33.25" - Christian Covington
33.375" - Trysten Hill
Defensive Ends
33.5" - Kerry Hyder (roster bubble player)
33.75" - Tyrone Crawford
33.75" - DeMarcus Lawrence
34.0" - Robert Quinn
34.0" - Randy Gregory
34.125" - Joe Jackson
34.25" - Taco Charlton
34.75" - Dorance Armstrong
If anyone wonders why David Irving was so hard to block, take a look at his ridiculous arm length. His length is why so many people wanted him to play end instead of tackle for the Cowboys. DeMarcus Ware, the Cowboys career sack leader, also had long arms.
34.0" - DeMarcus Ware
37.75" - David Irving
Of course, a pass rusher from the DE position needs more than just long arms. But the elite defensive ends almost all have 34" or longer arms, which is why offenses need to counter with offensive linemen on the edges who also have long arms. Again, speed, power, lateral quickness and quickness don't matter near as much if you cannot get your hands on your opponent to use those abilities. That goes for both sides of the ball.
Bottom Line: While it certainly is not the only thing that matters (I have 35" arms and no ability to play DE or OT in the NFL), Arm Length is a critical measure when evaluating OT prospects. The better ones have the arm length needed to be proficient at the position.
Two more examples from the 2013 draft:
Typically, college Tackles who have short arms, kick inside to the interior of the line because of this issue with leverage. Collins petitioned the Cowboys for the chance to play tackle, and the Cowboys allowed him to do so after 34" armed Doug Free retired. Collins has never played as well as Free at the position, despite having more power and better lateral quickness - all because his arms are too short to gain leverage on the top pass rushers in the game.
Arm Length for Cowboys Offensive Linemen
32.25" - Joe Looney
32.875" - Zack Martin
33.0" - Travis Frederick
33.0" - Connor Williams
33.125" - Adam Redmond (roster bubble player)
33.25" La'el Collins
33.75" - Xavier Su'a-Filo
34.0" - Cameron Fleming
34.125" - Connor McGovern
34.25" - Jake Campos (roster bubble player)
36.375" - Tyron Smith
Martin has the 2nd shortest arms of all the Cowboys linemen. By contrast, Hall of Famer Larry Allen was able to kick outside because in addition to his power and quickness, he had 34" long arms. The Cowboys currently only have 4 offensive linemen with 34" or better arm length - Fleming, McGovern, Campos and Smith. I would bet on Fleming being the starter at Right Tackle next year unless the Cowboys acquire a better long-armed tackle. Fleming signed a contract that will pay him $3M this season - a pretty standard rate for a veteran swing tackle. But his pay jumps to $4.5M next year, which is in line with a average starting tackle salary.
Because of their short arms, neither Martin, nor Williams are well suited to play Right Tackle - although because of his superior technique, Martin might be okay. But why move Martin to a position where he'll be okay, when he's superior at his current job? McGovern was quoted as saying he can play all 5 positions, and he's a better prospect to move outside than either Martin or Williams. But he's also versative enough to play inside, and backup Travis Frederick at Center. With the uncertainty of Frederick's recovery, it makes sense that the Cowboys will play him at Center and Guard, but don't be shocked if he's given a chance to play Right Tackle, also. Meanwhile, reports that I've seen (don't ask me to prove it because I don't remember exactly where I saw them) say the Cowboys really like young Jake Campos as a long-term prospect to develop as a swing tackle back-up, as they did with undrafted Jermey Parnell a decade ago.
I'm not saying that it is impossible that the Cowboys would move Williams or Martin to right tackle. But I don't think it would optimal for the Cowboys. A tackle needs arm length, power and lateral quickness. I don't know if McGovern has all the traits to become a Right Tackle. But it is absolutely certain that neither Williams nor Martin is going to be able to grow their arms longer. The Cowboys have a couple of seasons to find out, with Collins slated to start at Right tackle this year, followed by Cameron Fleming next year. At the worst, McGovern can be a very valuable backup at all the positions on the Oline, which allows the Cowboys to have more flexibility with their roster. If McGovern cannot develop Right Tackle skills, the Cowboys would be better off drafting another long-armed prospect to play right tackle after 2020, when Fleming's contract expires.
Just as an aside, let's take a look at the arm length of the Cowboys defensive linemen:
Defensive Tackles
unknown - Daniel Ross (roster bubble player)
31.0" - Antwaun Woods
33.125 - Maliek Collins
33.25" - Christian Covington
33.375" - Trysten Hill
Defensive Ends
33.5" - Kerry Hyder (roster bubble player)
33.75" - Tyrone Crawford
33.75" - DeMarcus Lawrence
34.0" - Robert Quinn
34.0" - Randy Gregory
34.125" - Joe Jackson
34.25" - Taco Charlton
34.75" - Dorance Armstrong
If anyone wonders why David Irving was so hard to block, take a look at his ridiculous arm length. His length is why so many people wanted him to play end instead of tackle for the Cowboys. DeMarcus Ware, the Cowboys career sack leader, also had long arms.
34.0" - DeMarcus Ware
37.75" - David Irving
Of course, a pass rusher from the DE position needs more than just long arms. But the elite defensive ends almost all have 34" or longer arms, which is why offenses need to counter with offensive linemen on the edges who also have long arms. Again, speed, power, lateral quickness and quickness don't matter near as much if you cannot get your hands on your opponent to use those abilities. That goes for both sides of the ball.
Bottom Line: While it certainly is not the only thing that matters (I have 35" arms and no ability to play DE or OT in the NFL), Arm Length is a critical measure when evaluating OT prospects. The better ones have the arm length needed to be proficient at the position.
Two more examples from the 2013 draft:
- David Bahktiari was a 4th round OT drafted by the Packers who developed into a multiple Pro Bowl player for Green Bay - 34" arms
- Justin Pugh was a 1st round round pick of the Giants who was drafted to play Right Tackle. He flamed out at Tackle, was moved inside to Guard, and then left in Free Agency to play for the Cardinals. He was part of the atrocious offensive line in Arizona last year that led to Josh Rosen having almost no chance to be successful. That led to the Cardinals trading Rosen away to Miami this year, and drafting more elusive Kylie Murray. Pugh has 32" arms
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