Bear's top undrafted rookie free agents...

[silverbear]

Nobody will be able to sign any UDRFAs until some progress is made on the lockout situation, but it's never too early to start lining up your prospects...

This list will be in two parts-- players we know the Boys had some interest in, and my undrafted pet cats... each will be rated according to NFL Draft Scout's final predraft rankings:

Ian Williams, NT, Notre Dame... 6-1, 320 lbs., 5.2 second 40... rated 118th by NFLDS... the Boys don't have much depth at NT...

Zach Hurd, OG, Connecticut... 6-7, 316 lbs., 5.25 second 40... rated 156th by NFLDS... after drafting 3 OL, I wonder how many more the team would be looking to sign as UDRFAs...

Adrian Moten, OLB, Maryland... 6-2, 230 lbs., 4.5 second 40... rated 190th by NFLDS... similar in skillset to Bruce Carter, though not as good... with the addition of Carter, Moten might be redundant for the Boys...

Ricardo Lockette, WR, Fort Valley St.... 6-2, 210 lbs., 4.35 second 40... rated 213th by NFLDS... the Boys could use an injection of speed in their receiver corps, and Lockette has it...

Mark Herzlich, OLB, Boston College... 6-4, 245 lbs., 4.9 second 40... rated 217th by NFLDS... Ryan apparently loves the kid, if his health checks out he might be a possibility for the Boys...

Andre Holmes, WR, Hillsdale... 6-4, 210 lbs., 4.45 second 40... ranked 233rd by NFLDS... one of my pet cats...


Jake Kirkpatrick, C, TCU... 6-2, 300 lbs., 5.3 second 40... ranked 234th by NFLDS... though the Boys have shown some interest in him, I think he became less likely as a prospect for them when they drafted Nagy, the center from Wisconsin, in the 7th...

Schuylar Oordt, TE, Northern Iowa... 6-6, 260 lbs., 4.65 second 40... rated 238th by NFLDS... the Boys haven't added any new talent to the mix at TE yet, making Oordt an attractive option here...


Nick Bellore, ILB, Central Michigan... 6-1, 245 lbs., 4.7 seond 40... ranked 266th by NFLDS... the only LB the Boys drafted was Bruce Carter, so they may well be looking for more depth at LB...

Preston Dial, FB, Alabama... 6-2, 240 lbs., 4.8 second 40... ranked 313th by NFLDS... after drafting Chapas late, do the Boys still entertain signing another FB??

Jerrod Johnson, QB, Texas A&M... 6-5, 250 lbs, 4.75 second 40... ranked 334th by NFLDS... I have a hunch the Boys see him not as a QB, but as a conversion project to TD... I have nothing but my gut telling me that...

Brian Lainhart, FS, Kent St.... 6-0, 210 lbs., 4.55 second 40... ranked 344th by NFLDS... seems to be the best safety left on the board...

Stephen Skelton, TE, Fordham... 6-5, 250 lbs., 4.75 second 40... ranked 357th by NFLDS... the Boys will likely look to add a TE for training camp, Skelton might be the choice... or Oordt, or Jerrod Johnson...

Vance Cuff, CB, Georgia... 5-10, 180 lbs., 4.5 second 40... ranked 423rd by NFLDS... his size/speed ratio seem pretty ordinary to me, but the Boys apparently like him...

Zane Parr, DE, Virginia... 6-4, 280 lbs., 4.8 second 40... ranked 441st by NFLDS... SDogo has given us a heads up that the Boys liked Parr well enough to think about drafting him in the 7th... he needs to bulk up to play DE in the 3-4...

Jason Teague, CB, TCU... 6-2, 186 lbs., 4.5 second 40... ranked 456th by NFLDS... he's pretty skinny, but if he can put 10-15 pounds on that frame he might have a chance at the next level...

Zack Eskridge, QB, Midwestern State... 6-3, 225 lbs., 4.85 second 40... ranked 539th by NFLDS... I'll got out on a limb here, and predict that this will be the Boys' 4th QB in camp...

Phillip Tanner, RB, Middle Tennessee... 5-11, 210 lbs., 4.55 second 40... ranked 667th by NFLDS... after the Boys drafted Murray in the 3rd, I think it became unlikely that they'd add somebody like Tanner as well...

Antareis Bryan, CB, Baylor... 6-1, 195 lbs., 4.35 second 40... ranked 694th by NFLDS... I think the Boys will look to bring in a player or two to compete in the secondary, and I think they like Bryan...

Collin Zych, FS, Harvard... 5-10, 200 pounds, 4.45 second 40... ranked 723rd by NFLDS... another secondary prospect that I think they might look to sign...

Michael Ricks, FS, Stillman... 6-1, 190 pounds, 4.45 second 40... not ranked in the top 750 by NFLDS... I see him as a longshot to be pursued by the Boys...

Josh Vernon, OG, TCU... 6-2, 300 pounds, 5.1 second 40... not ranked in the top 750 by NFLDS... I don't see much in him, but the Boys seem to like him...

There's 22 players we know the Boys showed some interest in, but who went undrafted... of that list, I'd go hard after NT Ian Williams, WR Ricardo Lockette or Andre Holmes, TEs Schuylar Oordt or Stephen Skelton, ILB Nick Bellore, FB Preston Dial, DE Zane Parr, QB Zach Eskridge, CB Antareis Bryan and FS Collin Zych... that would make 9 signings, now we move on to some of my pet cats still on the board:

Alex Henery, K, Nebraska... 6-2, 175 lbs., 4.85 second 40... ranked 138th by NFLDS... if you want to bring in a kicker to compete with Buehler, Henery was the highest rated kicker in this draft... Kai Forbath from UCLA might be a candidate for K too...

Deunta Williams, FS, N. Carolina... 6-2, 206 lbs., 4.5 second 40... ranked 145th by NFLDS... if he hadn't gotten hurt late last season, he would probably have been a top 75 pick, so he'd be a steal-- if his wheels check out...

Ryan Jones, CB, NW Missouri St... 5-11, 200 lbs., 4.45 second 40... ranked 200th by NFLDS... I'm flabbergasted he went undrafted, and he'd be right at the top of my list of UDRFAs to try to sign...

Demario Ballard, WR, W. Oregon... 6-5, 220 lbs, 4.5 second 40... ranked 272nd by NFLDS... a king-sized receiver who was very productive at a low level of competition...

Mario Fannin, RB, Auburn... 5-10, 230 lbs., 4.35 second 40... ranked 284th by NFLDS... even though the Boys drafted Murray, I'd still take a flier on Fannin, based entirely on his size/speed ratio... if you're gonna bring in camp fodder, why not bring in some with NFL-type computer numbers??

Marc Schiechl, OLB, Colorado School of Mines... 6-2, 250 lbs., 4.65 second 40... ranked 304th by NFLDS... I'm predicting that there will be quite a little bidding war for this small school pass-rushing terror, and I hope the Boys will be in on it... the team really didn't add any talent to the OLB position, and Schiechl's computer numbers suggest he could handle NFL-level competition...

Alex Wujciak, ILB, Maryland... 6-3, 250 lbs., 4.65 second 40... ranked 360th by NFLDS... we know the Boys scouted his teammate Adrian Moten, I hope they paid some attention to Wujciak too... he's more of a two down, run-stuffing type and IMO would improve the depth at ILB...

Donald Buckram, RB, UTEP... 5-9, 200 lbs, 4.4 second 40... ranked 377th by NFLDS... a pure homer pick, as the next one will be... had a down senior season, after gaining 1500 yards rushing as a junior, but he hurt his knee prior to the start of the season and was never right the rest of the year... however, he ran a legit 4.4 40 at the UTEP Pro Day workout, suggesting his knee rehab has been successfully completed...

Kris Adams, WR, UTEP... 6-3, 195 lbs., 4.45 second 40... ranked 387th by NFLDS... a tall, rangy wideout who was the Miners' best receiver...

Cory Grant, DT, TCU... 6-1, 316 lbs., 5.05 second 40... ranked 442nd by NFLDS... I'm looking hard at just about any decent DL who went undrafted, since the Boys did nothing to address their lack of depth on the DL... Grant looks like a squatty widebody with some quickness...

Kiante Tripp, DE, Georgia... 6-5, 295 lbs., 4.95 second 40... ranked 569th by NFLDS... the search for DL help goes on...

Michael Janac, DE, Marshall... 6-5, 295 lbs., 4.85 second 40... ranked 496th by NFLDS... another warm body for the DL...

Brian Sumner, DT, Colorado School of Mines... 6-1, 340 lbs., 5.2 second 40... not ranked in the top 750 by NFLDS... like his teammate Schiechl, he might be the focus of a bidding war after setting a record with over 50 reps in the bench press... that kind of strength on a squatty widebody like Sumner just screams NT...

Doug Barbour, LB/TE, Utah St.... 6-5, 240 lbs., 4.45 second 40... not ranked in the top 750 by NFLDS... I don't know if he's a linebacker or a tight end, but anytime you have a 240 pounder who runs a 4.45 40, it's worth a look... while you're figuring out his best position in the pros, he'll give you some solid special teams play...

Zach Kendall, OG, Kansas St.... 6-2, 316 lbs., 4.95 second 40... not ranked in the top 750 by NFLDS... any time you have a 315 pounder who can run under 5 seconds in the 40, he's worth a look... especially when that 315 pounder played in a major conference...

Zach Roth, OT/OG, TCU... 6-5, 316 pounds, 5.05 second 40... not ranked in the top 750 by NFLDS... I like his versatility as much as I like his computer numbers...

And there's 16 players that I like a lot, who went undrafted... if the Boys added the 9 players that I recommended that we know they like, they might have room for 6 or 7 more of these prospects... I particularly like FS Deunta Williams, CB Ryan Jones, OLB Marc Schiechl, ILB Alex Wujciak, RB Donald Buckram, DT Brian Sumner and OG Zach Kendall...

 

[Arch Stanton]

Norm was saying he thought VR would take Andre Holmes in the later rounds. Said VR really liked him.

 

[silverbear]

To break it down another way, here are the players I'd be targeting at each position:

QB-- Zach Eskridge, Midwestern State

RB-- Mario Fannin, Auburn; Donald Buckram, UTEP

FB-- Preston Dial, Alabama

TE-- Schuylar Oordt, N. Iowa; Stephen Skelton, Fordham

WR-- Ricardo Lockette, Fort Valley State; Demario Ballard, W. Oregon; Andre Holmes, Hillsdale; Kris Adams, UTEP

OL-- Zach Hurd, Connecticut (OG); Jake Kirkpatrick, TCU (C); Zach Kendall, Kansas State (OG); Zach Roth, TCU (OT/OG)

DL-- Ian Williams, Notre Dame (NT); Zane Parr, Virginia (DE); Cory Grant, TCU (NT); Kiante Tripp, Georgia (DE); Michael Janac, Marshall (DE); Brian Sumner, Colorado School of Mines (DT); Miguel Chavis, Clemson (DE); Jarrett Crittenton, Middle Tennessee (DE); Jermaine Rogers, Louisiana-Lafayette (DE)

ILB-- Mark Herzlich, Boston College; Jeff Tarpinian, Iowa; Nick Bellore, Central Michigan; Alex Wujciak, Maryland; Doug Barbour, Utah St.

OLB-- Adrian Moten, Maryland; Marc Schiechl, Colorado School of Mines; Bryan Braman, W. Texas A&M

CB-- Ryan Jones, NW Missouri St.; Vance Cuff, Georgia; Jason Teague, TCU; Antareis Bryan, Baylor

S-- Deunta Williams, N. Carolina; Brian Lainhart, Kent St.; Collin Zych, Harvard

K-- Alex Henery, Nebraska; Kai Forbath, UCLA...

There's some 40 players that I like who went undrafted... the 20 listed in bold fonts would be the players I'd rate highest, the first players I'd target when the time comes to sign UDRFAs...

 

[silverbear]

Norm was saying he thought VR would take Andre Holmes in the later rounds. Said VR really liked him.

I suspect he's near the top of the Cowboys' wish list...

 

[Skerr41]

Henry went to the Eagles late in the 4th. Apart from that, I like the list. I particularly like the idea of bringing in Parr and Kirkpatrick. I didn't see O'Dowd mentioned...?

 

[silverbear]

Henry went to the Eagles late in the 4th.

Can't believe I missed that...

 

[THUMPER]

NT & WR were areas I thought we would address in the draft but didn't really (1 WR that I am NOT impressed with) so hopefully we will sign a couple now.

Ian Williams, NT, Notre Dame... 6-1, 320 lbs., 5.2 second 40... rated 118th by NFLDS... the Boys don't have much depth at NT...

Ricardo Lockette, WR, Fort Valley St.... 6-2, 210 lbs., 4.35 second 40... rated 213th by NFLDS... the Boys could use an injection of speed in their receiver corps, and Lockette has it...

Andre Holmes, WR, Hillsdale... 6-4, 210 lbs., 4.45 second 40... ranked 233rd by NFLDS... one of my pet cats...

That would work for me.

 

[CCBoy]

Thanks so much, Bear...and you will always be on top of my list of contributors.

I'd love to meet up with you at camp this year, and my wife and I spend a dining excursion with you.

I want a strong list of defensive linemen, and let the internal explosions start at camp. I want this group of Cowboy linemen to be really worked tough this camp.

I like Ian Williams, Brian Sumner, and three DE's...if you say Zane Parr, so be it, my friend.

 

[big dog cowboy]

NT & WR were areas I thought we would address in the draft but didn't really (1 WR that I am NOT impressed with)

Really? This kid makes the roster so I guess we'll see. They sure talked him up on the ticket last night.

 

[Hostile]

Ian Williams, NT, Notre Dame... 6-1, 320 lbs., 5.2 second 40... rated 118th by NFLDS... the Boys don't have much depth at NT...

Mark Herzlich, OLB, Boston College... 6-4, 245 lbs., 4.9 second 40... rated 217th by NFLDS... Ryan apparently loves the kid, if his health checks out he might be a possibility for the Boys...

Deunta Williams, FS, N. Carolina... 6-2, 206 lbs., 4.5 second 40... ranked 145th by NFLDS... if he hadn't gotten hurt late last season, he would probably have been a top 75 pick, so he'd be a steal-- if his wheels check out...

Ryan Jones, CB, NW Missouri St... 5-11, 200 lbs., 4.45 second 40... ranked 200th by NFLDS... I'm flabbergasted he went undrafted, and he'd be right at the top of my list of UDRFAs to try to sign...

Brian Sumner, DT, Colorado School of Mines... 6-1, 340 lbs., 5.2 second 40... not ranked in the top 750 by NFLDS... like his teammate Schiechl, he might be the focus of a bidding war after setting a record with over 50 reps in the bench press... that kind of strength on a squatty widebody like Sumner just screams NT...

Those are the ones I really love, with Deunta Williams right at the top.

 

[big dog cowboy]

Great list SB, thanks.

 

[Fla Cowpoke]

My top 5 are

Lockette - WR
I. Williams - DT
D. Williams - S
Lutrus - LB
O'Dowd - C

Deandre McDaniel makes the list at S as well. I thought he and Deunta would be off the board by the end of the 5th. Same with Ian Williams. O'Dowd has an injury history but is tough and was universally ranked the third best center available. Lutrus doesn't get talked about, but at the Combine he was in the top 3-4 in every test and looked like he had some coverage skills. We always need a coverage LB.

I would also thrown in Darrin Walls, a bigger corner from ND with great measureables but maybe not the loose hips needed for corner. I would bring him in to convert to FS.

 

[Biggems]

Bear, I am surprised you didnt list Keith Darbut...you tend to list everyone under the sun with your thoroughness

 

[BIGDen]

Should probably call yourself "silverbear" in the title. "Bear's" is a little confusing at first (even though there is an apostrophe). No big deal. Just a thought.

 

[Biggems]

Should probably call yourself "silverbear" in the title. "Bear's" is a little confusing at first (even though there is an apostrophe). No big deal. Just a thought.

why, we all know what Bear means...he has been here for a long time. No need to put Silverbear.

 

[Gaede]

I like Hurd (I think he might have a chance at the roster), Oordt, and Ian Williams

Whenever UDFA are signed, I'll be very interested. We are very good at mining undrafted talent

 

[johnnyd]

A slew of TCU guys i counted 5 i think wonder if any of them came in for visits

 

[BIGDen]

why, we all know what Bear means...he has been here for a long time. No need to put Silverbear.

Like I said, it's no big deal. It's just that the Draft Zone had numerous threads starting with other NFL team names (grading their drafts) and this thread blended in a bit beacuse it looked, at first glance, like it might have been about the Bears.

 

[silverbear]

Bear, I am surprised you didnt list Keith Darbut...you tend to list everyone under the sun with your thoroughness

Good call, he should certainly be on the list... great speed...

 

[silverbear]

I like Hurd (I think he might have a chance at the roster), Oordt, and Ian Williams

Whenever UDFA are signed, I'll be very interested. We are very good at mining undrafted talent

Yes, we certainly are... I'll be on pins and needles too, with my list of some 75 undrafted rookie free agents that I kinda like... LOL...