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NFL.com ranked their Top-100 Rookies for 2016, three Dallas Cowboys made the list. We take a look to see if they got it right.
Chase Goodbread of NFL.com spends the majority of his time working on the College Football 24/7 portion of the site and this week he released his Top-100 Rookies for the 2016 season. Now, Goodbread is strictly looking at the rookies that he believes will have the biggest impact this season. So, we shouldn't expect to see guys like Dak Prescott or Jaylon Smith make that list. The three Cowboys that he picked is kind of exactly who we would hope to make impacts rather early because they just about have to.
(3.) RB Ezekiel Elliott, Dallas Cowboys: Elliott should not only start immediately, but flourish as well, and his skills as a receiver and blocker will invigorate the offense.
(48.) DL Maliek Collins, Dallas Cowboys: He won't be on the field all the time, but DC Rod Marinelli will love Collins' ability to penetrate against single blocks and get after the quarterback from the interior.
(69.) DE Charles Tapper, Dallas Cowboys: Given Dallas' pending four-game suspensions at the position, Tapper inherits a great shot to start early, and don't be surprised if he entrenches himself.
It's hard to argue with Goodbread's line of thinking as he has pretty much nailed the three guys that this draft will be judged by this season. All three of those guys will be relied upon early to help the Cowboys get through the first month of the season with two impending suspensions. There is a lot of unknown surrounding this team because nobody knows exactly what to expect. This draft didn't break in one direction or the other as the Cowboys made picks like a team that felt no pressure.
When it comes to Ezekiel Elliott, the whole world is expecting big things from the former Buckeye that single-handedly took over the 2015 BCS National Title Game. A lot has been recently made about what the Cowboys' could have done with the fourth-overall pick, but it is pretty hard to argue against the impact Elliott will make. Much like 2014, the Cowboys' best way to win football games and keep their quarterback healthy is with a dominant running attack.
A good rushing attack is not what the Cowboys' need, they need a great one. That's the difference, we all respect Darren McFadden for what he was able to do (1,089 rushing yards) but the Cowboys' are going to be dynamic with Zeke, period. End of story. He's a special talent that the other running backs on the roster don't even compare to anymore. He fits the Cowboys' plans like a glove there is no competition at the position. He's the bell cow and away we go.
It was slightly surprising to see the Cowboys go defensive tackle before edge rusher but Collins is certainly worth the selection. The Cowboys believe that Tyrone Crawford will be the three-technique under tackle that they desire, but you can never be too sure. Collins not only gives the Cowboys some flexibility with the defensive line but he also allows them to have some insurance at the position. Collins was outstanding as the penetrating tackle in Bo Pelini's Huskers' defense. He recorded 13 tackles for loss and 4.5 sacks in 2014 before he was taken out of position following Pelini's firing.
Collins could start with the Cowboys' need across the defensive line in the first four weeks of the season. Crawford has been rumored to possibly be shifting out to defensive end for a spell while they await the returns of Randy Gregory and DeMarcus Lawrence. Collins is disruptive and explosive off the line of scrimmage and Rod Marinelli has really taken a liking to what he brings to the Cowboys.
Charles Tapper is the most interesting player of the bunch and one that Cowboys' fans are getting very familiar with. When you look at him and watch his drills from rookie minicamp, you see a guy who is violent in the way he attacks (albeit just being dummies). Tapper has the speed you would want from a rush end and the long limbs and frame that would suggest he's built right for the position. The Cowboys will need all hands on deck but there might be more to Tapper than we see currently.
For guys like Gregory and Lawrence the best ability is availability and I wouldn't be so sure that Tapper is far behind Gregory in terms of knowledge for the position. Gregory had his struggles last year after suffering an injury in week one. Tapper strikes you as a guy that is going to compete for playing time and will get a four-week audition once the season begins. If Tapper can show that he's got the strength to hold up against blockers and speed to shed them, he has a great chance of becoming a mainstay. For Marinelli, it's about building the entire rotation, Tapper by all means looks like a solid piece.
All the other picks the Cowboys have could very well find themselves in the discussion but these are the big three in terms of prospective impact in 2016. Some say that you can't really judge a draft class until three years down the road, but the confidence in what the Cowboys' did in 2015 rests squarely on what they get out of Byron Jones and possibly Lucky Whitehead. There are so many question marks surrounding every other pick they made in 2015, as many of them had little to no impact at all. A 4-12 season can make anything stink and the Cowboys must get results out of more than just Ezekiel Elliott.
Goodbread laid it out in regards to this class, he pinpointed exactly which guys need to make their presence known for the upcoming season. Let's just hope that he was onto something because this team sorely needs some positive results.
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