Bunting - Cowboys LOVE T. Smith

[Dough Boy]

My problem with the Smith pick is that I dont believe from a minute that he starts a single game this year and if he did then we would be decimated by injury. I do believe he could be that swing tackle like you suggested and I have no doubts in 2 or 3 years you put him at a tackle position and forget about it for the next 10 which is what everyone wants. I just dont know if Dallas has even a year to wait for that.

Interesting thoughts. I never considered him not starting this year. If you take a player at 9, he has to get on the field and contribute. Dallas is not in the position to sit on the 9th pick.

For the record, I don't think he gets decimated by injury. He is a big guy. He's just not 'fat'. He's strong as evidenced by his run blocking ability.

 

[LatinMind]

This debate with Smith at LT is kind of silly. Pete Carroll himself said it was a flip of a coin that decided his fate. He was lucky enough two recruit to great athletes in the same class that could play LT and there was absolutely no reason why Smith was a RT then someone simply had to be.

There is not a team in this league that is not grading Smith as a LT.

I'm not even leaning one way or the other regarding the pick. I'm still not sure how I feel about it but it's getting kind of funny watching people label him as a RT.

What i meant was people are saying he isnt a RT. but he is and thats what he's been playing. I could care less what side he plays on. Aslong as the Cowboys get the best tackle in the draft and play him.

 

[TheFinisher]

I don't understand the hype with this guy, out of all the top Tackles he's the least ready to play. Yea, he's a pretty good athlete for a Tackle but I'd expect that out of one that only weighed 280 lbs.

 

[SDogo]

What i meant was people are saying he isnt a RT. but he is and thats what he's been playing. I could care less what side he plays on. Aslong as the Cowboys get the best tackle in the draft and play him.

Well he may well end up being the best tackle in this draft but he's not the most ready to play right now which is the battle I have with myself over him.

 

[LatinMind]

Well he may well end up being the best tackle in this draft but he's not the most ready to play right now which is the battle I have with myself over him.

Well he'd have to be being the 9 pick. Ready or not earn your money.

 

[MarionBarberThe4th]

I don't understand the hype with this guy, out of all the top Tackles he's the least ready to play. Yea, he's a pretty good athlete for a Tackle but I'd expect that out of one that only weighed 280 lbs.

Hes up to around 310 now. Close to where he should be in the pro's although you know Woicik would love to get some time with him.

He has great feet, long arms, and natural fluidity. He has everything you ask for in a blue chip tackle prospect.

And hes got good tape. Hes not a Bruce Cambell.

 

[burmafrd]

Putting him at RT we use his athletic ability to mask the mess that is Bigg Davis.

 

[rash]

In all honesty, the only guy I don't want us to draft at 9 is Prince Amukamara (and ofcourse any QB).

Picking smith will really make or break our franchise for the next 3 years or so; he has such a high ceiling (being only 20), but he could very well be the next Barron. Being so young might not necessarily be a good thing; mentally we don't know for sure if he is ready...and if he performs poorly in year 1, by the time he gains that confidence it might be too late for him. Regardless, if the coaches have faith in him and can get him to live up to potential, he really could be an even more important pick than Dez was last year.

Roll the dice with this guy. If he pans out, our ticket to the superbowl becomes that much cheaper.

Trading back makes plenty of sense too...especially if we grade Carimi, Constanzo, and Solder close enough to Smith.

 

[TheFinisher]

Hes up to around 310 now. Close to where he should be in the pro's although you know Woicik would love to get some time with him.

He has great feet, long arms, and natural fluidity. He has everything you ask for in a blue chip tackle prospect.

And hes got good tape. Hes not a Bruce Cambell.

Bulking up through strength training and maintaining a playing weight are 2 entirely different things. He's never played football weighing more than 280 pounds, I can't remember another tackle with that situation coming into the draft, let alone a top 10 selection, yet it somehow gets pushed under the rug with him.

We don't need to be gambling on a project like Smith with the 9th pick. We already have a good LT and he's still pretty young, it would be a terrible decision to spend a top 10 pick on a boom/bust RT.

 

[KingintheNorth]

Bulking up through strength training and maintaining a playing weight are 2 entirely different things. He's never played football weighing more than 280 pounds, I can't remember another tackle with that situation coming into the draft, let alone a top 10 selection, yet it somehow gets pushed under the rug with him.

We don't need to be gambling on a project like Smith with the 9th pick.

At the University of Virginia, Ferguson started his college career listed at 260 pounds (118 kg), often dropping to 245 pounds (111 kg) through the regular season. He started 49 games for the Cavaliers, and he was named to the consensus All-America first team during his final season. He was placed on the all-Atlantic Coast Conference first team two years in a row, and he became Virginia's first All-ACC offensive tackle since 1998. Ferguson started at left tackle in four consecutive bowl games for the Cavaliers. He played linebacker on a special defensive package employed sparingly in 2003. He did this while earning a religious studies degree in only 3.5 years. He was an All-America selection in 2004 by Pro Football Weekly.

2006 1st round pick (4th overall) NY Jets

Pro Bowler 2009 and 2010

 

[TheFinisher]

At the University of Virginia, Ferguson started his college career listed at 260 pounds (118 kg), often dropping to 245 pounds (111 kg) through the regular season. He started 49 games for the Cavaliers, and he was named to the consensus All-America first team during his final season. He was placed on the all-Atlantic Coast Conference first team two years in a row, and he became Virginia's first All-ACC offensive tackle since 1998. Ferguson started at left tackle in four consecutive bowl games for the Cavaliers. He played linebacker on a special defensive package employed sparingly in 2003. He did this while earning a religious studies degree in only 3.5 years. He was an All-America selection in 2004 by Pro Football Weekly.

2006 1st round pick (4th overall) NY Jets

Pro Bowler 2009 and 2010

You highlighted what he came into college at as a freshman, Ferguson hovered around 295-300 as a Senior, plus he was on an entirely different level than Smith.

 

[dbair1967]

Via twitter

Hearing the #Cowboys "love" #SouthernCal OT Tyron Smith and if he works out well could be their guy at pick 9 #NFLDRAFT

I'm on board with this. Perennial Pro Bowl potential, and only 20 yrs old.

With him and Free, we'd have quality bookend T's for years to come.

 

[dbair1967]

My problem with the Smith pick is that I dont believe from a minute that he starts a single game this year and if he did then we would be decimated by injury. I do believe he could be that swing tackle like you suggested and I have no doubts in 2 or 3 years you put him at a tackle position and forget about it for the next 10 which is what everyone wants. I just dont know if Dallas has even a year to wait for that.

Wow, cant say I agree at all.

Colombo is done. Smith, regardless of what growing pains he has is going to be a dramatic upgrade over him. Colombo cant even move himself into the way of most defenders now, there's no doubt Smith will be able to do that. Would he be as good a run blocker as Colombo initially? Maybe not, but I bet he's far superior in pass protection.

 

[dbair1967]

We have a way of ignoring obvious weaknesses and then being startled when players live up to those weaknesses, just look at Brewster and Marten. We hit on Free, thank goodness, but he wasn't even our first choice in that draft, we took Marten and even Stanback before Free.

What the heck does this have to do with drafting Smith this yr?

Nobody views Smith as a middle round pick. Almost everyone views him as a top 15 or so pick, and some probably top-10.

 

[KingintheNorth]

You highlighted what he came into college at as a freshman, Ferguson hovered around 295-300 as a Senior, plus he was on an entirely different level than Smith.

They listed him at 290 his last year but they admitted they were being generous. I think Al Groh was the coach at the time and he laughed in an interview when he was asked how did D 'Brick finally get up to 290 from the 265 he played at his Junior season. Ferguson had many of the same concerns right before his draft. They worried about him having to bulk up and could he stay and play at that weight.

He also stayed for his Senior season. He went 4th. Smith will go 10th through 15th. They have pretty similar stories.

 

[SDogo]

Wow, cant say I agree at all.

Colombo is done. Smith, regardless of what growing pains he has is going to be a dramatic upgrade over him. Colombo cant even move himself into the way of most defenders now, there's no doubt Smith will be able to do that. Would he be as good a run blocker as Colombo initially? Maybe not, but I bet he's far superior in pass protection.

There is no chance he starts from Day 1 on any OL in this league. He is simply too raw.

I think he is going to be a great OT in this league for the better part of 15 years but his first year is not going to be one of them.

 

[MarionBarberThe4th]

They listed him at 290 his last year but they admitted they were being generous. I think Al Groh was the coach at the time and he laughed in an interview when he was asked how did D 'Brick finally get up to 290 from the 265 he played at his Junior season. Ferguson had many of the same concerns right before his draft. They worried about him having to bulk up and could he stay and play at that weight.

He also stayed for his Senior season. He went 4th. Smith will go 10th through 15th. They have pretty similar stories.

Not 9 through 15?

 

[KingintheNorth]

Not 9 through 15?

Good catch sir.

I'm still on the Peterson bandwagon but if we can't get him then Smith at 9 (or a with a slight trade down) would be ideal.

I could live with another pass rusher (Quinn, Bowers) but only if there is a plan in place to trade Spencer.

I've soured on Prince and I do not want Watt at all.

 

[Woods]

Good catch sir.

I'm still on the Peterson bandwagon but if we can't get him then Smith at 9 (or a with a slight trade down) would be ideal.

I could live with another pass rusher (Quinn, Bowers) but only if there is a plan in place to trade Spencer.

I've soured on Prince and I do not want Watt at all.

Why not Watt at all?

 

[dbair1967]

There is no chance he starts from Day 1 on any OL in this league. He is simply too raw.

I think he is going to be a great OT in this league for the better part of 15 years but his first year is not going to be one of them.

I dont know what tape your looking at then, because he's been pretty good at USC. And they run a pro style offense.