cowboyszone:Draft Notes: Smith Gives Dallas a Much Bigger ''Problem'' at Pick 9

[cowboyjoe]

Draft Notes: Smith Gives Dallas a Much Bigger ''Problem'' at Pick 9
http://www.cowboyszone.com/2011/02/draft-notes-brown-gives-dallas-much.html

Posted by Rafael at Tuesday, February 15, 2011
Cowboys Nation's weekly chat with the National Football Post's Wes Bunting brings news that may temper the thought of trading down from the 9 spot. Top OT prospect Tyron Smith, a 20-year old, early-entry junior, has bulked up considerably since USC's season ended in November, and could wow scouts with his Combine workout at the end of this month.

Cowboys Nation: You tweeted this a couple of days ago and some of my readers were posting this in comment threads over the weekend, that Tyron Smith is up over 300 lbs. now. Is that confirmed?

 

[YosemiteSam]

If he can hang on to the weight and performs at the combine, I take this guy at #9. I think he is more talented at his position than any of the DEs / OLBs everyone is looking at for us in the first round. There isn't a safety to be seen in the first either.

 

[SDogo]

I tell you, if he comes in at around 310-315 and puts up the same numbers he can at 285 I take him at 9 and that's saying alot because at this moment, I dont feel there is an offensive lineman in this class worth a top 15 pick.

 

[DMOB]

Since he couldnt play at that weight in college and actually lost weight what makes people think he won't do the same in the NFL. Of course he has bulked up now he's not playing football. Bet come training camp and preseason he would be back to his normal weight. Pass.

 

[SDogo]

Since he couldnt play at that weight in college and actually lost weight what makes people think he won't do the same in the NFL. Of course he has bulked up now he's not playing football. Bet come training camp and preseason he would be back to his normal weight. Pass.

He never played at that weight in college..........what are you talking about?

You think players don't put on weight in the NFL?

I'm not getting your argument.

 

[DMOB]

I'm saying he played college ball at 285 and had a hard time keeping on the weight while the season went on. I don't see him being able to stay around 300+ while playing in the NFL. Too light for me sounds like the center we had a while back.

 

[casmith07]

I wouldn't touch this guy with a 10-foot pole.

 

[realtick]

Since he couldnt play at that weight in college and actually lost weight what makes people think he won't do the same in the NFL. Of course he has bulked up now he's not playing football. Bet come training camp and preseason he would be back to his normal weight. Pass.

And what source are you referencing that he couldn't maintain that weight in college?

 

[DMOB]

I thought I read that on here. No?

 

[Avery]

Not at #9. If we entertain a trade down into the low teens or 20's I'll consider it.

 

[SDogo]

I thought I read that on here. No?

No, the knock against him was his inability to put on weight not play at a higher weight. It's why it's big news he got to 310, now people want to see if he maintains his agility, speed and flexibility at that weight.

 

[Bigdog]

For all those people who say he can not put on weight or maintain it, when I went to college, I only put on 10 pounds throughout my college career. After college, I started to gain weight a lot quicker. Smith intrigues me because it is a position of need and we need to protect Romo so Austin, Bryant, and Witten could do their thing. It is qb league now and you need to protect your qb to be successful. Just my opinion.

 

[jjktkk]

If the draft board plays out, I feel the Boys would be reaching for a player at #9, so I hope they actually trade out of that spot.

 

[UnoDallas]

http://www.cowboyszone.com/2011/02...llas-much.html



I was really impressed by Tyron Smith, I told you this before, playing against Cameron Jordan in the run game, cause he was able to gain leverage and drive Jordan off the ball at 285 lbs. That's saying something. And how he's a bit heavier. Leverage wins in the run game and that's something he's already developed

CN: And you're still confident that he can play either side?

WB: Absolutely. I put him with the Commanders because I think it would be a perfect fit. They want to be a zone-running team. You can put him on the right side, start there, get his feet wet. If he develops there you can move him to the left side and put Trent Williams on the right. Just like the Ravens did with Michael Oher. Start him on the right and if you feel he can be a better prospect on the other side, move him. Or he can start on the left. It's these minor concerns that we're dilly dallying over but I feel he can be an upper echelon left tackle in the NFL.

WB: He's an exceptional offensive tackle. He's a really good athlete. If you just look at his body type, it's lean right down the middle. He's got thick, strong legs. He's got a broad lower half. What has it been, about 10 weeks since the season ends and he's already put on 20 lbs. You don't find physical skill sets or athletic builds like Tyron Smith's all that often.

WB: No, and this is how funny the NFL is. You look back at Jason Smith from Baylor, who went 2nd overall. I thought he was the 4th best OT in that class. It's kind of, who has the first say, and which player has a consensus around his spot that determines where he goes.

I think Tyron Smith is twice the pro prospect that Jason Smith was. Last year I had Roger Saffold as my 3rd best. I know I had him over Anthony Davis and Bruce Campbell and Trent Williams, who went 4th overall. Who had the better year? Well, Saffold had a much better year than Trent Williams, but the press gets caught up in a handful of names, and those sexy names just kind of stick up there.

I don't know if Tyron Smith will rise up to a top-5 pick, but he's better than Jason Smith, in my opinion.

well well welcome to my top pick

 

[KingintheNorth]

Tyron has always been an athletic freak. Many thought he would play DE at USC. He used to spend 6 hours a day in classrooms (which he is not a fan of) and 3 hours a day working on football. Now he is spending all day at an Arizona gym (which specializes in draft preparation) working on football. He said he would put on the weight easily and so far he has come though.

He's going to be a 12 to 15-year starter in the NFL. It might not be for us but he is going to be a solid pick for someone.

For those asking "If he didn't play at this weight in college, how will he do it in the NFL?", D'Brickashaw Ferguson played at 280/285 at Virginia, put on the weight for the NFL, has maintained it, and is playing at a Pro Bowl level.

 

[UnoDallas]

Tyron has always been an athletic freak. Many thought he would play DE at USC. He used to spend 6 hours a day in classrooms (which he is not a fan of) and 3 hours a day working on football. Now he is spending all day at an Arizona gym (which specializes in draft preparation) working on football. He said he would put on the weight easily and so far he has come though.

He's going to be a 12 to 15-year starter in the NFL. It might not be for us but he is going to be a solid pick for someone.

For those asking "If he didn't play at this weight in college, how will he do it in the NFL?", D'Brickashaw Ferguson played at 280/285 at Virginia, put on the weight for the NFL, has maintained it, and is playing at a Pro Bowl level.

gotta give you props Chris you called it - on this guy

 

[realtick]

I thought I read that on here. No?

There's been one guy on here who keeps sourcing what he's read anecdotaly off of a USC message board. It should be noted he hasn't provided a link for anyone to read themselves.

 

[28 Joker]

Tyron Smith is actually 307. Greetings......

Help me Obi wan Kenobi, I mean Tyron Smith; you are my only hope. Tony Romo, Jason Witten, Miles Austin, Dez Bryant, and Felix Jones need your help, really, really, really bad.

Great post by Chris in Arizona about Smith and Ferguson and about Smith in general.

Dallas might not take him, but they should take him at 9. Someone is going to take him and be glad that they did take him.

How much longer can the Cowboys play with one hand tied behind their backs on offense, due to an old and fading fast offensive line.

For us that want to draft Smith at 9, we need some jedi mind tricks played on some talent evaluators at Valley Ranch.

Where is Yoda?

 

[romo_19_55]

I can't believe this FORUM is even having this discussion about Tyson Smith. This guy is going to be a monster OT in the NFL for years because he has always been an athletic freak. We pick up Tyson with our 9th pick and then a top tier OG like B. Ijalana (6'4" 320lbs) in the 2nd Rd. For Ryan's defense, we grab a top tier mammoth NT in the 3rd RD and then grab a BIG RB (230-260lbs range) and FS like Teejay Johnson (who started 36 games straight for TCU who led the NCAA in total defense for 3 consecutive years) in the 5th and 6th Rd respectively. In the 4th Rd, we can grab the best available CB like Curtis Marsh (6'0" 194lbs 4.37-4.44 40yd) or Chykie Brown from Texas who has the exact same height/weight and 40yd dash times.

 

[Randy White]

I tell you, if he comes in at around 310-315 and puts up the same numbers he can at 285 I take him at 9 and that's saying alot because at this moment, I dont feel there is an offensive lineman in this class worth a top 15 pick.

I wouldn't even consider taking him before the 20th pick of the draft and that's being generous. If there's a position where immidiate red flags should be raised when it comes to " late movers " in the draft, it is the offensive line. Potentially dominant offensive linemen are groomed. They usually begin to establish a name and reputation during their junior years, then blossom and cement them during the senior seasons. Unlike any other position on the field, O-linemen are steady, grounded, and considerably less volatile. They don't evolve quickly and they don't decline quickly ( injuries aside ).

Tyron Smith might eventually develop into a cornerstone player, but right now he isn't. Entering this year's draft, he wasn't. Entering last college football season, he was not considered dominant. Gaining weight, strength, and maybe speed while the pads are off is nice, but not necessarily a reliable barometer when it comes O-linemen. The key is to see how and what they've done over the past 2 seasons and, obviously, Smith's body of work wasn't impressive enough to rated as dominant. If that O-lineman is not rated as potentially being dominant ( ie: which mean he's a long term project ) I wouldn't touch him with a top 10 pick, MIGHT consider it with a 15th-19th pick range, depending on how the draft is going and my roster.