Dallas works out DT Rodrique Wright

[Cochese]

I watched the guy in the National Championship Game, and he was often slow and a step late.

I wouldn't pick him until the fourth round, assuming we get a fourth round pick back.

If I recall correctly, he wasnt just slow and late, he got his *** plowed over by the USC guard with the goofy name on quite a few occaisons.

 

[StoneyBurk]

shiftless and out of shape and got destoyed in the biggest game of his career

 

[silverbear]

Lighten up, Francis.

Look at DallasCowpoke's response to my joke.

As one of the Horns fans, permit me to tell you that it didn't come off as a "joke", it came off as a cheap shot at Horns fans... the sort of thing that seems to pop up in almost every thread about a Horns player...

Given that there ARE a lot of folks out there predisposed to trash any Horns player that comes out, given that this is a phenomenon that happens every year (including this one), and given the utter lack of any sort of smilie to indicate that you were just playing around, you should have anticipated that your "joke" would not be perceived as such... it was a simple one line response, and obviously I didn't find it funny...

If you say that you were just playing, I have no reason to disbelieve you, and if I misjudged you in my response, I'll offer an apology... but go reread what you wrote, and see if you can't see how some of us Horns fans might find it insulting...

Humor is a hard thing to convey via the written word, and I can get as silly as the next poster in here, but it sure didn't come across as humorous to this ol' Bear...

 

[silverbear]

You need to chill out man and quit ripping on people for no reason.

If somebody insults me, I'm gonna return fire... I was insulted by what Chief wrote, as I've calmly explained to him...

Sometimes, I fire in error, as appears to be the case this time... but even rereading what he wrote, I still fail to see the "joke", which means as an attempt at humor, it was rather a bad one...

Now, I COULD have chose to "rip on" you, for jumping in my face this way, but I do believe Chief when he says I misjudged him, and have offered him an apology, so I won't get pissed at you for coming to his defense... I'll merely suggest that you just "ripped on" me, so I don't see you having a valid claim to the moral high ground...

It's rather silly of you to have thought that I'd modify any of my behavior just because you say I should, anyway...

More to the point, have you seen any of that so-called "Longhorns love" shown for Rodrique Wright in this thread?? To the contrary, I think the analysis of his potential has been quite fair and even-handed, which is to say the posters in this thread have for the most part been rather critical of him as an underachiever... including this poster...

And have you seen me "ripping on" any of THEM??

 

[wick]

reminds me of shaun rogers. 3rd rounder?

Wright is nothing like Rogers physically. He's not nearly as girthy and is also less athletic. He does share the tendency to take plays off, though. If you remember Antonio Anderson, that's exactly the type of player Wright is. Some team will get him in the middle rounds, think they have a steal initially, then slowly realize he just isn't NFL material.

 

[Da Hammer]

As a big Longhorn fan i say... stay the heck away from him. Sure at times he made some plays but he was one lazy guy and never showed up for the big games. I don't think he even got a tackle in the Rose Bowl, reminds me a lot of our ex OT Mike Williams. Both big lazy guys that will and have underachieved in the NFL

 

[joseephuss]

As a big Longhorn fan i say... stay the heck away from him. Sure at times he made some plays but he was one lazy guy and never showed up for the big games. I don't think he even got a tackle in the Rose Bowl, reminds me a lot of our ex OT Mike Williams. Both big lazy guys that will and have underachieved in the NFL

I would not take him as a 3-4 NT in any round. I could see him as a 3-4 DE. At that I would wait until the 3rd round or later since that is not a primary need for Dallas. I am sure some team will force the issue and grab him earlier

Wright didn't do much in that game against USC, but when I watched it again, he actually played better than he is given credit. I think that is mostly due to hype. He is expected to dominate and I have never seen that in his game. Now if you want someone who is steady, then he can be that guy. I saw a steady performance in that USC game. The Trojans have a great offensive line and he constantly saw double teams. He held his own against those double teams. He was able to put some mild pressure on Leinart a couple of times. He was the player that pressured Leinart on their last two offensive plays of the game.

 

[silver]

If you remember Antonio Anderson, that's exactly the type of player Wright is.

OUCH

 

[calico]

As a big Longhorn fan i say... stay the heck away from him. Sure at times he made some plays but he was one lazy guy and never showed up for the big games. I don't think he even got a tackle in the Rose Bowl, reminds me a lot of our ex OT Mike Williams. Both big lazy guys that will and have underachieved in the NFL

Exactly. He never showed up when he was needed the most. The Texas front 7 was man handled by USC when they figured out that Texas was fast, but small and started running right at them.

 

[Stash]

I believe the Cowboys are actually looking at him as a 3-4 DE, who can move inside to DT on obvious passing downs, when the Boys go to a 4-3...

I don't think he'd be worth a bleep as a NT, and I'm a Horns fan... but as I contemplate him as a 3-4 DE, I could see him being a good deal more successful at that role...

Could the plan be to draft Wright to replace Ellis at DE?

A theory floating around has the Cowboys using Ellis to trade up to draft Huff. If they were to do that, they would need an additional DE to replace Ellis in their rotation.

Wright could prove to be a quality 3-4 DE and possibly move inside to DT on passing downs, and would give the Cowboys a nice DE rotation of Spears, Canty, Ratliff, and Wright.

I could see the Cowboys drafting him in Round 3 if Ellis were somehow traded.

 

[ghst187]

Could the plan be to draft Wright to replace Ellis at DE?

A theory floating around has the Cowboys using Ellis to trade up to draft Huff. If they were to do that, they would need an additional DE to replace Ellis in their rotation.

Wright could prove to be a quality 3-4 DE and possibly move inside to DT on passing downs, and would give the Cowboys a nice DE rotation of Spears, Canty, Ratliff, and Wright.

I could see the Cowboys drafting him in Round 3 if Ellis were somehow traded.

I don't disagree that its quite believable that we would use Ellis to trade for someone we wanted...but I really think we're almost set on the inside with
Fergi, Spears, Canty, Ratliff, and Pepper Johnson. I don't see Wright as having the athleticism of Spears or Canty to move to 3-4 DE. Not his style of play. Ellis is a third down pass-rusher, Wright would not be that IMO. Wright would have to play behind Spears and Canty on 1st and 2nd down and come out on 3rd. To replace Ellis, I'd think we'd want someone with speed opposite Ware, someone more like Wimbley, Carpenter, or Lawson vs someone 300 lbs who played DT all their life. If we want someone inside, I like this Fifita guy backing up the NT position, something else Wright can't do. Everyone knows that in a 3-4, your NT position will make or break you. He needs to anchor and absorb blockers. You at least need that on running downs.
I don't get our interest in Wright....

 

[Pokes28]

Rumor has it that Wright will be drafted by the Steelers with the last pick in the first round. I guess they've had more contact with him than any other player.

David Harrell - Pokes
dwh

 

[Stash]

I don't disagree that its quite believable that we would use Ellis to trade for someone we wanted...but I really think we're almost set on the inside with
Fergi, Spears, Canty, Ratliff, and Pepper Johnson. I don't see Wright as having the athleticism of Spears or Canty to move to 3-4 DE. Not his style of play. Ellis is a third down pass-rusher, Wright would not be that IMO. Wright would have to play behind Spears and Canty on 1st and 2nd down and come out on 3rd. To replace Ellis, I'd think we'd want someone with speed opposite Ware, someone more like Wimbley, Carpenter, or Lawson vs someone 300 lbs who played DT all their life. If we want someone inside, I like this Fifita guy backing up the NT position, something else Wright can't do. Everyone knows that in a 3-4, your NT position will make or break you. He needs to anchor and absorb blockers. You at least need that on running downs.
I don't get our interest in Wright....

Consider this scouting report from the Sporting News:

Rodrique Wright, Texas

6-4 7/8 306lbs 5.00

NFL comparison: Richard Seymour, Patriots

Strengths: Has the complete physical package; is athletic with a huge frame. Shows an explosive first step and great mobility. Is strong enough to overpower blockers and quick enough to blow by them. Is fluid as a pass rusher, using a variety of moves to keep opponents off balance. Uses great closing speed to scrape down the line and make plays from behind. Is a powerful tackler; rolls hips into every hit. Has the athleticism to break down and make tackles in the open field. Is versatile enough to play in any scheme.

Weaknesses: Uses poor technique and plays too upright when tired. Doesn't always use his hands and wingspan to shed blockers, which allows them to get inside him and lock on. Must be more consistent. Must improve his technique, add pass-rushing moves and rely less on size and athleticism.

Bottom line: Wright might be the most gifted athlete at the position, but many believe he never reached his potential in college and question his desire. He has a high second-round grade but could jump into the first round if he is impressive in workouts.



This description paints a great picture of a 3-4 DE to me, and the comparison to Seymour (the league's best) is high praise. If the Cowboys could get a player even in the same ballpark as Seymour, they'd have to be thrilled. And that's more than simply a "rotation guy" it's a possible Pro Bowl caliber player.

We'd have to have faith that Parcells and the coaching staff could get more out of Wright than Brown and the Texas staff could, but the physical skills are certainly there.....

 

[Clove]

I don't disagree that its quite believable that we would use Ellis to trade for someone we wanted...but I really think we're almost set on the inside with
Fergi, Spears, Canty, Ratliff, and Pepper Johnson. I don't see Wright as having the athleticism of Spears or Canty to move to 3-4 DE. Not his style of play. Ellis is a third down pass-rusher, Wright would not be that IMO. Wright would have to play behind Spears and Canty on 1st and 2nd down and come out on 3rd. To replace Ellis, I'd think we'd want someone with speed opposite Ware, someone more like Wimbley, Carpenter, or Lawson vs someone 300 lbs who played DT all their life. If we want someone inside, I like this Fifita guy backing up the NT position, something else Wright can't do. Everyone knows that in a 3-4, your NT position will make or break you. He needs to anchor and absorb blockers. You at least need that on running downs.
I don't get our interest in Wright....

I like your thinking.. This Fifta guy is going to be better than where he will be drafted. He's short, fat, and strong as an ox. He can get low down, and just power clean the middle of any OLINE.

Plus, he won't be too big of a gamble in the 6th or 7th round. But a guy throwing up 38 225lb presses is good business.
This is what I found on him.


Steve is a big, strong, DT prospect. Last year he was named first-team all-conference and was this year as well. At only 5'11", Steve is relatively short for an NFL DT, but he plays a lot bigger than his size would indicate, and looks perfect in the role (where he projects well) as a pure NT in a 3-4 defense. He is the strongest player on the Utes' benching 460 and squatting an amazing 675! Steve is so strong that he draws double teams each game and sometimes an occasional triple team comes his way. He is great against the run and can get to the QB pretty well for a DT. Shuffles very well for a big man, uses his hands effectively, shows some creativity in his pass rush (thought he prefers the bull rush--and does very well with that technique) and does not get locked onto easily by the opposing Cs and OGs. His size gives him great leverage advantages against some of the taller O-lineman he faces. In a relatively weak DT class this year, Fifita has been rated as high as #5 by some draft experts. From CDS's perspective, he could go as high as the 3rd DT off the boards. Come April I think Fifita will be one of the top DT prospects and be taken in the 2nd or 3rd round of the 2006 NFL Draft. His rise up the charts is likely to parallel that of former Utah linemate DT Sione Pouha from last year, who ended up going in the 3rd round of the 2005 NFL draft to the New York Jets. Steve is an old-school warrior, who keeps his motor running and always seems to find the football quickly. Should be a quality starter for many years in the middle of somebody's 3-4 defense.

 

[cowboysfan31]

Wright reminds me alot of Robaire Smith. Wright is a little taller and slimmer, but both have fairly similar styles.

 

[ghst187]

Consider this scouting report from the Sporting News:

Rodrique Wright, Texas

6-4 7/8 306lbs 5.00

NFL comparison: Richard Seymour, Patriots

Strengths: Has the complete physical package; is athletic with a huge frame. Shows an explosive first step and great mobility. Is strong enough to overpower blockers and quick enough to blow by them. Is fluid as a pass rusher, using a variety of moves to keep opponents off balance. Uses great closing speed to scrape down the line and make plays from behind. Is a powerful tackler; rolls hips into every hit. Has the athleticism to break down and make tackles in the open field. Is versatile enough to play in any scheme.

Weaknesses: Uses poor technique and plays too upright when tired. Doesn't always use his hands and wingspan to shed blockers, which allows them to get inside him and lock on. Must be more consistent. Must improve his technique, add pass-rushing moves and rely less on size and athleticism.

Bottom line: Wright might be the most gifted athlete at the position, but many believe he never reached his potential in college and question his desire. He has a high second-round grade but could jump into the first round if he is impressive in workouts.



This description paints a great picture of a 3-4 DE to me, and the comparison to Seymour (the league's best) is high praise. If the Cowboys could get a player even in the same ballpark as Seymour, they'd have to be thrilled. And that's more than simply a "rotation guy" it's a possible Pro Bowl caliber player.

We'd have to have faith that Parcells and the coaching staff could get more out of Wright than Brown and the Texas staff could, but the physical skills are certainly there.....

why would we need ANOTHER 3-4 DE? We already have Ellis, Canty, Spears, and Ratliff. You don't need as many DE's as you do LBs in the 3-4.