Darnell Savage (S) Maryland

[Beaker42]

Which Safeties they like in the draft is complicated.

They definitely wanted to improve at the Down Safety position (SS) according to comments by S.Jones; however, pass coverage has become the top skillset required by teams for Safeties in the past decade. Even Strong Safeties must be really good in coverage to get 2nd round type consideration.

In the draft I think they would like a Strong Safety type that is great in the box and good enough in coverage; however, I think their options are going to push them towards an elite coverage Safety that is good enough in the box.

Iloka is just a stopgap. They like to have stopgap types to keep them from being tempted to draft for need.

They have tended to sign stopgap players at the same positions they end up drafting over the past few years.

Move X-Woods to SS and get Savage or Thornhill for the backend. Savage preferably. Also, his tackling is good enough. That crap about his tackling being suspect is wrong.

 

[Alexander]

Move X-Woods to SS and get Savage or Thornhill for the backend. Savage preferably. Also, his tackling is good enough. That crap about his tackling being suspect is wrong.

They could leave Woods where he is and take either of these two for the strong role.

 

[xwalker]

Move X-Woods to SS and get Savage or Thornhill for the backend. Savage preferably. Also, his tackling is good enough. That crap about his tackling being suspect is wrong.

I did an in-depth study of the Cowboys Safeties for both 2017 and 2018.

The way the Cowboys have used Woods both in 2017 and 2018 seems to indicate they don't want him in the box against the run.

 

[Beaker42]

He’s starting to get a lot of hype on Twitter. The three full games of him posted on YouTube double as highlight vids.

No other safety in this class has his instincts. And he looks like Tyreke Hill on defense. Just playing at a different speed than everyone else.

At this point I’d be ecstatic with him @ 58.

 

[Beaker42]

I did an in-depth study of the Cowboys Safeties for both 2017 and 2018.

The way the Cowboys have used Woods both in 2017 and 2018 seems to indicate they don't want him in the box against the run.

Maybe because he was best option @ FS until we actually get one. He’s a SS IMO.

 

[xwalker]

Maybe because he was best option @ FS until we actually get one. He’s a SS IMO.

S.Jones recently said they like Woods at the Deep Safety position but that they need help at the Down Safety position.

Despite that I think they'll have a hard time bypassing some of the coverage type Safeties in this draft like Thornhill.

 

[cnuball21]

Maybe because he was best option @ FS until we actually get one. He’s a SS IMO.

He’s not, he can’t tackle.

I think Woods can be adequate as our back end guy, but I don’t want to have to rely on him tackling closer to the LOS.

 

[CalPolyTechnique]

He’s not, he can’t tackle.

I think Woods can be adequate as our back end guy, but I don’t want to have to rely on him tackling closer to the LOS.

I think Woods is best suited as a Micah Hyde type nickel DB.

 

[Killerinstinct]

I think Woods is best suited as a Micah Hyde type nickel DB.

You make an interesting point. What if Lews really is on the block and they don't believe they could re-sign Brown next year.
Woods moves to nickel with position flex to fill in at safety in case of injury.

Could Dallas draft 2 safeties?

Thornhill at FS and Hooker at SS?
OR
Abrams at SS and Savage at FS?

That would be interesting.

 

[xwalker]

You make an interesting point. What if Lews really is on the block and they don't believe they could re-sign Brown next year.
Woods moves to nickel with position flex to fill in at safety in case of injury.

Could Dallas draft 2 safeties?

Thornhill at FS and Hooker at SS?
OR
Abrams at SS and Savage at FS?

That would be interesting.

If they draft SS first they it's unlikely they draft another Safety with a premium pick because they are OK with Woods at FS.

If they draft FS first then I could see them considering SS with the next pick. They really want to upgrade at SS but might not be able to resist one of the FS types that will be available in the 2nd.

 

[Daygoboy6191]

He’s not, he can’t tackle.

I think Woods can be adequate as our back end guy, but I don’t want to have to rely on him tackling closer to the LOS.

I agree Woods is a FS not a SS, and I think this make Hooker a guy they will look at more than the other S unless they don't think Woods is that guy.

 

[xwalker]

I agree Woods is a FS not a SS, and I think this make Hooker a guy they will look at more than the other S unless they don't think Woods is that guy.

Most (maybe all) of the top 8 Safeties in the draft can tackle as well or better than Woods/Heath.

 

[cnuball21]

I think Woods is best suited as a Micah Hyde type nickel DB.

He’s best playing off the ball and slot CB.

If that’s what Hyde does, I agree.

 

[cnuball21]

You make an interesting point. What if Lews really is on the block and they don't believe they could re-sign Brown next year.
Woods moves to nickel with position flex to fill in at safety in case of injury.

Could Dallas draft 2 safeties?

Thornhill at FS and Hooker at SS?
OR
Abrams at SS and Savage at FS?

That would be interesting.

Wouldn’t be mad at all at taking 2 safeties.

Don’t even have to move Woods, just upgrade him and make him a backup.

He’ll still see snaps as a 3rd S.

I like Woods, but there are probably 8 or so guys in this class I think would be upgrades.

 

[LACowboysFan1]

He's not immaculate with technique or angles, but no one really is. I didn't really feel like it was a problem.

If he's not learned to tackle after 4 years of high school football and 4 years of college ball, he's not likely to become a great tackler now, though as with Heath, Richard may be able to improve him some.

But regardless, unless the Cowboys can move up appreciably in the draft, I doubt one no. 58 pick isn't going to make a huge difference in the defense. In my experience there's really only about 50 really good players in any draft, there are exceptions but after the first 50 you're into the second tier of players, and unless one of your defensive starters (say Heath, for example, I'm not as down on him as most it seems but we'll assume for the sake of argument he's the "worst" defensive starter) is notably worse than a late second round rookie, you're not helping yourself that much this year. A close comparison might be Darren Woodson, but even he was picked 37th, inside the top 50, so in my evaluation he was a really good player, but he did little his first 2 years, though the defense was already pretty good in 1992 so as a rookie he wasn't better than Everett, who was a 5 year vet in 1992.

Can't see the Cowboys coaches throwing Savage into a starting role his first year, either.

Just saying don't get too excited about any player picked at 58, you're likely to be disappointed...

 

[Dylan88Wilson]

We have two of the best sideline-to-sideline defending linebackers in the league. If any team can afford to sacrifice a little run support in favor of having multiple ball-hawks at safety, it’s us.

 

[cnuball21]

We have two of the best sideline-to-sideline defending linebackers in the league. If any team can afford to sacrifice a little run support in favor of having multiple ball-hawks at safety, it’s us.

And how did that work out for us against playoff caliber teams down the stretch like the Colts and Rams?

I know it’s a small sample size but I disagree.

Maybe if we had more talent at DL I’d be on board, but counting solely on the talent of your LBs to stop the run is a recipe for disaster IMO.

 

[Dylan88Wilson]

And how did that work out for us against playoff caliber teams down the stretch like the Colts and Rams?

I know it’s a small sample size but I disagree.

Maybe if we had more talent at DL I’d be on board, but counting solely on the talent of your LBs to stop the run is a recipe for disaster IMO.

Those games were almost entirely to blame on the interior DL. Obviously we need to upgrade DT as well, but you were already on board with drafting a safety at 58, just not one who’s better in coverage than run support like Savage is. My point is, you’re not sacrificing much of anything in run support past the LOS because you already have two linebackers who greatly overcompensate for it. But if you’re now advocating DT over S at 58, that’s a separate debate.

 

[cnuball21]

Those games were almost entirely to blame on the interior DL. Obviously we need to upgrade DT as well, but you were already on board with drafting a safety at 58, just not one who’s better in coverage than run support like Savage is. My point is, you’re not sacrificing much of anything in run support past the LOS because you already have two linebackers who greatly overcompensate for it. But if you’re now advocating DT over S at 58, that’s a separate debate.

Those were arguably the worst game of the season for LVE and Smith...not sure you can just blame it on the DTs, though they didn’t do much either but that was the norm all year.

I like Savage, just not sure he’s a great match for this team with what we have in Woods. If the team feels strongly about Woods as our FS, I don’t under the need for drafting a very similar
Player in Savage.

 

[JBell]

And how did that work out for us against playoff caliber teams down the stretch like the Colts and Rams?

I know it’s a small sample size but I disagree.

Maybe if we had more talent at DL I’d be on board, but counting solely on the talent of your LBs to stop the run is a recipe for disaster IMO.

Having prime Kam Chancellor wouldn't have mattered in the Rams playoff game. The DT's were getting mauled all game, and the DE's were getting tossed like ragdolls. I saw Tyler Higbee wash D-Law out of a play on one occasion. And if the D-Line wasn't getting beat straight up, they were getting fooled on the several misdirection plays LA ran. As you noted above, LVE and Jaylon also had terrible games. Can't blame them too much for when LA's O-linemen were getting free to the second level, but even when they were clean they took some HORRIBLE angles that lead to some big runs. We didn't get gashed in the run game because of Heath or Woods.

If that game causes us to pass on Savage for an inferior safety with more size I'll be sick.