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Draft picks progress report
9:29 AM Thu, Aug 06, 2009 | Permalink | Yahoo! Buzz
Tim MacMahon/Blogger Bio | E-mail | News tips
A look at the Cowboys' dozen draft picks after 13 training camp practices:
Third-round ILB Jason Williams: Forget about him challenging Bobby Carpenter for the nickel and dime role. Williams, a workout warrior, has miles to go mentally before he can contribute to the Cowboys' defense. He's basically learning a totally new position after lining up within a yard or two of the line of scrimmage and trying to wreak havoc in the backfield almost every play at Western Illinois. With his head spinning, Williams' amazing athleticism hasn't been apparent, because his reaction time is two or three steps slow. His contributions this season will come on special teams. Williams has potential to be an every-down linebacker, but it will take a lot of work with LB coach Reggie Herring.
Third-round OL Robert Brewster: Tore his pectoral muscle lifting weights and will miss the season. He signed yesterday, so he's at least on the Alamodome field and in the meeting rooms to watch and learn now.
Fourth-round QB Stephen McGee: He looks tentative in his limited reps. The vast majority of his throws are checkdowns, many of which come without giving his downfield receivers much of a chance to get open. At other times, McGee holds onto the ball for way too long in the pocket. On the rare occasions that McGee does let the ball loose, it's obvious that he possesses NFL-caliber arm strength. But if he plays a down this season, something went seriously wrong. The hope is that he can develop into a solid backup in a couple of seasons and maybe more than that down the road.
Fourth-round OLB Victor Butler: He's shown signs that he's ready to help the defense right away as a situational pass rusher. Butler, who had 22.5 sacks the last two seasons for Oregon State, is a crafty pass rusher with an array of moves and excellent quickness. He has made Pat McQuistan's life miserable during camp. Butler will certainly help on special teams.
Fourth-round OLB Brandon Williams: He's been impressive, too, making for an interesting competition to get the 15 or so snaps per game when Anthony Spencer is resting. While Butler's game is based on finesse, Williams is a power rusher with an explosive first step. He's also been solid against the run, a question mark for him after playing in the pass-happy Big 12, which he led in sacks as a junior last season.
Fifth-round FS/CB DeAngelo Smith: It hasn't been a smooth camp for Smith, who has a tough task learning two positions as a rookie. He's spent more time at cornerback, his primary college position, than planned because of an injury to Michael Hawkins. His relative lack of speed and quickness is an issue when matched up against wide receivers. He's been better at free safety, which will be his primary position in the pros, but has also made some mistakes there. He should contribute on special teams and has a chance to be the punt returner as a rookie.
Fifth-round SS Mike Hamlin: For a team determined to increase its turnovers forced, Hamlin is an especially intriguing prospect. He had 14 interceptions at Clemson and has come up with two acrobatic picks early on in training camp, showing off his 37.5-inch vertical leap to sky for one ball that he tipped to himself. He's also shown good savvy and instincts in the running game and on screen passes, often getting in position to make a play near the line of scrimmage. He has work to do in coverage, especially man situations. While his contributions will likely be limited to special teams this season - a role in a variation of the dime package is possible - Hamlin is a good bet to become this class' first regular starter.
Fifth-round K David Buehler: The Cowboys drafted Buehler because they wanted somebody to boom kickoffs into the end zone on a regular basis. I've yet to see him come up short of the end zone on a kickoff. The scouting combine sensation (25 bench reps, 4.62 40) also working at other special teams roles in an attempt to maximize his value on the roster, but he's assured a spot.
Sixth-round ILB Stephen Hodge: The TCU product, who is making a transition from strong safety, has only participated in two training camp practices after recovering from arthroscopic knee surgery. He has the potential to be an effective nickel and dime linebacker, but that's not likely to be a role he plays as a rookie, in part because he missed so much time. But the Cowboys drafted Hodge because they envision him as a major impact special teams player, so he shouldn't have to worry about getting cut.
Sixth-round TE John Phillips: He has a firm grasp on the No. 3 TE role. Phillips won't wow anybody with his athleticism, but he's a solid blocker who doesn't drop the ball when it's thrown to him. He's a smart kid and good special teams player.
Seventh-round CB Mike Mickens: It's been a rough early ride for Mickens, who was considered an excellent value in the seventh round. He slid in the draft because of concerns about a knee injury, and he certainly hasn't looked explosive or fact while giving up more big plays than any other cornerback in camp. But the Cowboys say he has a clean bill of health. Wade Phillips believes Mickens, who had to miss all of OTAs due to his class schedule, is struggling with the mental adjustment of learning a new scheme on the fly while playing at a higher level of competition. That's resulted in slow reaction time. Mickens, whose hands Phillips compared to ex-Cowboy Everson Walls, has shown the knack for making plays when he is in good position. He just hasn't been in good position nearly often enough, putting him on the roster bubble.
Seventh-round WR Manny Johnson: The Oklahoma product has a lot of ground to make up in the fight for the fifth receiver job. Undrafted free agent Kevin Ogletree has been much more impressive on a regular basis, beginning in OTAs and continuing into training camp. Other than getting behind Courtney Brown to catch a deep ball for a TD from Jon Kitna, Johnson hasn't done much to get noticed in the Alamodome.
9:29 AM Thu, Aug 06, 2009 | Permalink | Yahoo! Buzz
Tim MacMahon/Blogger Bio | E-mail | News tips
A look at the Cowboys' dozen draft picks after 13 training camp practices:
Third-round ILB Jason Williams: Forget about him challenging Bobby Carpenter for the nickel and dime role. Williams, a workout warrior, has miles to go mentally before he can contribute to the Cowboys' defense. He's basically learning a totally new position after lining up within a yard or two of the line of scrimmage and trying to wreak havoc in the backfield almost every play at Western Illinois. With his head spinning, Williams' amazing athleticism hasn't been apparent, because his reaction time is two or three steps slow. His contributions this season will come on special teams. Williams has potential to be an every-down linebacker, but it will take a lot of work with LB coach Reggie Herring.
Third-round OL Robert Brewster: Tore his pectoral muscle lifting weights and will miss the season. He signed yesterday, so he's at least on the Alamodome field and in the meeting rooms to watch and learn now.
Fourth-round QB Stephen McGee: He looks tentative in his limited reps. The vast majority of his throws are checkdowns, many of which come without giving his downfield receivers much of a chance to get open. At other times, McGee holds onto the ball for way too long in the pocket. On the rare occasions that McGee does let the ball loose, it's obvious that he possesses NFL-caliber arm strength. But if he plays a down this season, something went seriously wrong. The hope is that he can develop into a solid backup in a couple of seasons and maybe more than that down the road.
Fourth-round OLB Victor Butler: He's shown signs that he's ready to help the defense right away as a situational pass rusher. Butler, who had 22.5 sacks the last two seasons for Oregon State, is a crafty pass rusher with an array of moves and excellent quickness. He has made Pat McQuistan's life miserable during camp. Butler will certainly help on special teams.
Fourth-round OLB Brandon Williams: He's been impressive, too, making for an interesting competition to get the 15 or so snaps per game when Anthony Spencer is resting. While Butler's game is based on finesse, Williams is a power rusher with an explosive first step. He's also been solid against the run, a question mark for him after playing in the pass-happy Big 12, which he led in sacks as a junior last season.
Fifth-round FS/CB DeAngelo Smith: It hasn't been a smooth camp for Smith, who has a tough task learning two positions as a rookie. He's spent more time at cornerback, his primary college position, than planned because of an injury to Michael Hawkins. His relative lack of speed and quickness is an issue when matched up against wide receivers. He's been better at free safety, which will be his primary position in the pros, but has also made some mistakes there. He should contribute on special teams and has a chance to be the punt returner as a rookie.
Fifth-round SS Mike Hamlin: For a team determined to increase its turnovers forced, Hamlin is an especially intriguing prospect. He had 14 interceptions at Clemson and has come up with two acrobatic picks early on in training camp, showing off his 37.5-inch vertical leap to sky for one ball that he tipped to himself. He's also shown good savvy and instincts in the running game and on screen passes, often getting in position to make a play near the line of scrimmage. He has work to do in coverage, especially man situations. While his contributions will likely be limited to special teams this season - a role in a variation of the dime package is possible - Hamlin is a good bet to become this class' first regular starter.
Fifth-round K David Buehler: The Cowboys drafted Buehler because they wanted somebody to boom kickoffs into the end zone on a regular basis. I've yet to see him come up short of the end zone on a kickoff. The scouting combine sensation (25 bench reps, 4.62 40) also working at other special teams roles in an attempt to maximize his value on the roster, but he's assured a spot.
Sixth-round ILB Stephen Hodge: The TCU product, who is making a transition from strong safety, has only participated in two training camp practices after recovering from arthroscopic knee surgery. He has the potential to be an effective nickel and dime linebacker, but that's not likely to be a role he plays as a rookie, in part because he missed so much time. But the Cowboys drafted Hodge because they envision him as a major impact special teams player, so he shouldn't have to worry about getting cut.
Sixth-round TE John Phillips: He has a firm grasp on the No. 3 TE role. Phillips won't wow anybody with his athleticism, but he's a solid blocker who doesn't drop the ball when it's thrown to him. He's a smart kid and good special teams player.
Seventh-round CB Mike Mickens: It's been a rough early ride for Mickens, who was considered an excellent value in the seventh round. He slid in the draft because of concerns about a knee injury, and he certainly hasn't looked explosive or fact while giving up more big plays than any other cornerback in camp. But the Cowboys say he has a clean bill of health. Wade Phillips believes Mickens, who had to miss all of OTAs due to his class schedule, is struggling with the mental adjustment of learning a new scheme on the fly while playing at a higher level of competition. That's resulted in slow reaction time. Mickens, whose hands Phillips compared to ex-Cowboy Everson Walls, has shown the knack for making plays when he is in good position. He just hasn't been in good position nearly often enough, putting him on the roster bubble.
Seventh-round WR Manny Johnson: The Oklahoma product has a lot of ground to make up in the fight for the fifth receiver job. Undrafted free agent Kevin Ogletree has been much more impressive on a regular basis, beginning in OTAs and continuing into training camp. Other than getting behind Courtney Brown to catch a deep ball for a TD from Jon Kitna, Johnson hasn't done much to get noticed in the Alamodome.
