How good can JJ Wilcox and Matt Johnson be?

[Ultimategamer5567]

Honestly. Both of these players come from small schools, and though their college production was very high, they remain yet to play a down in the NFL, but wiith that said, what are your hopes/gut feelings about these guys? If they can be ballers then this D will take the next step in becoming an elite unit, IMO.

 

[Afigueroa22]

Honestly. Both of these players come from small schools, and though their college production was very high, they remain yet to play a down in the NFL, but wiith that said, what are your hopes/gut feelings about these guys? If they can be ballers then this D will take the next step in becoming an elite unit, IMO.

Honestly, the few highlights Johnson has are him making tackles. Granted that is great but their were few plays of him breaking up passes or getting an interception.

 

[Ultimategamer5567]

Honestly, the few highlights Johnson has are him making tackles. Granted that is great but their were few plays of him breaking up passes or getting an interception.

He did have 17 INT's in his college career. Whether or not that stat tells much of the story, I don't know.

 

[Afigueroa22]

He did have 17 INT's in his college career. Whether or not that stat tells much of the story, I don't know.

I'm aware of his interceptions. We know he is a good tackler, but so was R.Williams.

 

[rash]

Matt Johnson reminds me a lot of John Lynch. I think he is on his way to having an even better career than Mr. Lynch...

...but that is if he stays healthy...

 

[dallasfan4lizife]

Matt Johnson reminds me a lot of John Lynch. I think he is on his way to having an even better career than Mr. Lynch...

...but that is if he stays healthy...

That is a bold statement. He hasn't even stepped foot on the field yet.
I also think he has potential to be a quality starter if he stays healthy.

 

[Aven8]

Matt Johnson reminds me a lot of John Lynch. I think he is on his way to having an even better career than Mr. Lynch...

...but that is if he stays healthy...

Good grief.

 

[waving monkey]

I like both

 

[rash]

Good grief.

This guy is an indefatigable worker--both in the film room and of course on the field.

The talent is there. In fact I would argue that he has greater intangibles than John Lynch could ever dream of having. We know he is strong and will only get stronger, has ridiculously fluid hips, and has solid speed. His back petal, thanks to great footwork, already appears to be better than anything I have seen here at Valley Ranch in quite a while--almost Woodsonesque.

I see something special in this young lad. Many of you don't; but I am confident that by the end of around week 3there will be over the top adulation for this man.

 

[Clove]

I'm going to play the "wait-n-see" game. I'm looking forward to seeing what these guys have in the new system.

 

[DFWJC]

Honestly, the few highlights Johnson has are him making tackles. Granted that is great but their were few plays of him breaking up passes or getting an interception.

Johnson had outstanding ball skills in college.
Hope it translates.

As for the previously mentioned lack of pedigree, well, there's a very Long list of good to great players that got past that.

Come to think of it, there's a small school safety in the Cowboys Ring of Honor!

 

[DFWJC]

Honestly. Both of these players come from small schools, and though their college production was very high, they remain yet to play a down in the NFL, but wiith that said, what are your hopes/gut feelings about these guys? If they can be ballers then this D will take the next step in becoming an elite unit, IMO.

Ken Houston
Willie Wood
Darren Sharper
Cliff Harris

Not bad small school NFL safeties.

 

[Fredd]

I have had Matt on my "pet cat" list since about a day after they drafted him...honestly though, when his name was picked, my reaction was "matt who? what the **** are they thinking?" Once I saw more on him, I got excited about his wearing the star

but, I will reserve total judgment until I see him make it through TC

 

[TheCount]

Honestly. Both of these players come from small schools, and though their college production was very high, they remain yet to play a down in the NFL, but wiith that said, what are your hopes/gut feelings about these guys? If they can be ballers then this D will take the next step in becoming an elite unit, IMO.

We're gonna find out.

My gut tells me it's highly unlikely we hit on both of them. Based on how they were regarded coming out, I'm leaning towards Wilcox ending up the better player.

 

[Fredd]

one other thing, the news on Wilcox so far is very encouraging...I love it that he and Johnson are not starters currently (in theory)...that should make them work THAT much harder to win a starting gig...it should push Church and Allen even more...also, who knows what a guy like Hamilton will bring....safety went from a very weak position to one of strength if you ask me

 

[Yakuza Rich]

It's too early to say yet, but I have some optimism towards their future.

Watching plenty of Johnson's 'tape' on YouTube, he's extremely athletic. It shows up even if you are playing at a small school against smaller competition. It's just there. His closing speed is quite incredible. But, he also has shown coverage ability and range as well. I think where good small college players tend to struggle is with injuries since the game is so different in the pros and you can play an entire season badly banged up. It's more of a mental thing than anything else.

I suspect that Johnson really didn't get much experience last year and this is basically his rookie year. He'll probably be primarily a special teams guy and hopefully they will slowly integrate him into some dime packages this year. I think he's probably more of a Rob Ryan style of safety (think TJ Ward) than a Kiffin style of safety. I think down the road he has to compete with Church at the SS spot.

I wasn't into Wilcox when we drafted him. I didn't see anything really special outside of the fact that he looked comfortable at safety which was rare for a guy who has played so many different positions, particularly on offense. So it's good to hear how well he has played so far.

He's a Kiffin pick and Kiffin is one of the best at finding safeties to play his system. I think he's another special teams guy that may get integrated into dime and nickel packages sooner. We may also use him as a returner, too. The big thing is if he can stay healthy, improve as the season goes along and then be in prime position to make a run at the starting job next season.




YR

 

[Trueboysfan]

I am going with the wait and see approach...I know Johnson scouting notes described him as a ball hawk with true 4.5 speed so that's pretty good for a safety. Wilcox not so sure about but only because we have Church and if he can pick up where he left off last year we will be good to go at his position. But ya I definitely want to see how they perform under the lights of the NFL against the best players in the world.

 

[xwalker]

Honestly. Both of these players come from small schools, and though their college production was very high, they remain yet to play a down in the NFL, but wiith that said, what are your hopes/gut feelings about these guys? If they can be ballers then this D will take the next step in becoming an elite unit, IMO.

I like both players.

Matt Johnson's college game footage was terrific, but that was against small college players. The only thing we really have to go on at this point is that the Cowboys liked him so much last year that they didn't put him on IR until very late in the season. I'm more concerned about Johnson staying healthy than his ability.

Wilcox looked good in college game footage also. He looked terrific in coverage drills at the Senior Bowl. He looked better in those drills than some CBs. The fact that he is this good with only 1 year of experience playing the position indicates a very high upside, IMO.

 

[coult44]

I live where Matt J played college ball. When we drafted him, I had to go look at highlights to see what plays he had ever made that were NFL worthy. I watched that team for two years while he was here and couldn't remember him being "THE MAN"..I also have talked to several EWU diehards since then, (I have several friends who are Alum) and they couldn't remember much about him either. I hope he turns out to be a STUD!!!! We've needed safety help since Woody left, and for the life of me I can't understand why we haven't addressed the position before now. Everyone is raving about MJ, and just because he wasn't a superstar in college doesn't mean he can't turn into one for the Cowboys. I hope he plays with a chip that sometimes small school guys play with. It would be nice to have someone totally take over that position, and it would be cool for the people here in Spokane to watch him succeed.

 

[visionary]

agree with YR and xwalker above
both have potential but i have higher hopes for wilcox