Howard - Major Interest

[Nors]

http://www.nonempty.com/articles/402355.html

Recent Pro team and notice Charges in picture - 17 teams talking to him:bang2:

 

[Hostile]

50cent and Silverbear were the first guys to hype Thomas Howard here and I believe both are still very high on him as a Cowboys option.

It is beginning to look like San Diego and Dallas as well as maybe New England are all on the same page LB wise.

I think Manny Lawson tops our list, though I personally like Carpenter better. I just think he fits SOLB better. I'd be thrilled with any of the 3 at this point.

Especially if Burnett can step in at ILB next to James. I think he is a key component of 2006. We need him to step up, be healthy and take the job. Not have it handed to him, take it.

I don't have enough faith in Ryan "QB Killa" Fowler yet. I've been watching the wire reports on Ahmad Brooks to see if he ends up in the Sup Draft. I think he's going to end up back at UVA in 2006. Time will tell.

 

[Nors]

Howard has been on radar for a while. That he made it up to 239 was key - and he ran at 4.42 is outstanding.

I think he can pplay LB in a 3-4 and feel good that Pats, Chargers are talking to him. They must agree.

Or think he might be a SS in NFL
Good stuff

 

[Nors]

Parham and Brooks are imploding.

Brooks has had arrests in past and drug issues. His latest issue at UVA appears to be another occurence.

Parham is either dumb, slow or both. You don't go to run at Combine When you are putting up 5.03 and 5.11 speed.
He pulled a Shazor.

 

[Hostile]

Howard has been on radar for a while. That he made it up to 239 was key - and he ran at 4.42 is outstanding.

I think he can pplay LB in a 3-4 and feel good that Pats, Chargers are talking to him. They must agree.

Or think he might be a SS in NFL
Good stuff

I honestly don't see Howard as a SS in the NFL because he's too strong against the run. Teams will want to maximize that. His coverage skills can translate to covering TEs.

 

[silverbear]

50cent and Silverbear were the first guys to hype Thomas Howard here and I believe both are still very high on him as a Cowboys option

Don't give me too much credit for that one, I just happened to go to UTEP, so I always make it a point to follow their football and basketball teams... I first started hearing about Thomas about midway through the 04 season...

I think that he and Bobby Carpenter would be a better fit for the Cowboys' team needs than a Lawson, simply because Lawson is another Demarcus Ware type, and we've already got one of those... what we need is the swift linebacker who can drop into coverage, who makes a lot of tackles by running to the ball...

 

[silverbear]

Parham and Brooks are imploding.

Brooks has had arrests in past and drug issues. His latest issue at UVA appears to be another occurence.

Parham is either dumb, slow or both. You don't go to run at Combine When you are putting up 5.03 and 5.11 speed.
He pulled a Shazor.

I honestly believe he's faster than that, and don't have the first clue why he ran that slow... I have to doubt that a player that slow would be able to make the number of plays that Parham did...

I figured he'd run a 4.7-4.75... if he doesn't run at least that fast at his Pro Day, he'll probably drop to the second day of the draft...

 

[junk]

I followed that link and I was shocked.....just shocked....to discover it was a patriots link. How is your team looking this year, Nors?

How did Howard do lifting at the combine (or his pro day)?

Does he take on and shed blockers or try to run around them to make the play?

 

[Koojo]

The outside is important this year and i'd love to see Dallas get a passrush outside lber but we also need an inside lber that can hold up to the run.I don't think Brunett is ever going to stay healthy and same with Thorton.I think our priorities need to be in order.Manny Lawson is another beast and will be hard to pass up with the type production he's had.I guess were going to have to hope Big Gabe falls to round 2.If this happens we could get DT late,I guess.Fred Evans,Montivious Stanley,Manase Hopoi and John McCargo are players i'd look at the second day.There is also a Hybred OLB Justin Parrish we should look at and possibly get.I'd love to end up with Hopoi and Parrish sometime in the draft.We did get DL last year but i'm not sold on Ratcliff Spears Canty Coleman Ferguson Johnson.I like Howard as a second or 3rd round pick.

 

[cobra]

I'm thinking from what I have read that Kamerion Wimberley is more where we are looking at #18 for OLB. Now, I'd be happy with Carpenter or Lawson, as well. I'd probably be happy with Howard, but I don't know enough about him. But from the talk, I am thinking that we are looking at Wimberley at #18. He put up excellent numbers at the combine and would be a good strong guy for strong side OLB. I think Lawson is awesome, but I think he is a Weakside OLB like Ware. We need a strongside OLB (always facing TE and lead blockers) such as Wimberley or Carpenter. (Don't know how Howard fits into that dynamic).

 

[Clove]

If Howard can add 10 pounds without losing speed by Training Camp, he would be a perfect option at OLB.

I still like Ahmad Brooks in the supp. draft, most of the board hates him, but i'm not one of them. Tons of players have had off the field issues, I'm one that believe in taking a chance on a guy with talent. He had a down year last year due to injuries, but I like him personally.

 

[MiStar]

I don't like Howard as a prospect, and it's not a matter of adding weight. I haven't watched him much, but when I did watch him, he looked lost around the line of scrimmage.

I honestly don't see why people get so facinated with linebacker 40 times, as an LB in the 3-4, on more than 50% of snaps a LB takes, he will have someone trying to block him. And who really cares if the LB has the speed to stick with a reciever 40 yards down the field. Most of the time, linebackers release recievers to the safties after 20 yards.

Last time I checked, speed was howards only asset. Please, someone tell me why he's worth drafting other than the fact that he is incredibly fast, because having freakish speed is only a marginal advantage at the next level, and it doesn't make up for a lack of instincts.

The truth is that I'd rather have Roy Williams or Keith Davis playing LB than Thomas Howard.

 

[VACowboy]

Thomas Howard: (LB) 6-3, 240 - UTEP
Third on the team in tackles with 85 to Jones and Collavo (the other two LBs, 130 and 112, respectively). Fifth in TFL with 7 (Jones/Collavo each had 14). He collected 3 sacks, tied three ways for third on the team, and hurried the QB three times. He intercepted one ball, broke up *7* passes and recovered a fumble. His sacks came against: NM State - 1, Houston - 0, New Mexico - 0, Memphis - 0, Tulane - .5, Marshall - 0, Rice - 0, Tulsa - .5, TX Southern - 0, SMU - 0, Toledo - 1. Bottom Line: Howard had a much better junior season than he had this past year (8 sacks). Maybe it's something they do with their juniors at UTEP because two junior linebackers appear to have greatly outplayed Howard in '06. Ironically enough, he had played the WILL position until this past season when he moved to the strong side. The move could explain the dropoff in sacks, but I would think a guy with his talent playing the SAM LB in a 4-3 would be a tackling machine. He has good size and is obviously a great athlete with great speed: evidence... the pass breakups. But the production just doesn't match the talent, especially against the level of competition he faced.

 

[cowboyjoe]

I am wondering one thing about Howard, if you guys remember that Parcells said when he came to a cowboys game, and it was pre game warm ups, and he first saw Darren Woodson. He asked coach Johnson and Jerry Jones who was that, they told him Darren Woodson, he was so fluid, fast 4.45 in 40, he had played linebacker too at college and the cowboys moved him to safety. You guys know the rest, my thinking is maybe since Parcells went to the combine and finally saw Howard in person, etc. He liked what he saw, maybe this guy can play safety. I have heard too that his greatest assett is his speed, also that he can cover. Not sure about his run blocking, so what if he is an option at free safety.

 

[VACowboy]

That's a BIG safety.

 

[trickblue]

Howard is a guy I've been hoping we would take a look at at #18...

 

[Hostile]

Don't give me too much credit for that one, I just happened to go to UTEP, so I always make it a point to follow their football and basketball teams... I first started hearing about Thomas about midway through the 04 season...

I think that he and Bobby Carpenter would be a better fit for the Cowboys' team needs than a Lawson, simply because Lawson is another Demarcus Ware type, and we've already got one of those... what we need is the swift linebacker who can drop into coverage, who makes a lot of tackles by running to the ball...

I agree with this analysis. I like Carpenter better than Howard because I think he fits the 3-4 better.

I like Lawson though. Thinking of bookends OLBs of him and Ware isn't bad.

 

[JIMMYBUFFETT]

I'll throw a sleeper in there with Stanley McClover from Auburn . He's a poor mans K. Wimbley who would also have to make the transition from DE to OLB . Being from Auburn , you can be sure that Dallas is very aware of him .

 

[Z-Man]

I think that he and Bobby Carpenter would be a better fit for the Cowboys' team needs than a Lawson, simply because Lawson is another Demarcus Ware type, and we've already got one of those... what we need is the swift linebacker who can drop into coverage, who makes a lot of tackles by running to the ball...

I still have to strongly disagree with the notion you can only have one pass rushing OLB in a 3-4. How can anyone look at the Steelers this year with TWO converted former college defensive ends playing OLB and rushing the passer (19.5 sacks between them) and say it can't be done????

Ware and Lawson also have much more speed than Porter and Haggans, and Ware looked like he has room to get much better in coverage with experience. Lawson intercepted a screen pass in combine practices and is a little faster and athletic than Ware (and Ware is NO slouch!!!).

Parcells didn't draft Ware only to be a pass rusher, he envisions him as an all around OLB. If he does in fact decide to draft Lawson I would expect the same.

 

[Clove]

I'll throw a sleeper in there with Stanley McClover from Auburn . He's a poor mans K. Wimbley who would also have to make the transition from DE to OLB . Being from Auburn , you can be sure that Dallas is very aware of him .

Dude, he's not a sleeper. You have hit on the perfect Tweener for this defense.

This guy is as fast as Ware, big as Merriman, and has better stats than Wimbley. I like Carpenter and Lawson, but for the value, you can get McClover in the late second or even the third. You're going to get the same results.. He was battling injuries last year, and still posted 8 sacks and good tackle numbers..
With players like S.McClover and K.Wimbley, you can easily drop out of the 1st round and pick up a 2,3 and a 4. This draft is about value IMO. Get Quality players while having a ton of draft picks.

I would drop out of the 1st and pick up any of these 4 players. Gabe Watson/Jason Allen /Stanley McClover/ or Kamerion Wimbley. You can actually get 2 of these guys if you drop out of the 1st.

Keep this name in mind folks.

Stanley McClover 6'4 262 4.56 (40) Ware ran a 4.56 and Merriman 4.61.
2005: 31 tackles, 13.5 TFL, 8 sacks, 3 PBU (this all battling injuries)

War Room analysis

Strengths: Is explosive; might be the fastest end in the '06 class. Is a fierce perimeter pass rusher who has a long enough frame to keep linemen's hands off his body. Can disrupt the run when allowed to shoot gaps. Easily could add 15 pounds to frame. Shows great power in hips as a strong tackler. Explodes off the snap. Has the speed to become an NFL rush linebacker.


Weaknesses: Left school too early; didn't learn enough about the nuances of reading blocks and tendencies. Must add bulk to play end in the NFL. Relies on athleticism to avoid blocks rather than take them on, which leads to overpursuing and getting out of position. Must improve technique, play with lower pad level and keep a wide base when taking on run blockers.
Bottom line: McClover's speed will attract many teams. Though undersized, he could be used as a situational pass rusher until he adds the bulk needed to be an every-down end. He also is a good enough athlete to play upright at outside linebacker. McClover has a huge upside and could go as high as the end of the second round
War Room analysis