Howard - Major Interest

[Nors]

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?

Junk -
I just provide you the source. What you do with it is up to you.

At Senior Bowl he showed in practices he has pass rush skills. At 239 and 4.42 speed he could be a terror on the field opposite Ware -
versatile player

 

[Nors]

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.

Yes - Woodson indeed was moved to Safety. In fact last few drafts a few teams have done the same witch success. Heck - Berry O is a converted small school LB.

I spend WAY too much time on draft - and have read and also heard that a few teams think he's a potential Safety in the NFL.

He could easily play at 225-230 I'm sure - and at 4.42 he's probably gain a Tad of speed. He ran at 239, okayed at 234.

 

[junk]

Junk -
I just provide you the source. What you do with it is up to you.

At Senior Bowl he showed in practices he has pass rush skills. At 239 and 4.42 speed he could be a terror on the field opposite Ware -
versatile player

So I have do my own leg work?

Only thing I could find on Howard bench was 21 reps at 225.

Scouting report:

Strengths:
Amazing athlete with rare speed for the position...Has fluid hips and does a tremendous job when dropping into coverage...Has a great burst and closes fast...Terrific in space and makes plays sideline-to-sideline...Big hitter who will light people up...Changes direction well...Is an excellent pass rusher on the blitz...Very productive...Team leader and hard worker with top intangibles.

Weaknesses:
Gets by on his athleticism and lacks great instincts, which are essential for a linebacker...Can do a better job as a tackler...Struggles when taking on bigger blockers...Needs to hit the weights and get stronger...Doesn't react on the field as quickly as you'd like...Still developing and is not yet a finished product.

Notes:
Began his career with the Miners as a walk-on safety...Father was drafted by the Kansas City Chiefs in 1977 cousin was a member of the musical group En Vogue...A true workout warrior whose measurables are off the charts.

Was trying to determine if he was a guy who the rap of avoiding blockers a la Derrick Johnson/Chad Greenway? Anyone who has watched him know?

 

[Cowboys&Caps]

i thought he looked kinda sloppy at the combine. I would rather go with a guy from a bigger school who would be a better contributer now.

 

[Koojo]

I like Howard,hes big fast strong and raw.If you draft him you can pretty much put him at any position and make a player out of him.With his 4.4 speed you never have to come out of your base defense.I'm not sure if he could rush the passer but he's the type of player that can rome.I like his potental

 

[VACowboy]

Howard was outperformed by two juniors in '05. What he does on the field doesn't match the hype. I've done a bunch of research on a bunch of linebackers, and by far, Howard was the least impressive. If you wanna go by production per snap, Wimbley's probably the guy. He wasn't on the field nearly as much as any of these other guys we talk about, but when he was, he made plays.

Looking at his '05 numbers...

12th on the team in tackles with 26 (Nicholson had 100) and second in TFL with 11 (Bunkley had 25, Nicholson...10). Wimbley totaled 7.5 sacks (second to Bunkley's 9), had 17 hurries (to Bunkley's 15) and broke up four passes.

What sticks out to me is that Bunkley was the team's interior presence and Nicholson was the sidline to sideline tackling machine. Wimbley was a situational pass rusher, and when he was on the field he got the job done. I think the numbers above bear this out. None of it says anything about Wimbley's ability to play linebacker at the next level, though, except that he's very athletic.

I think performance per snap is what Parcells sees when he looks at Wimbley. It's just not there for Howard.

 

[Nors]

Howard was outperformed by two juniors in '05. What he does on the field doesn't match the hype. I've done a bunch of research on a bunch of linebackers, and by far, Howard was the least impressive. If you wanna go by production per snap, Wimbley's probably the guy. He wasn't on the field nearly as much as any of these other guys we talk about, but when he was, he made plays.

Looking at his '05 numbers...

12th on the team in tackles with 26 (Nicholson had 100) and second in TFL with 11 (Bunkley had 25, Nicholson...10). Wimbley totaled 7.5 sacks (second to Bunkley's 9), had 17 hurries (to Bunkley's 15) and broke up four passes.

What sticks out to me is that Bunkley was the team's interior presence and Nicholson was the sidline to sideline tackling machine. Wimbley was a situational pass rusher, and when he was on the field he got the job done. I think the numbers above bear this out. None of it says anything about Wimbley's ability to play linebacker at the next level, though, except that he's very athletic.

I think performance per snap is what Parcells sees when he looks at Wimbley. It's just not there for Howard.

You realize Wimbley was a DE not a LB at FSU?

26 Tackles (only?)
7 1/2 sacks

I like him as well as a 3-4 OLB convert - nice second round draft prosect for us.

 

[VACowboy]

You realize Wimbley was a DE not a LB at FSU?

26 Tackles (only?)
7 1/2 sacks

I like him as well as a 3-4 OLB convert - nice second round draft prosect for us.

Of course I realize he played DE at FSU. I saw FSU play 8 times (one in person) but Wimbley won't be playing DE in Dallas so I put him with the rest of the DEs and linebackers I was looking at as possible strong side LBs. Sorry for the confusion.

I guess my point wasn't clear. Let me see if I can rectify the situation.

Wimbley saw the field a heck of a lot less than Howard did in '05 and not only produced better but just flat made more plays. I did a bunch of research on a bunch of college players, both DEs and LBs, compiled their stats, looked at who they racked up their stats against, how their performances in previous years compared, etc. And as it pertains to this thread, I conclude that Wimbley is a player and Howard's performance doesn't meet the hype.