Initial impressions from watching minicamp videos

[Wood]

Just because someone wasn't drafted doesn't mean their a scrubs. Goodley was actually projected to be a high round pick and some say a 1st rounder. His stocked dropped because of injuries he sustained last year dropping him out of the draft.

As for Farmer he maybe the fastest guy on the team with a 4.35 in the 40. He just wasn't productive in college enough because of injuries and frankly, I don't think he was used correctly by USC staff. So these receivers that he's guarding are no scrubs by any means. I would like to see how our own Corners Mo Claiborne and even Brandon Carr would be able to handle these guys during practice. That way we can best determine how valuable a freakish athlete like Byron Jones is to the team.

Goodley was impressive. He has sneaky speed and good awareness. He makes this team.

 

[Wood]

Who is he covering in these drills? I mean, as a first round draft pick, I would hope he could stay with future Home Depot workers of America, without pads.

at one point Garrett specifically called Jones to cover Farmer. You can see why Dallas gave Farmer nice UDFA contract.

 

[ConstantReboot]

Goodley was impressive. He has sneaky speed and good awareness. He makes this team.

Totally agree. I think him and Farmer makes the team.

This draft has to be one of the most athletically gifted draft that the Cowboys has put together - ever. It just excites me seeing our top draft pick working against speed demons such as Farmer and Goodley. It makes me very giddy indeed.

 

[boysfanindc]

Not to mention, absolutely no one beat Collins at rookie mini camp.

 

[Risen Star]

Saying Gregory doesn't have moves is like saying Phillip Dorsett lacks speed.

Broaddus isn't worth paying attention to.

 

[Risen Star]

I think the OP isn't considering how tough it is for an OL to look good in these practices.

 

[jobberone]

Gregory is impressive although there was one LT that gave him a hard time. He gets off the ball as well as Ware did.

I disagree with some that you can't tell much without pads. Certainly pads let you know some things more or that you can't see well without them.

You can see OL using poor technique, lunging, etc whether it's with pads or not. You can see guys get off the ball and get a little idea of their moves. You get some idea of players strength. The DBs you can see how smooth they are and their ability to stick. You get some idea of their willingness to fight and compete. Not going to bore with all the positions.

Taking them out of pads this early cuts down on injuries and that's just vital with the cap keeping teams from having depth everywhere. You're going to be lite somewhere and injuries now can make things difficult.

There will be plenty of time to evaluate players with pads on and see if they are truly football players.

 

[Alexander]

If they're not wearing pads and playing in a game it's simply not worth trying to evaluate OL and DL. Even in training camp it's a waste of time.

That is why when I read things from Broaddus about some no name DT causing problems in a rookie mini-camp I have to laugh. Poor competition and what amounts to limited contact dancing is not exactly the best way to evaluate. All you are doing at this stage is evaluating footwork and placement. Some players are more about power and that cannot be judged in this kind of setting.

 

[Alexander]

Goodley was impressive. He has sneaky speed and good awareness. He makes this team.

If he can take over the kick and punt return job adequately, I think he has a great shot. It would be a real plus if he could play on the coverage units as well.

 

[VACowboy]

Byron Jones CB - We are going to like this kid quickly. I wasn't crazy about this pick but after watching him he is going to be good. Its just matter of how good.

That is me too, exactly.

Ryan Russell DE - big kid. Not much strength coach needs to work on with him. He showed burst and bull rush that really showed off his power. If they can get him to be nasty on field he is going to be problem for OL. Him are Gregory are total opposite types of players. Needs work on initial burst and Marinelli was hammering away at that point.

I like this guy a ton. Always wondered why the "experts" insisted on calling a 260-lb. 3-4 DE an underachiever.

Laurence Gibson - looks like piece of **** out there. Flabby and not well conditioned. He does have some power and long hair so there is some hope. Put him on practice squad for year.

He is actually not known for his power. I think everybody knew he would need a crapload of coaching.

Geoff Swaim - I hated trading up for this pick on draft day. After watching some videos of him for past two days....I take it back. Great draft pick. The original reports on him were of blocking TE. I see athletic TE who has ball skills. Runs good routes, ideal size and probably just wasn't utilized in college to catch ball. I can easily see him replace Hannah as soon as this year.

I had no idea who Swaim was, except that the doods on TV kept calling him the best blocking TE in college. He looks like potentially a lot more than that to me.

 

[VACowboy]

As for Swaim...He's brought into be Dan Campbell not Witten

I don't think we know this. I think it's quite possible that the Cowboys see a lot more in Swaim than just a blocker.

 

[DFWJC]

Like I mentioned in another thread, the Green pick never happens if we miraculously knew we were getting Collins. That's not real world though.
He could develop in the long term, but Collins or not, that pick seemed kind of baffling to me at the time.

Fully agree, that was a good spot to either take a RB right there or trade down, add a pick, and still take a RB. With Allen, Davis, Langford, and Ajayi all still there...I thought for sure we'd trade down and add a 5th and still get one of those backs...plus still have an extra early 5th.

Oh well, splitting hairs.
If Jones, Gregory, Collins, and a couple of others pan out....it's a epic draft anyway

 

[jobberone]

That is why when I read things from Broaddus about some no name DT causing problems in a rookie mini-camp I have to laugh. Poor competition and what amounts to limited contact dancing is not exactly the best way to evaluate. All you are doing at this stage is evaluating footwork and placement. Some players are more about power and that cannot be judged in this kind of setting.

Then why did the NFL's 32 teams agree limited contact at this time of year was a necessary thing if they can evaluate. They could just wait until they could put pads on and start then.

Of course you can get data from players in limited contact settings. But I agree you need contact to further evaluate players. You have to get on grass to complete the picture.

 

[daveferr33]

In all fairness to the Cowboys, the third round could not have gone any worse for them. These players were all picked before the 91st pick:

73: RB Tevin Coleman
74: DE Owamagbe Odighizuwa
77: RB Duke Johnson
86: RB David Johnson
88: DE Danielle Hunter
90: DT Carl Davis

That said, I wanted them to draft Xavier Cooper, who was taken by the Browns at 96.

 

[Doc50]

OL are at a disadvantage because of the "no contact" rule. They can't get as physical as they need to be. The can't really use their punch. As far as DL, you can see more than that with these camps. Things like footwork, burst of the line, change of direction, balance. They're not the best way to evaluate, but you can at least get some idea about what their skills are.

The coaches really like the upside of Green, but he would have been hard-pressed to make the 53 before we landed Collins. Remember, the standard for OL recruits to start is usually 3 years; we've recently been spoiled by the skill of our first round picks. The FO was likely hoping for him to replace Parnell, but probably not this year.

He'll probably now be relegated to PS status, but could eventually replace Free.

 

[sbark]

The coaches really like the upside of Green, but he would have been hard-pressed to make the 53 before we landed Collins. Remember, the standard for OL recruits to start is usually 3 years; we've recently been spoiled by the skill of our first round picks. The FO was likely hoping for him to replace Parnell, but probably not this year.

He'll probably now be relegated to PS status, but could eventually replace Free.

Hopefully in 3 years, my biggest concern with him is getting beat right off the snap by the DLine.....trying to overthink right now, or just slow twitch?

 

[AzorAhai]

Hopefully in 3 years, my biggest concern with him is getting beat right off the snap by the DLine.....trying to overthink right now, or just slow twitch?

I heard on the radio this morning that he had a leg injury so that could be a reason for his struggles. He wasn't as bad on tape as he looked at camp this weekend.

 

[dallasdave]

Byron Jones CB - We are going to like this kid quickly. I wasn't crazy about this pick but after watching him he is going to be good. Its just matter of how good. Good size and thing that really jumps out is his coverage skills. He is all over the WR. Will have to see how his turnover skills evolve. Comes off intelligent in interviews and would not surprise me if he is one of team leaders on defense in few years.

Randy Gregory DE - I was little worried about this pick after listening to broaddus basically saying he doesn't have any moves other than just speed to edge. What I saw was high motor, tenacious desire to get to QB. He will need to add about 20 lbs of good weight because he is light and good tackle will push him out of play. On 2nd day he showed inside move that even surprised broaddus (you could hear Marinelli cursing in background to get the **** off the ball). We have to see how he handles the mental aspect when proven NFL tackle is kicking his rear-end. Will be interesting to see how this pick shakes out.

Chaz Green OT - of all draft picks he has struggled most. Undrafted DE were working him over. His first step lacks explosiveness and he doesn't know how to punch yet. Seeing how far behind he is I think Dallas should have gone RB with this pick. But with big OL they take time and he could turn out good. He doesn't look much better than their 7th rounder.

Damion Wilson LB - looks good. Good lateral quickness and has that look like he wants to hit someone. We will have to wait for pads to go on to get better idea of what he brings.

Ryan Russell DE - big kid. Not much strength coach needs to work on with him. He showed burst and bull rush that really showed off his power. If they can get him to be nasty on field he is going to be problem for OL. Him are Gregory are total opposite types of players. Needs work on initial burst and Marinelli was hammering away at that point.

Laurence Gibson - looks like piece of **** out there. Flabby and not well conditioned. He does have some power and long hair so there is some hope. Put him on practice squad for year.

Geoff Swaim - I hated trading up for this pick on draft day. After watching some videos of him for past two days....I take it back. Great draft pick. The original reports on him were of blocking TE. I see athletic TE who has ball skills. Runs good routes, ideal size and probably just wasn't utilized in college to catch ball. I can easily see him replace Hannah as soon as this year.

Conclusion: your big upside players are: Jones & Gregory. This talent is apparent. Gregory has way to go but Jones looks almost NFL ready. Chaz Green has bust potential. If Ryan Russell gets serious Dallas has starter. Swaim will surprise you.

Great post, thanks for writing all this up and glad that the 1st 2 picks show the talent.

 

[Doc50]

I don't think we know this. I think it's quite possible that the Cowboys see a lot more in Swaim than just a blocker.

He actually looks somewhat similar to Witten.

And he's a smart, tough blue-collar worker.

 

[VACowboy]

He actually looks somewhat similar to Witten..

I thought so too, but I wasn't dare gonna say it.