Twitter: Is Osa a Zim-type Defensive Lineman?

[kskboys]

One item that gets overlooked is, incredibly, how good is the player at their main job.... catching... tackling... what production/instincts/motor do they have?

And the big one, lateral agility. Basically, everyone in the NFL is strong and fast. Yes, I know there are exceptions, but you know what I mean!!!

What sets players apart and almost always is an accurate precursor of NFL success is the ability to move side to side, to cut, to mirror. For some very odd reason, we tend to ignore this trait. I can't even begin to count how many S's and LB's Jerry has thrown picks at who completely lack this trait.

 

[conner01]

His contract isn't up. He's got one more year, so whether Dallas deems him worth keeping will depend on this year.

I think you see what he’s thinking. If you could sign him like they did Armstrong you do it. If he wants to bet on himself and see if he can raise his stock then you let it play out. Armstrongs deal was a reasonable deal

 

[chagus]

Unless you watched GB run over him the whole game.

I blame Mazi. Dude did not help at all. Might as well have Trysten Hill in there.

Side note: Dallas' ability to pick terrible in the 2nd rd seemed to ream its ugly head in the 1st last off season.

 

[Kingofholland]

Actually, we've been doing the opposite. We've been focusing on special players, and so have missed out on stalwarts such as Creed Humprey and Asante Samuel Jr.

We desperately need to focus on body types and measurables and even more important, guys who can play football. Think about it, ignoring body types caused us to take Trysten Hill.

Prototypical is prototypical because that is the body type that most often finds success. W/ TJ Watt, it had nothing to do w/ prototypical, we took Taco because of scheme, not prototypical.

Taco was selected because of his length/size, while TJ was viewed as a tweaner that perhaps didn't hold up as well against the run. So they did use measurables to make that decision. Some of the guys that we selected that busted did so because of motor, coachability, technique, and just overall commitment. We drafted some high ceiling, but low floor guys rather than the guys that were productive football players with motors.

Sure you can't run a defense with a bunch of tiny players, but believing a player has to be a certain height, weight, speed, etc. isn't everything if they compensate for it in other ways. Asante Samuel Jr. fell in the draft because he didn't have prototypical size and scouts were worried about his ability to hold up against bigger receivers.

 

[kskboys]

Taco was selected because of his length/size, while TJ was viewed as a tweaner that perhaps didn't hold up as well against the run. So they did use measurables to make that decision. Some of the guys that we selected that busted did so because of motor, coachability, technique, and just overall commitment. We drafted some high ceiling, but low floor guys rather than the guys that were productive football players with motors.

Sure you can't run a defense with a bunch of tiny players, but believing a player has to be a certain height, weight, speed, etc. isn't everything if they compensate for it in other ways. Asante Samuel Jr. fell in the draft because he didn't have prototypical size and scouts were worried about his ability to hold up against bigger receivers.

That's only one example.

Funny thing is, it's often wildly unapparent as to why we select certain players. Schooner just does not make sense.

We just had a team that went w/ undersized LB's that got run over. Prototypical would've been much better.

 

[CT Dal Fan]

Dallas lists Osa at 294, but if that guy is over 275 by season's end I would be surprised. I think he fits best as a rotational piece since it's clear he wears down as the year goes on.

 

[Kingofholland]

That's only one example.

Funny thing is, it's often wildly unapparent as to why we select certain players. Schooner just does not make sense.

We just had a team that went w/ undersized LB's that got run over. Prototypical would've been much better.

Schoon has prototypical TE size and we needed another TE to replace Schultz. But yes, you're right we don't typically know the full story of why we select certain players. I didn't like the Schoon pick either and hoped we waited later to select a TE.

Size doesn't always equal talent and lack there of doesn't always equal not enough talent. There are many players that were deemed too small to be successful, but they had other traits that allowed them to compensate. Now there are certainly limitations to an extent and think we saw that with playing a 200 pound safety at LB. However, I would glady take the 5'10 230 LB that simply has great instincts and can make plays all over the field over the 6'2 250 lb that is slow to recognize and doesn't have the motor to consistently make plays. Protoypical size and measurables are great when all else lines up, but its not the only thing that determines success. Ask Emmitt Smith if his height and speed that caused him to fall in the draft negatively impacted what he accomplished in the NFL. Just get me football players that can play and have shown they can play the position even if they're slightly off prototypical measurements.