Just Finished Watching Our Draft Class

LACowboysFan1

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I agree, but yes, Bobby Brown was there.
Honestly they could have taken McNeil.

While yes they got a trash can full of dirt, they didn't get a trashcan full of dirt that demands a double team, and can get pressure on the QB.

There were several available at times, but none that Dallas prioritized enough to draft. Been this way for years, and although darn near every evaluation of them every year shows they need one .... they just don't care. Jerry is going to do it his way, and his way builds a mediocre team as the last 20+ years have shown.

Here is to hoping that he can find his unicorn, ie Aaron Donald, and somehow he can make it work without having the normal established pieces that normally make it work. If not, then we are just going to keep seeing the mediocre teams we have been seeing for the last long while.

Have to rest our hopes (well mine anyway) that the Cowboys can have success in a similar vein to the early 1990's teams - keep rotating average to a bit above average guys in and out, keep o-lines busy....
 

Dalmations202

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Have wondered why the Cowboys haven't really tried to replicate their Darren Woodson success - an undersized (for the NFL) college linebacker with good speed put a safety. Drop a few pounds his speed, already ok, might improve, depends if he's at his natural playing weight or did he bulk up a bit to be able to play lb in college?

Cox might be good a strong safety candidate. Just a thought.

Though I think you're wrong about his not playing, apparently Quinn will go with a base 3-4, so with 4 linebackers on the field, and Lee now gone I think he'll get significant playing time.

But we'll see....
I think Dallas is trying to reverse this with the SS to LB stuff. I think it might work, if they had the correct interior DL as well. I just don't see it without a big quick trashcan full of dirt though. I know Seattle utilized DE/DL guys who could move around and I think this is what they are trying to do now. I think they are trying to use the idea that speed kills, and make it all about speed. Much like you said -- 90's Cowboys defensive line. Dallas said we can't beat the linemen physically anymore, so we will just keep coming at you with big strong fast guys, and hope to wear down the IOL. On the other hand, Dallas put in the bigger IOL and said ESmith will destroy you because you don't have enough size. So you either draft size with speed, or you draft speed and hope the smaller size can hold up if they get swapped out enough.

Back to the LB situation. If the Will can be moved to a SS role, it allows for the D to keep the Sam on the field, or move him to ILB.
Right now if they run Parsons, Cox, Neal --- they really wouldn't need to leave the field. Cox is known for coverage. Parsons was a DE at one point but has speed and tackle ability. Neal can chase and can cover like a SS.
Want a 4-2-5 -- Cox moves to Mike with middle coverage or spy, Parsons blitzes or has flat or back, Neal has flat or picks up the TE. 4DL
Want a 4-3 --- Cox plays Sam and has TE, Parsons - Mike, and Neal - Will and chases. 4DL
Want 3-4 -- Gregory stands up and usually rushes but can cover flats, Cox/Parsons plays other side and usually has flats but can rush, and Parsons/Cox and Neal are the ILB. Tank lines up on one tackle, 3T moves out to tackle on the opposite side and 1T plays the NT.
All this without ever having to take a player off the field, and can throw all of these looks at the QB.

All of this works EXCELLENT with one guy in the middle that demands a double team. Makes TONS of sense.............if the IOL aren't blowing the DL off the line and pancaking the LBs.

Add longer DB's and I can easily see where they are going with it.

But I don't see how it is really going to work if they don't have the one guy who demands the double because if I were the opposition Offense Coordinator -- I would challenge my 330lb IOL to pancake their little DL and LB's and run straight at them all game long. Even if it didn't work early, I would expect it to work when the smaller guys get tired.
 

Landryhat73

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This this draft was void on talent. After taking time to study the draft the only pick that was anomaly was Nahshon Wright. Without getting a corner in the 1st we were kind of forced into grabbing Joseph. I don’t mind Odighizuwa, from everything I’ve read/heard is he is strong against the run. When I hear Quinn mentioning a 34 base Osa position flexibility comes to mind. Golston pick brought out a lot of criticism as well and this to me shows the talent deficiency in the draft because not much talent level was left at this position. I’m guessing they liked Golston against the run, which separated him from Ronnie Perkins. My guess in they were targeting a 1T trash can a little earlier but lost out on Shelvin and Slaton, hopefully Bohanna can fill this need.

My initial disappointment in this draft probably had a lot to do with a lot of the draft simulation sites. It seemed the players I thought the cowboys were interested in were always available in the 2nd and 3rd round. Not the case in real draft. The other obstacle that I think was a huge issue was incomplete medicals. I know this is pretty pessimistic but my hope from this draft is that Parsons will be an All Pro, do everything linebacker. Joseph will forget about his rape career and concentrate on football, allowing him to start opposite Diggs. Osa can be a rotational, positional flexible dlineman. Golston will take Armstrong’s place on the roster and hopefully get lucky with the other picks.
 

stilltheguru

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Props for actually explaining why you dont like a pick. Thought that was impossible to find on here
 

RS12

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If this draft nets two quality starters and two quality rotation players it will be successful. My confidence that happens would be less than 50%.
 

Bizwah

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This year's draft was empty at the DL positions with classical sized first round talent.

Based upon your comments, 1992 1st round pick Kevin Smith was a reach, with a sub 190 lb weight, as not being solid enough to handle the rigors of NFL play.

Jay Ratliff in the 7th round as not much of a player to select. No one had him rated higher than a 7th rounder. How did that turn out?

Leon Lett was a person who was from Emporia State who played against inferior players leaguers and also played basketball, diluting his devotion to football. Not worthy of drafting? A wasted pick?

Did you blast the drafting of center Frederick when everyone said he was a third round talent at best?

You call 282 lbs undersized for DT. If you have two DT's, one 282 all muscle and a champion wrestler and the second of the same height, but at 320 with 40 lbs of fat around his middle, is the one fatty "NFL size" better because of his weight, or is he fooling you with his corpulence?

DT Laroi Glover at 6'2" 285 was a fifth rounder who made many Pro Bowls.

I will take Harvey Martin in his prime, pass rushing at 255 over any 320 lb LOT today.

I will take Randy White at 275 against any 330 lb guard today.

I will take 6'9" 275 Too Tall Jones against any 320 lb RT today.

Most offensive linemen are 30-40 more lbs overweight. The weight alone does not make them better at the point of attack than a superiorly gifted defensive lineman with enormous strength and moves and counter moves, who weighs 275 and has a flat stomach.

I agree on Osa. I think he's gonna be a good one.

Actually, I agree with you on most counts. Sometimes you have to look more at the football talent than size/athletic ability.

I wish I had payed more attention to him when I watched UCLA, but I didn't. I know he sure looked good at the SR Bowl....both the practices and the games. I never saw him get thrown around. But, I didn't focus on him for five games like the original poster.
 

NotForLong

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First off, sorry for posting another thread, but as you can see, I typed a lot of words & I didn't want to hijack someone else's thread.

#12 Overall: LB Micah Parsons, Penn State
First things first, the maneuver to trade back to #12 & getting a free third round pick was an excellent one. The Eagles clearly identified the Giants as wanting to draft Devonta Smith, so we were going to play him twice a year regardless.
Second, after seeing both of the top corners going right in front of us, we had three options; Micah Parsons, Caleb Farley, or Rashawn Slater. Farley has medical concerns & Slater is almost a luxury/future pick, so Parsons had the easiest path to fixing a position of need
I gave Parsons a true 1st round grade, one of the few I gave, indicating I viewed him as a top 10 talent. While by no means a perfect prospect, I see great potential in him & I believe he can become one of the best linebackers in the league. I notably commended his productivity as a tackler & run stopper, run stuff ability, pass rushing ability, generic playmaking ability, & upfield burst. People like to bring up his coverage ability as concern, and while I agree it is imperfect, I do see enough flashes to suggest he can be better with development.
His measurables are elite.
Overall, I think the main animosity towards this pick comes from the disappointment of not having corners, the value of the position, & the hazing allegations against him, but as long as you're comfortable with the allegations I don't believe a better pick was possible.​
#44 Overall: CB Bossman Fat a.k.a Kelvin Joseph, Kentucky
Leading up to the draft, I kept hearing about how much people thought he was a first round value with personality red flags, but I never bought in myself. Since the Cowboys drafted him, I've reexamined his notes to try and find what I am missing that everyone else sees.
I think he's decent in man coverage, but I thought he struggled in zone coverage. His big claim to fame was shutting down Devonta Smith during his Heisman campaign (so here's to hoping he continues doing so as a pro). I saw a couple of interceptions; including an impressive effort along the sideline against Georgia. I thought he struggled with his back to the QB; notably against Auburn.
On the subject of his personality issues, Dave Helman drove the point home that he's not a bad person, he just has interests outside of football that will strain his focus on football. While it's not nothing, I think it's unwarranted to pass on the guy if you think he has first round value.
His measurables are average for the most part. He has a good 40 time, but a sub-par 3 cone. He didn't do the bench press.
Overall, while I am not excited, I do see where I can be wrong about the player & we desperately needed to draft a corner. While I had Asante Samuel Jr. & Aaron Robinson graded higher, it's now obvious the coaching staff wants length at CB that would have disqualified both. After losing the opportunity to draft Horn or Surtain in the 1st, personal disappointment was the only possibility remaining.​
#75 Overall: DT Osa Odighizuwa, UCLA
Full disclosure, while I have watched my five game quota on him, I recently realized that only one of those games came from his 2020 season, so it's entirely possible he was a much better player as a senior than as a junior & I'm not giving him enough credit.
First off, regardless of the quality of his tape, I don't like this pick. I've long since held that between Trysten Hill & Neville Gallimore, you have invested in the 3 Tech position, and that the prudent course of action would be to get a veteran safety net & give your young talent a chance to compete to become starters. Odighizuwa is a lightweight even for a 3 Tech & he's probably never going to be anything else, so now you've used a third consecutive top-100 pick on trying to fix the 3 Tech position.
I liked his quickness off the snap; showing disruption & anticipation. I liked his effort. I didn't see an efficient pass rusher; he did have a good game against Stanford (2019). I saw give & take power; the people on The Draft Show were talking about how well he held up against the run, but I saw the opposite.
His measurables are good for his weight. He's underweight at 282 lbs. He didn't run a 40 yard dash.
Overall, I don't feel that comfortable commenting on the quality of the player as I haven't watched that much of his senior tape, but I wouldn't have gone this direction regardless.​
#84 Overall: DE Chauncey Golston, Iowa
4-3 LE playing limited snaps inside & at OLB. Not perfect, but generally good run defender with getoff, diagnosis, & production. Decent enough power. I saw a good enough pass rusher on his senior tape, but he did struggle on his junior tape. Main concern with his pass rush is he can get eliminated at times. Lacks the traits of a speed rusher; mobility, edge rush, & twich off the snap.
His measurables are on par for a DE with good height & great arm length.
Overall, probably my third favorite pick of the draft, offering floor appeal, but lacking ceiling. Probably targeted as a replacement for Tyrone Crawford. It's a little rich to pick him in the top 100, but I don't hate it.​
#99 Overall: CB Nahshon Wright, Oregon State
The pick that pissed everyone off. A lot of people hadn't heard of him before being picked in the top 100 (myself included) & frankly there's only one game of his on youtube, so I can't give much of an opinion on him.
Suffice it to say, I didn't see anything exceptionally good or exceptionally bad on his game against Washington. He sustained over coverage playing off. He flashed well reacting to under-breaking routes. He stripped one ball. He broke up one out-break. He gave up separation to an in-break. He drew a penalty covering downfield one snap.
His measurables are lowkey awful. Great height & long arms aside; he tested sub-par on all of his drills given his low weight of 183 lbs, failing to meet positional averages for many of them.
Overall, it's hard to condemn a prospect with such a limited sample size, but Dane Brugler had him as a 7th round flier prospect and I'm erring with Brugler's opinion over the opinion of the Cowboys. It seems like an irrational reach for a prospect with height & little else to fill a scheme archtype.​
#115 Overall: LB Jabril Cox, LSU
4-3 OLB.
Primarily known for his coverage ability. Decent production stopping the run & as a tackler. Shows upfield burst. Struggles with power against the run. Thought he struggled against misdirection. Doesn't offer much as a blitzer.
Draftscout doesn't have his pro day numbers, but a quick google suggests a sub 4.60 40 yard dash with decent jumps. He's over 6'3" & a bit lightweight at 232 lbs.
Overall, I think he faces stiff competition to see the field this season. However, with a season of development & contract concerns with Jaylon Smith & LVE, there is a real possibility the Cowboys drafted it's 2022 LB tandem with Parsons & Cox.​
#138 Overall: OT Josh Ball, Marshall
I only found two games of Marshall OL tape from 2020; UAB & Appalachian State.
Dane Brugler said he was a top 100 talent with personality red flags; I can see where people might think he's talented, but I personally wasn't impressed.
Not much of a mobile blocker, but he flashed mobility. Unnoteworthy power. He doesn't struggle a lot in protection, but he doesn't impress me either. He struggled as a run blocker. He kept getting subbed out against Appalachian State; is conditioning a problem for him? Inexplicably subbed out with 2 minutes to go against UAB.
His testing numbers are mediocre, but he boasts 6'7"+ height & 35 inch arms.
Overall, I hate this pick. He's not so bad on tape that I'm upset he got drafted in the 4th round, but a cursory glance at his issues with domestic violence effectively took him off my board.​
#179 Overall: WR Simi Fehoko, Stanford
Played X & Y. Had an insanely productive game against UCLA. Flashes well with mobility. Thought I saw a physical player against tackles. I thought his route running was mediocre; not awful, but not inspiring for his long-term aspirations of being a starter. No make miss ability. Mixed results as a contested target. Struggled with drops.
His measurables are rock solid; tested well with a big body.
Overall, I can understand why some people were excited about him as a prospect. I'm not quite sure about his long term prospects of becoming an NFL starter, but with his measurables you are taking a shot at him becoming a core special teamer, which is acceptable given the point at which he was drafted.​
#192 Overall: DT Quinton Bohanna, Kentucky
Trash can full of dirt. Played 3-4 NT. Decent power. Limited production against the run, but did manage some stuffs. I thought I saw some quick twich to him, but not against Alabama. Literally offers nothing as a pass rusher.
His measurables... roughly the same testing numbers as a literal trash can full of dirt.
Overall, he is the embodiment of the low value NT. It's exciting that the Cowboys finally invested something at the position after neglecting it for years & he has few obstacles towards becoming a contributor, but it's low expectations for a late draft pick. Looking back in hindsight at the 3rd round picks, I think it's fair to ask whether or not reallocating your draft picks to pick up Tommy Togiai or Tyler Shelvin could have added more upside at the position.​
#227 Overall: DB Israel Mukuama, South Carolina
Versatile usage at South Carolina; I saw him play outside corner, slot, box safety, single high safety, & cover 2. It's reported we're looking at him as a safety, which is slightly better than trying him at outside corner, but at the same time I don't have a high confidence level in his run support. I'll be blunt; I don't like him in coverage. It's mixed results in zone & he gets burned in man coverage. He had limited production breaking up passes, but he did make a couple of interceptions; including a great one-hander. He was subbed out twice with injury in the games I watched.
He only did the jumps as his pro day, but he's taller than 6'4" with 34 inch arms.
Overall, he's a late pick, so I can't grill the Cowboys for taking a flier on him. However, I don't have confidence he'll make the team, let alone become a contributor.​
#238 Overall: OG Matt Farniok, Nebraska
Watched two games of his; Iowa & Ohio State.
Played RG; reported positional flexibility on display against Iowa when the starting center high-snapped a ball & he took over for a drive. I liked him sustaining blocks in protection against Iowa. Unextraordinary power. Decent enough recognition. Saw decent enough mobility, but thought he struggled executing as a mobile blocker. Saw him get beat repeatedly for pressure; including against one Chauncey Golston. Saw more negative than positive as a run blocker.
His measurables are decent; notably his 3 Cone & short shuttle.
Overall, he's a 7th round flier taken in the 7th round.
Overall, the commitment to trying to fix our abysmal 2020 defense is clear, but despite all the investment, outside of the linebacker position I'm not convinced our defense will be more talented than it was before. Golston & Odighizuwa will likely replace Tyrone Crawford's role. Joseph will match Chidobe Awuzie's ability. The Cowboys continued their perpetual neglect in investing in the NT & safety positions; waiting till rounds 6 & 7 to address them. The burden of improving our defense will lay at the coaching ability of Dan Quinn & the simplification of the scheme.


My response to your Osa evaluation
 
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