Mayo to visit Cowboys

[Mr Cowboy]

Mayo to visit Cowboys
4:20 PM Mon, Apr 07, 2008 | Permalink | Yahoo! Buzz
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Fast-rising ILB Jerod Mayo is slated to visit the Cowboys later this month, one of the 30 in-house visits allowed by the league.

Mayo previously visited with the Lions and Browns, according to published reports, and has been inching to the top of the charts at inside linebacker. One thing to remember here with a 3-4 team is that almost every college linebacker projects as an inside linbeacker in that defense, with most 3-4 OLBs converted college ends.

But Mayo's a big different, in that he's a true downhill thumper that's not afraid to take on linemen, which makes him a good fit for a team like Cleveland or Dallas. He also had an outstanding combine, checking in at 6-foot-1, 242 pounds, running a 4.54 40, and registering a 32-inch vertical leap.

We now have 19 of these visits nailed down, and three of them are linebackers, all of whom would play on the inside in Dallas' scheme -- UNLV's Beau Bell, USC's Keith Rivers and Mayo. Follow the jump for the full rundown on Ranch-bound draft prospects. ...

UNLV ILB Beau Bell
Texas A&M TE Martellus Bennett
Virginia Tech OT Duane Brown
Arizona CB Antoine Cason
Texas RB Jamaal Charles
Missouri WR Will Franklin
Virginia Tech CB Brandon Flowers
Iowa CB Charles Godfrey
Indiana WR James Hardy
East Carolina RB Chris Johnson
Arkansas RB Felix Jones
Oklahoma WR Malcolm Kelly
Tennessee LB Jerod Mayo
Troy CB Leodis McKelvin
Illinois RB Rashard Mendenhall
Indiana CB Tracy Porter
USC LB Keith Rivers
Tennessee State CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie
Oregon RB Jonathan Stewart

 

[sago1]

Don't know if we will draft any of those players we bringing in but sure looks like we interested in RB, CB, WR & ILB with a smattering of other positions like OT & for the life of me I can't understand a TE as well.

 

[zrinkill]

I swear if we take another LB in the first round I am gonna sound like the crybabies in the Anti-Jerry crowd.

 

[Bob Sacamano]

just assigning grades here, strictly IMO, to gauge how the draft might set up for us

UNLV ILB Beau Bell-3rd/4th
Texas A&M TE Martellus Bennett-3rd
Virginia Tech OT Duane Brown-5th
Arizona CB Antoine Cason-1st/2nd
Texas RB Jamaal Charles-2nd
Missouri WR Will Franklin-3rd/4th
Virginia Tech CB Brandon Flowers-1st/2nd
Iowa CB Charles Godfrey-2nd/3rd
Indiana WR James Hardy-1st/2nd
East Carolina RB Chris Johnson-1st/2nd
Arkansas RB Felix Jones-1st
Oklahoma WR Malcolm Kelly-1st/2nd
Tennessee LB Jerod Mayo-2nd
Troy CB Leodis McKelvin-top 20
Illinois RB Rashard Mendenhall-top 20
Indiana CB Tracy Porter-2nd
USC LB Keith Rivers-1st
Tennessee State CB Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie-top 25
Oregon RB Jonathan Stewart-top 25

1st round: RB
CB
2nd round: WR
3rd round: ILB

 

[AsthmaField]

I swear if we take another LB in the first round I am gonna sound like the crybabies in the Anti-Jerry crowd.

Sooooo... In round 1, Jerry should hold the Mayo?

:/

 

[iceberg]

Sooooo... In round 1, Jerry should hold the Mayo?

:/

if we draft him we'll need louis gossett jr to handle him in training camp. MAYO-NASE!!!!

 

[JPM]

Sooooo... In round 1, Jerry should hold the Mayo?

:/

"Give me Hamm on five hold the Mayo"

 

[ddh33]

I'm kind of interested in some of these LBs coming in. With all of the depth already here, it makes you think that something is going on.

Obviously, Ayodele could be on the move. Carpenter might even be, depending on what you believe. There are a couple of guys who could move outside too, so that also presents some interesting scenarios.

Regardless, it doesn't seem like that position is as settled as I would have thought even though there are a bunch of guys already here.

The other thing that bears repeating is that you can never really have enough LBs. They are the heart of the defense and key special teamers.

 

[TEUFELI]

#$@*ing Bobby Carpenter

 

[cobra]

Yeah, I don't see why we are looking at ILB.

Bradie will be here a while. We got Zach this year alongside him. We got Carp, Burnett, and Akin still on the team.

I get the idea that "you can never have enough good linebackers in a 3-4" but I think we have enough run-backers. I think more pass-rushing LBers is fine.

How about Tommy Blake in the 6th? There is a situational rush-backer. I certainly wouldn't spend a high pick on Mayo.

 

[Bob Sacamano]

Yeah, I don't see why we are looking at ILB.

Bradie will be here a while. We got Zach this year alongside him. We got Carp, Burnett, and Akin still on the team.

I get the idea that "you can never have enough good linebackers in a 3-4" but I think we have enough run-backers. I think more pass-rushing LBers is fine.

How about Tommy Blake in the 6th? There is a situational rush-backer. I certainly wouldn't spend a high pick on Mayo.

it could mean that the new staff isn't high on Carp or Burnett

afterall, they inherited these players, they didn't choose most of them

 

[AsthmaField]

if we draft him we'll need louis gossett jr to handle him in training camp. MAYO-NASE!!!!

"Give me Hamm on five hold the Mayo"

:laugh2:

 

[bootsy]

Damn I thought this was OJ Mayo for a minute when I saw the title. I was like ***.

 

[Shake_Tiller]

The LB looks might be no more than a smokescreen. Or it could be part of a "what if" scenario. Suppose the Cowboys are unable to make a palatable trade of one of their first round picks, and they don't like the options available at CB, RB, or WR (maybe having filled one of those positions with the other pick. If a top LB fell to the Cowboys spot, it could be a fall-back pick.

It's also true that Dallas could have trouble justifying a new contract for Burnett, Thomas is only a stop-gap, and Ayodele appears to be a disappointment in Phillips' defense. Carpenter has yet to prove anything, and appears more suited to the outside, if anything. The Cowboys might consider swapping Burnett now, getting value, rather than eventually losing him to free agency.

I should be shot for this (put down those guns!), but you can put together a nice conspiracy theory. Even Bill Parcells, with all his gumption and with his track record, probably can't justify trading the first pick in the draft for a pair of late firsts. There would be an outcry, which might not bother Parcells but might sting ownership.

If Dallas has its eye on trading for the pick -- or more likely, a slightly lower pick if Miami is able to trade down once prior to dealing with Dallas -- an exchange of a body or two, in lieu of draft picks, might be easier to sell to the Miami fan base. Suppose Dallas traded a first round pick, a couple of later picks, and Burnett and Fasano to Miami? Might that create some interest? Parcells seemed to value Burnett, and the TE class this year is weak. Both Burnett and Fasano are young enough to be nice pieces for Miami for some time. Obviously, none of this is anything but wild speculation. But things are slow right now.

Here's another consideration: If Miami accumulates too many draft choices, it could be in a salary quandary about the time it starts to get good. All of those players could be working under rookie contracts that expire about the same time. A mix of young veterans and draft picks might be enticing to Miami.

Apart from Marion Barber (whom I'm pretty convinced Dallas won't trade) and maybe Fasano, I'm not sure if there are any offensive players on the roster sufficiently young and available to interest Parcells. But I could see him thinking highly of guys like Marcus Spears and Burnett. These are guys he picked, and he might still think they can develop into top starters under his watch.

If Dallas were to trade a Burnett or a Spears, the depth at their positions would look less exciting. Since the Cowboys aren't looking at defensive linemen, there might be no thought of dealing Spears. Or the failure to look might in itself be a smokescreen.

None of this is likely to happen, and all of it is off the cuff. But the fun of the draft, to me, is the speculation. When all is said and done, only time will reveal the quality of the players the Cowboys eventually choose.

 

[Hoofbite]

it could mean that the new staff isn't high on Carp or Burnett

afterall, they inherited these players, they didn't choose most of them

I don't know of many who are high on Carp. Hes been pretty worthless so far.

 

[Woods]

Briefly looking at our ILBs thus far,

Z Thomas - Hopefully he is o.k. health-wise this season, but he's a stop-gap at this stage in his career. Let's hope for 1 more solid season from him.

B James - Very solid, but not really great in coverage or a strong blitzer. But he plays the run very well and is generally solid overall.

Adoyele - May be trade bait. But he's not a playmaker in Wade's scheme.

Carp - So far, he's been underwhelming (excluding STs). I'm curious as to where Wade wants to play him this year (inside or outside). But to-date, Carp is a big question mark.

Burnett - I think he's got 1 year left on his contract. Maybe he challenges for a starting role in 2009.


Looking at the longer-term (more than 1 season), outside of B James, I think the other ILBs on our roster all have major question marks. Of course with Burnett, JJ/Wade need to decide whether they want to extend his contract (and whether Burnett is worth it) and whether Burnett is the "answer" at ILB longer term.

 

[Sarge]

Don't know if we will draft any of those players we bringing in but sure looks like we interested in RB, CB, WR & ILB with a smattering of other positions like OT & for the life of me I can't understand a TE as well.

We will be drafting one of those RB's I bet.