Yea, I don’t listen to people on this board either.
Every fans hope for a first round pick is they turn into a great player. The best players we’ve drafted with premium picks all showed great promise as rookies during camp, preseason and the regular season. I don’t remember any of them getting off to slow starts where fans and the media were critical of them. Just look at the past couple of decades. Tyron, Dez, Sean Lee, Travis Frederick, Zack Martin, CeeDee and Parsons all looked real good right from the start. You could tell during their rookie seasons they were going to be real good players. Tyler Smith looked good as a rookie. The premium draft picks that flamed out for us, including second round picks struggled early and never developed into what we were hoping for. Morris Claiborne, Bobby Carpenter, Jaylon Smith, Connor Williams, Gavin Escobar, Bruce Carter and Taco. Kelvin Joseph struggled from day one when he arrived. The best players we currently have all got off to good starts as rookies.
I said I “hope” for a great player in the first round but I don’t expect it. My expectations for a first round pick is that they become consistently good players.
That’s what we’re all hoping for.
I didn’t expect him to set the world on fire, but I did expect him to look a little better than he has. I didn’t expect him to be so slow off the ball. Has he met your expectations so far? By the way, anyone who reads my posts knows I’m serious about football. I’ll stack my insight against any fan on this board.
Gilmore is still a terrific player and is only four years removed from being defensive player of the year. He was an absolute bargain for a fifth round pick. I wouldn’t be comparing him with Jonathan Hankins. If the Cowboys thought he was anything special they wouldn’t have burned a first round pick on Mazi.
I know it’s only been one regular season game, but have you been pleased with what you’ve seen of him so far? He did play in three preseason games.
I’m pretty neutral on it. I didn’t have expectations of all-pro flashes during training camp and after one game.
Based on how we played in the opener, he's got some time to come into his own. Jonathan Hankins is a pretty good player to have in front of him. Obviously, we want and hope Mazi develops into at least that kind of player.
I never said I was expecting all-pro flashes from him during training camp and preseason, but I did expect him to look better than he has based on his draft status. A lot of fans were disappointed with his play during preseason. There was little talk about him from the media during training camp. He wasn’t impressing anyone. It’s still early and there’s a long way to go. We’ll see if he develops. Hate to say it, but I was having the same discussions and making the same comments about Taco.
You need more than one big guy. You can’t use Hankins playing the first snap of the game as proof that Mazi is a disappointment. Just because you expected Mazi to “start” doesn’t make it a valid point. Mazi didn’t play bad at all for his first game ever in the NFL.
Do you honestly think the plan was to use a first round pick on Mazi so he could backup Hankins? Mazi didn’t look bad, but he’s still not getting off the ball quick enough. It’s not like I’m expecting him to be Warren Sapp, but he has to get off the ball quicker which was a problem during preseason. The Cowboys most certainly did draft Mazi to be a starter. They re-signed Hankins to a one-year deal, so they’re not looking past the 2023 season with him. They want Hankins helping Mazi. You definitely need more than one big guy, but you want your first round pick starting, not playing second fiddle to a 31 year old you traded a 7th round pick for and only extended for this season.
