Post-draft team analysis: CB

[Stash]

I don't think Iloka is an insurance policy. Jeff Heath is not a starting strong safety. Xavier Woods is not a strong safety. So who is Iloka, a starting strong safety, an insurance policy for?

Heath is a solid free safety who gets unfairly judged by his play at strong safety. Woods is a solid free safety. We will have two safeties back deep on some plays, and Heath and Woods are the two.

Frazier is the backup strong safety, and again a core special-teammer. It's possible that Wilson could take that role from him, making Frazier expendable, or Wilson might not be good enough to make the team or he might cause us to keep five safeties, which is the way I'm leaning.

I see unnecessary redundancy in keeping five safeties, when half of them are no threat to start.

 

[gimmesix]

I see unnecessary redundancy in keeping five safeties, when half of them are no threat to start.

I think the third and fourth safeties are two of our top special-teammers, so I don't see their positions being up for grabs unless a seventh linebacker or a sixth corner, maybe a seventh receiver stands out and can play special-teams just as well. And before you get to them, you probably have Donovan Wilson as lowest man on the safety totem pole.

We've cut plenty of sixth-rounders before so it won't surprise me if we do that, I'm just not predicting it because I think we will give him every opportunity to be the starting strong safety of the future.

 

[Stash]

I think the third and fourth safeties are two of our top special-teammers, so I don't see their positions being up for grabs unless a seventh linebacker or a sixth corner, maybe a seventh receiver stands out and can play special-teams just as well. And before you get to them, you probably have Donovan Wilson as lowest man on the safety totem pole.

Frazier and Heath are in the last years of their contracts, and if Frazier can't beat out Heath by now? This team will never see him as a starter. And now with Iloka brought in, he moves further away. Strictly playing special teams isn't enough to keep him around.

We've cut plenty of sixth-rounders before so it won't surprise me if we do that, I'm just not predicting it because I think we will give him every opportunity to be the starting strong safety of the future.

Unless Wilson bombs, he'll stick around over a guy in the final year of his contract.

 

[xwalker]

Why does Iloka have to stick around? He's totally cuttable. Cutting him is even a *positive* for our comp picks.

He's an insurance policy we hope we don't have to use. Assuming no injuries, Wilson and Iloka are fighting for a spot on the 53.

Woods
Heath
Iloka

One or two spots from this list.
Wilson
Thompson
Frazier
Other

They'll want veterans in the top 3 spots. Thompson is the only possible challenger to Iloka's spot because Thompson started 16 games in 2017.

 

[Mr_437]

Woods
Heath
Iloka

One or two spots from this list.
Wilson
Thompson
Frazier
Other

They'll want veterans in the top 3 spots. Thompson is the only possible challenger to Iloka's spot because Thompson started 16 games in 2017.

Like the note about Thompson.
FS: Woods, Heath
These guys are locked in and are the best at playing single high, so that 2 on the 53.

SS: Iloka, Frazier, Thompson, Wilson
Now this is good competition. A starting spot is up for grabs, and a spot on the 53. Odd men out won't be in Dallas. Expect a good TC battle.

Thompson was a ballhawk in college and with a shorter coverage area playing SS he could turn some heads or not.

 

[gimmesix]

Frazier and Heath are in the last years of their contracts, and if Frazier can't beat out Heath by now? This team will never see him as a starter. And now with Iloka brought in, he moves further away. Strictly playing special teams isn't enough to keep him around.

The team has shown in the past that it values its top special-teammers. Someone else will need to stand out on special teams to make Frazier go away IMO.

 

[buybuydandavis]

There's little talent and lesser reason to keep 5 at safety, especially when you have so much transition at cornerback.

We have plenty of transition at safety too, but few that people are going to miss.

GOAT.

 

[buybuydandavis]

Like the note about Thompson.
FS: Woods, Heath
These guys are locked in and are the best at playing single high, so that 2 on the 53.

SS: Iloka, Frazier, Thompson, Wilson
Now this is good competition. A starting spot is up for grabs, and a spot on the 53. Odd men out won't be in Dallas.

Wilson seems like PS type. Cutting Iloka actually helps us with comp picks. He may make the season opener, but I doubt he lasts the season.

All the SS are cuttable.

 

[buybuydandavis]

Woods
Heath
Iloka

One or two spots from this list.
Wilson
Thompson
Frazier
Other

They'll want veterans in the top 3 spots. Thompson is the only possible challenger to Iloka's spot because Thompson started 16 games in 2017.

Iloka looks like preseason injury insurance to me.

 

[Stash]

We have plenty of transition at safety too, but few that people are going to miss.

GOAT.

 

[xwalker]

Wilson seems like PS type. Cutting Iloka actually helps us with comp picks. He may make the season opener, but I doubt he lasts the season.

All the SS are cuttable.

Will McClay and Chris Hall seemed to be excited about Wilson in interviews they've done since the draft. It seemed to be Hall's favorite of the later round picks.

The draft media tends to review players in the year the first think the player might enter the draft.

If that player does not enter the draft, then they often seem to get ignored by the draft media the following year when they do enter the draft as a Senior. I don't think most of the draft media go back and review that type of player's game footage again unless it's a top 100-ish type player.

Wilson not only stayed to play his Senior year but also had a season ending injury the opening game and then returned for a redshirt Senior year. That means some draft media probably reviewed his game footage two years before he entered the draft without really re-reviewing him.

There are over 400 players every year that have a chance to get drafted with 254 actually being drafted in 2019. If I was a draft media person, I would not spend much time reviewing players that I don't expect to make the top 150 either.

https://cowboyszone.com/threads/donovan-wilson-hidden-gem.433395/

 

[buybuydandavis]

Will McClay and Chris Hall seemed to be excited about Wilson in interviews they've done since the draft. It seemed to be Hall's favorite of the later round picks.

The draft media tends to review players in the year the first think the player might enter the draft.

If that player does not enter the draft, then they often seem to get ignored by the draft media the following year when they do enter the draft as a Senior. I don't think most of the draft media go back and review that type of player's game footage again unless it's a top 100-ish type player.

Wilson not only stayed to play his Senior year but also had a season ending injury the opening game and then returned for a redshirt Senior year. That means some draft media probably reviewed his game footage two years before he entered the draft without really re-reviewing him.

There are over 400 players every year that have a chance to get drafted with 254 actually being drafted in 2019. If I was a draft media person, I would not spend much time reviewing players that I don't expect to make the top 150 either.

https://cowboyszone.com/threads/donovan-wilson-hidden-gem.433395/

We do seem to do deeper recon on players than other teams. We've got multiple guys who've looked worse in their draft year than the year prior.

"If they've shown they can do it, they can do it."

Management really does deserve a lot of credit for how thorough they are. It's an edge for us.