Random Thoughts on Draft Prospects

[Jumbo075]

I have to admit I was late to the whole prospect analysis table this year. Work Schedules and an overall drop in my interest in all things NFL led to me delaying my start in evaluations. But, then engineer/project manager part of me that loves design and planning eventually won out, and once I did start getting into the rythym of the offseason, I started enjoying it.

Also, I didn't really want to believe that the Cowboys were serious about getting rid of Dez Bryant, and looking for Wide Receivers. With the changes at QB, and the needs on defense, I didn't believe WR was a big need, and I just didn't want to let my mind go there. So, I still haven't made a good faith effort at evaluating the wide receiver prospects. So sue me if I don't have a whole lot of intelligent input on WR. My heart has just not been into evaluating WR's.

Generally speaking, the Cowboys are reinforcing for us that they place a higher priority on Offense than Defense. Their offseason activities reveal that despite the needs on defense, their identity is as an offensive team, and they are more concerned with reviving the high-powered Top 5 offense identity than they are building a championship level defense. Sigh...

So here we go:

Quarterbacks -

• Sam Darnold bores me to death. Although he may in fact be the best prospect in this draft, I'm more interested in the other big 3 guys. I'm willing to admit I could be 100% wrong ahead of time.
• Josh Allen - Yes, I know his college stats aren't great, but this kid has a chance to be the next Brett Favre or John Elway. Unlike some fans on this website, I'm much more interested in ENJOYING the display of pure talent than I am obsessed with winning championships. I actually feel sorry for those fans who can only enjoy football games in retrospect of winning. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE great plays, and Allen has the potential to make a lot of WOW!!!! plays with his talent.
• Josh Rosen - I think Rosen has the chance to be a killing machine when it comes to winning games. Also, he's an IDEAL fit for the Jets - with their New York Jewish fan base, and his own wealthy background. If ever a player fit a fan base, Rosen fits New York, and he'd be the best QB to ever play for the Jets, IMO. Yes, better than Namath.
• Baker Mayfield - I like the kid, and he rivals Rosen as the most NFL ready QB in this draft. Boom or Bust pick.
• Lamar Jackson - This kid has a lot of talent, but needs a team willing to mold it's offense around his skills. He's another player, like Josh Allen, with a reservoir of WOW plays in him that will be fun to watch
• Kyle Lauletta - early in the process, when Lauletta was a little under the radar, I really liked him as a potential 4th or 5th round pick for the Cowboys. Now, I think he'll get picked in the late 2nd or 3rd round.
• Mason Rudolph - underrated in my opinion, but like I may be underrating Darnold, I might be overrating Rudolph. But he checks all 7 of Bill Parcell's boxes, so don't be surprised if he exceeds expectations in the NFL.
• For the Cowboys, I still think they need another QB on the roster. I have to wonder about the excess QB's on the roster of the Jets, and if the Cowboys might be interested in trading their 7th round pick for one of their spare QB's.

Running Backs - The Cowboys need at least two more running backs, probably three, to get through training camp. I really don't much care who they pick, because Elliott is going to be the work horse RB for the Cowboys for the next 8 years. So why should I invest a lot of energy in looking at RB's. So the Cowboys need to draft a RB, but I don't really care who they get as long as they get someone. I mean, who really remembers all the backups to Tony Dorsett and Emmitt Smith. (That's a rhetorical question. Please don't be a geek, and start listing them.)

Tight Ends - The Cowboys don't need to waste another pick this year on a TE. They have 5 serviceable TE's on the roster, and until Witten retires (and by the way he's still a top 10 TE 15 years into his career), then it's foolish to spend resources on them. But I like Gesicki as a prospect, and think he'll have a nice career - if he doesn't come to Dallas and get trapped behind Witten. And I really, really want to see what the Cowboys have in Rico Gathers.

Wide Receiver - Too many fans want a guy who "can take the top off the defense" with his speed. Take a look at the list of top WR's in NFL history, and other than Randy Moss, where are the speed demons? They don't exist. Speed is being highly overrated. Yes it matters. Give me 4.55 speed or better. But I don't need a 4.3 burner at WR.

Offensive Line - the Cowboys have 5 players on the roster right now capable of starting - if they move Collins back to Guard, which is where he should be playing. Collins simply doesn't have the length necessary to play at Tackle, much like Justin Pugh, who was the 19th overall pick a few years back. Also, while Collins may be counted by some as a first round talent, he's obviously a BIG step below the players the Cowboys have recently drafted in the 1st round. Having said that, I really don't want to spend another 1st round pick on an Olineman. Here are the players I really like for the Cowboys in the Oline this year:

• OG Braden Smith - I really like this kid as a mauler - 2nd day pick
• OG Skyler Phillips - Another big kid who is a mauler, but later a 3rd day pick
• OT Geron Christian - I was hoping he'd be a 4th or 5th round option, but Mayock has moved him into his top 5 picks at OT, so the secret is out.
• OT Orlando Brown - people are making too much of his combine disaster. This kid can play the position

Defensive End - a lot of young, unproven talent already on the roster means the Cowboys don't actually have a need - if they really believe their past judgement on players is correct. Let the young guys grow.

• I was really upset the Cowboys passed on Randy Gregory in the 1st round in 2015, and was beyond excited when they picked him in the 2nd round. I really hope this kid comes back strong, because he's a special talent, IMO.
• I also think Taco Charlton is a very solid pick the Cowboys made last year. I don't think he's ever going to be a star, but by the time his 4th season rolls around, he'll be a consistent 6-8 sack per year player.
• I was surprised by Lawrence last season because I never thought highly of him. His pattern has been Bad Year/Good Year/Bad Year/Good Year. Will he have another Bad year in 2018?
• Kony Ealy is a solid pickup in free agency.
• Harold Landry is a top 10 talent, with the best bend I've seen in any of this year's draft prospects. If I was the Bears or 49ers, I would jump at taking him.
• Arden Key - great first step, but all he has is a speed rush. His highlight reel is mostly a bunch of plays where the offense didn't even try to block him. Not impressed.

Defensive Tackle - based on pre-draft interest, I think the Cowboys are finally serious about upgrading the interior of their defensive line. Malik Collins needs to be at 3-tech, backing up Irving. A 1-2 punch of Irving/Collins at 3-tech is a scary prospect for Cowboys rivals. Crawford is overpaid, but the Cowboys need to hold onto him for another season, just in case the younger guys don't develop. Despite his lack of big plays, he's a really solid rotational player that is underappreciated by many fans. But the Cowboys should HOPE they can justify moving on from Crawford. To me, he's like Barry Church - a player I wanted to upgrade for years, but the Cowboys just couldn't seem to find better players.

Overall, I think the DT position will have a whole lot of fans surprised by how they fall in the draft. So there will be good options for the Cowboys on all three days of the draft.

• Vita Vea - I like this kid, and think he'll be a valuable addition to the Cowboys if they draft him. But I also think he'll be a big disappointment to many fans who will expect too much of him, much like they expect too much of Charlton.
• Taven Bryan - I can understand the interest, but picking him means the Cowboys are releasing both Irving and Crawford next year. He's better suited to be a 3-4 DE than a 3-tech.
• Da'Ron Payne - highly overrated in my opinion. I don't like him at all.
• Harrison Phillips - highly underrated in my opinion
• Nathan Shepherd - a solid mid-round pick if the Cowboys get him
• P.J. Hall - I am so excited the Cowboys gave him a private workout, and would do back flips if they can draft him on the 3rd day of the draft. I really, really like his upside

Linebacker - this is the position that the Cowboys have the biggest need on the team. They need at least two linebackers from this draft class to make the team.

• Lee is unreliable, and Smith is still an unknown. The Cowboys would be foolish not to make contingency plans.
• Tremaine Edmunds and Roquan Smith - two very different players, with Smith a natural replacement for Lee, and Edmunds reminds of Rolando McClain in size and ability. But with teams reaching for WR's, QB's and pass rushers, not to mention some good defensive backs, it is possible either one could fall to the Cowboys - which means they should sprint to the podium.
• Rashaan Evans - I really don't like that he didn't run at the Combine or at his Pro Day. But, maybe he ran for the Cowboys in his private workout with them. If so, maybe they have some inside information. Speed a BIG DEAL to me at the linebacker position, which Jimmy Johnson proved in the early 90's. I'm not interested in a slow LB in the 1st round. If the Cowboys draft him, I have to believe they know something I don't
• Leighton Vander Esch - I wasn't really keen on him early, but he's grown on my a little. Late 1st round with a trade back? Sure. #19? Nah.
• Micah Kiser - I really like him as a 2nd/3rd round prospect
• Darius Leonard - Another kid I like a lot in the 3rd round
• Josey Jewell - I think he's being overrated, but that doesn't mean I don't like him. I like him as a 3rd day pick, but not before the 4th round. He lacks speed, but makes up for it (sometimes) in instincts on running plays, which give him a headstart. But you have to take him off the field in passing situations, so he's a two down linebacker at best. He's just not fast enough to cover tight ends or running backs. I can envision him chasing down the offensive player from behind as they score.
• Shaquem Griffin - please, please, please don't give me another crippled linebacker. I know it's not politically correct, but I don't care. He's a great story. I hope he's a great story for some other team, and not the Cowboys.
• Christian Sam and Jack Cichy - I like both as 5th round picks. Speed is an issue though.
• Tegray Scales - is another 5th/6th round prospect I like a lot, along with
• Genard Avery - great 3rd day prospect for the Cowboys
• Kenny Young from UCLA interests me as a 7th round/CFA player.
• Matthew Thomas - Strictly a special teams player, so 7th round at the earliest
• Joel Iyiegbuniwe - is another good 3rd day prospect to keep an eye on.

Safety - while I think the Cowboys need more at safety, I don't expect the top 2 guys to still be there. After that, I'm not sure about the overall quality available. I'm trying, but I just can't get too excited about the other prospects.

• It appears the Cowboys are only looking at 3rd day prospects. Their grouping of safety visits screams 4th round. DeShon Elliott and Kyzir White have intrigued me some, and Tarvarus Moore is a good prospect, but he's likely gone by the time the Cowboys pick.
• I like Woods as a future starter whose going to do nothing but get better.
• Heath and Frazier are better suited as premier special teams players than starting safeties in the NFL.
• There is some talk of the Cowboys drafting a big corner, and plugging them in at safety. While that worked with Darren Woodson, I don't see that guy in this draft.

Cornerback - I really, really like the players the Cowboys have in Jones, Awuzie, Lewis as their top 3 guys, and Brown and Thomas as their 4th & 5th CB's. I never liked the Marquez White pick, and I still don't believe in him. I don't have a problem with the Cowboys spending a late round pick a guy with tremendous speed to challenge Duke Thomas for the 5th CB position.

• Parry Nickerson is a late round prospect I wouldn't mind seeing in the Cowboys training camp.

 

[Aerolithe_Lion]

“Lamar Alexander”

Just goes to show how overlooked he’s been this pre-draft.

 

[DeaconMoss]

moving to the draft zone in 3-2-1.....

 

[Sydla]

Interesting post. Some rebuttals.

- On Josh Allen, you can try to ignore stats all you want but very infrequently, if ever, does a kid come from college with such poor accuracy and go onto be a great NFL QB. And you likely can't succeed in the NFL as a QB being so inaccurate unless you have a unique skill set like Michael Vick had. Further, guys don't typically become significantly more accurate, going from a 56% passer in college, to a guy who is 64% or whatever in the NFL. Allen strikes me as one of the more likely first round busts.

- I agree with some of your assessment at OL. I too don't want to use a first round pick on an OL and there will be some names, especially in the interior OL, that will there in the middle rounds. I have a higher opinion of what Collins can be at RT than you do, however.

- I think our DE position still has some issues. You can't count on Gregory at this point. We don't know what we have in Charlton. Ealy is basically an average DE at this point. Lawrence is the sole stud. If Landry was there at 19, I'd take him and not have an issue with that. This team, even with Lawrence having a great season, was middle of the pack in sacks and QB pressures. IMO, that has to get better and while we can hope Charlton develops and gives us another legit edge player, I don't believe it should disqualify us from taking edge players in this draft. I also like the Fitts kid from Utah as a mid to later round project at DE.

- Totally agree with Irving/Collins being a legit 3 Tech combo. Then you still have Crawford, who I think is better than people give him credit for (people are blinded by the contract) as a swing guy. I like Price in that backup role at the 1 Tech. But this team needs a legit 1 Tech. I'd love for Vea to be there at 19. Settle and Phillips in the later rounds also intrigue me.

- Like your LB take. I don't get the Vander Esch hype myself. Also, is he really a MLB? If the Cowboys move Smith to SAM they need a legit MIKE. I think that's more Evans than LVE. Also like Kiser and totally agree that Jewell is overhyped. I'd be happy with him in the 4th with one of our two picks there, but not before that. LB is a legit concern for 2018 at this point. You never want to be in a spot where a rookie HAS to make an immediate and likely sizable impact.

 

[G2]

You drive a train? Cool!

 

[HanD]

darren woodson was a lb at arz st that converted to safety in the nfl.

 

[Jumbo075]

Interesting post. Some rebuttals.

- On Josh Allen, you can try to ignore stats all you want but very infrequently, if ever, does a kid come from college with such poor accuracy and go onto be a great NFL QB. And you likely can't succeed in the NFL as a QB being so inaccurate unless you have a unique skill set like Michael Vick had. Further, guys don't typically become significantly more accurate, going from a 56% passer in college, to a guy who is 64% or whatever in the NFL. Allen strikes me as one of the more likely first round busts.

- I agree with some of your assessment at OL. I too don't want to use a first round pick on an OL and there will be some names, especially in the interior OL, that will there in the middle rounds. I have a higher opinion of what Collins can be at RT than you do, however.

- I think our DE position still has some issues. You can't count on Gregory at this point. We don't know what we have in Charlton. Ealy is basically an average DE at this point. Lawrence is the sole stud. If Landry was there at 19, I'd take him and not have an issue with that. This team, even with Lawrence having a great season, was middle of the pack in sacks and QB pressures. IMO, that has to get better and while we can hope Charlton develops and gives us another legit edge player, I don't believe it should disqualify us from taking edge players in this draft. I also like the Fitts kid from Utah as a mid to later round project at DE.

- Totally agree with Irving/Collins being a legit 3 Tech combo. Then you still have Crawford, who I think is better than people give him credit for (people are blinded by the contract) as a swing guy. I like Price in that backup role at the 1 Tech. But this team needs a legit 1 Tech. I'd love for Vea to be there at 19. Settle and Phillips in the later rounds also intrigue me.

- Like your LB take. I don't get the Vander Esch hype myself. Also, is he really a MLB? If the Cowboys move Smith to SAM they need a legit MIKE. I think that's more Evans than LVE. Also like Kiser and totally agree that Jewell is overhyped. I'd be happy with him in the 4th with one of our two picks there, but not before that. LB is a legit concern for 2018 at this point. You never want to be in a spot where a rookie HAS to make an immediate and likely sizable impact.

Totally Agree on Harold Landry. If he's there, I take him as BPA. He's going to be a special player, and if Gregory doesn't come back strong, then the Cowboys will need a player like Landry. Also, it allows the Cowboys the luxury of letting Lawrence walk after this season if he regresses into another so-so year.

I think you're 1st round pick should almost NEVER be a need pick. I don't mind need picks in rounds 2-7, but unless it's a QB, the 1st round pick needs to be BPA.

As for Josh Allen, I admitted that I just want to see him make Wow!! plays. I don't know if he'll be a winner or not. But Favre's college completion percentage was also below 60%. It's just that Allen's physical skills are SOOOO unique, it's just hard to ignore them.

 

[Jumbo075]

darren woodson was a lb at arz st that converted to safety in the nfl.

Which means he changed positions, which was my point.

 

[Sydla]

Totally Agree on Harold Landry. If he's there, I take him as BPA. He's going to be a special player, and if Gregory doesn't come back strong, then the Cowboys will need a player like Landry. Also, it allows the Cowboys the luxury of letting Lawrence walk after this season if he regresses into another so-so year.

I think you're 1st round pick should almost NEVER be a need pick. I don't mind need picks in rounds 2-7, but unless it's a QB, the 1st round pick needs to be BPA.

As for Josh Allen, I admitted that I just want to see him make Wow!! plays. I don't know if he'll be a winner or not. But Favre's college completion percentage was also below 60%. It's just that Allen's physical skills are SOOOO unique, it's just hard to ignore them.

Favre is the one example I could come up with. But that was it.

 

[northerncowboynation]

I have to admit I was late to the whole prospect analysis table this year. Work Schedules and an overall drop in my interest in all things NFL led to me delaying my start in evaluations. But, then engineer/project manager part of me that loves design and planning eventually won out, and once I did start getting into the rythym of the offseason, I started enjoying it.

Also, I didn't really want to believe that the Cowboys were serious about getting rid of Dez Bryant, and looking for Wide Receivers. With the changes at QB, and the needs on defense, I didn't believe WR was a big need, and I just didn't want to let my mind go there. So, I still haven't made a good faith effort at evaluating the wide receiver prospects. So sue me if I don't have a whole lot of intelligent input on WR. My heart has just not been into evaluating WR's.

Generally speaking, the Cowboys are reinforcing for us that they place a higher priority on Offense than Defense. Their offseason activities reveal that despite the needs on defense, their identity is as an offensive team, and they are more concerned with reviving the high-powered Top 5 offense identity than they are building a championship level defense. Sigh...

So here we go:

Quarterbacks -

• Sam Darnold bores me to death. Although he may in fact be the best prospect in this draft, I'm more interested in the other big 3 guys. I'm willing to admit I could be 100% wrong ahead of time.
• Josh Allen - Yes, I know his college stats aren't great, but this kid has a chance to be the next Brett Favre or John Elway. Unlike some fans on this website, I'm much more interested in ENJOYING the display of pure talent than I am obsessed with winning championships. I actually feel sorry for those fans who can only enjoy football games in retrospect of winning. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE great plays, and Allen has the potential to make a lot of WOW!!!! plays with his talent.
• Josh Rosen - I think Rosen has the chance to be a killing machine when it comes to winning games. Also, he's an IDEAL fit for the Jets - with their New York Jewish fan base, and his own wealthy background. If ever a player fit a fan base, Rosen fits New York, and he'd be the best QB to ever play for the Jets, IMO. Yes, better than Namath.
• Baker Mayfield - I like the kid, and he rivals Rosen as the most NFL ready QB in this draft. Boom or Bust pick.
• Lamar Jackson - This kid has a lot of talent, but needs a team willing to mold it's offense around his skills. He's another player, like Josh Allen, with a reservoir of WOW plays in him that will be fun to watch
• Kyle Lauletta - early in the process, when Lauletta was a little under the radar, I really liked him as a potential 4th or 5th round pick for the Cowboys. Now, I think he'll get picked in the late 2nd or 3rd round.
• Mason Rudolph - underrated in my opinion, but like I may be underrating Darnold, I might be overrating Rudolph. But he checks all 7 of Bill Parcell's boxes, so don't be surprised if he exceeds expectations in the NFL.
• For the Cowboys, I still think they need another QB on the roster. I have to wonder about the excess QB's on the roster of the Jets, and if the Cowboys might be interested in trading their 7th round pick for one of their spare QB's.

Running Backs - The Cowboys need at least two more running backs, probably three, to get through training camp. I really don't much care who they pick, because Elliott is going to be the work horse RB for the Cowboys for the next 8 years. So why should I invest a lot of energy in looking at RB's. So the Cowboys need to draft a RB, but I don't really care who they get as long as they get someone. I mean, who really remembers all the backups to Tony Dorsett and Emmitt Smith. (That's a rhetorical question. Please don't be a geek, and start listing them.)

Tight Ends - The Cowboys don't need to waste another pick this year on a TE. They have 5 serviceable TE's on the roster, and until Witten retires (and by the way he's still a top 10 TE 15 years into his career), then it's foolish to spend resources on them. But I like Gesicki as a prospect, and think he'll have a nice career - if he doesn't come to Dallas and get trapped behind Witten. And I really, really want to see what the Cowboys have in Rico Gathers.

Wide Receiver - Too many fans want a guy who "can take the top off the defense" with his speed. Take a look at the list of top WR's in NFL history, and other than Randy Moss, where are the speed demons? They don't exist. Speed is being highly overrated. Yes it matters. Give me 4.55 speed or better. But I don't need a 4.3 burner at WR.

Offensive Line - the Cowboys have 5 players on the roster right now capable of starting - if they move Collins back to Guard, which is where he should be playing. Collins simply doesn't have the length necessary to play at Tackle, much like Justin Pugh, who was the 19th overall pick a few years back. Also, while Collins may be counted by some as a first round talent, he's obviously a BIG step below the players the Cowboys have recently drafted in the 1st round. Having said that, I really don't want to spend another 1st round pick on an Olineman. Here are the players I really like for the Cowboys in the Oline this year:

• OG Braden Smith - I really like this kid as a mauler - 2nd day pick
• OG Skyler Phillips - Another big kid who is a mauler, but later a 3rd day pick
• OT Geron Christian - I was hoping he'd be a 4th or 5th round option, but Mayock has moved him into his top 5 picks at OT, so the secret is out.
• OT Orlando Brown - people are making too much of his combine disaster. This kid can play the position

Defensive End - a lot of young, unproven talent already on the roster means the Cowboys don't actually have a need - if they really believe their past judgement on players is correct. Let the young guys grow.

• I was really upset the Cowboys passed on Randy Gregory in the 1st round in 2015, and was beyond excited when they picked him in the 2nd round. I really hope this kid comes back strong, because he's a special talent, IMO.
• I also think Taco Charlton is a very solid pick the Cowboys made last year. I don't think he's ever going to be a star, but by the time his 4th season rolls around, he'll be a consistent 6-8 sack per year player.
• I was surprised by Lawrence last season because I never thought highly of him. His pattern has been Bad Year/Good Year/Bad Year/Good Year. Will he have another Bad year in 2018?
• Kony Ealy is a solid pickup in free agency.
• Harold Landry is a top 10 talent, with the best bend I've seen in any of this year's draft prospects. If I was the Bears or 49ers, I would jump at taking him.
• Arden Key - great first step, but all he has is a speed rush. His highlight reel is mostly a bunch of plays where the offense didn't even try to block him. Not impressed.

Defensive Tackle - based on pre-draft interest, I think the Cowboys are finally serious about upgrading the interior of their defensive line. Malik Collins needs to be at 3-tech, backing up Irving. A 1-2 punch of Irving/Collins at 3-tech is a scary prospect for Cowboys rivals. Crawford is overpaid, but the Cowboys need to hold onto him for another season, just in case the younger guys don't develop. Despite his lack of big plays, he's a really solid rotational player that is underappreciated by many fans. But the Cowboys should HOPE they can justify moving on from Crawford. To me, he's like Barry Church - a player I wanted to upgrade for years, but the Cowboys just couldn't seem to find better players.

Overall, I think the DT position will have a whole lot of fans surprised by how they fall in the draft. So there will be good options for the Cowboys on all three days of the draft.

• Vita Vea - I like this kid, and think he'll be a valuable addition to the Cowboys if they draft him. But I also think he'll be a big disappointment to many fans who will expect too much of him, much like they expect too much of Charlton.
• Taven Bryan - I can understand the interest, but picking him means the Cowboys are releasing both Irving and Crawford next year. He's better suited to be a 3-4 DE than a 3-tech.
• Da'Ron Payne - highly overrated in my opinion. I don't like him at all.
• Harrison Phillips - highly underrated in my opinion
• Nathan Shepherd - a solid mid-round pick if the Cowboys get him
• P.J. Hall - I am so excited the Cowboys gave him a private workout, and would do back flips if they can draft him on the 3rd day of the draft. I really, really like his upside

Linebacker - this is the position that the Cowboys have the biggest need on the team. They need at least two linebackers from this draft class to make the team.

• Lee is unreliable, and Smith is still an unknown. The Cowboys would be foolish not to make contingency plans.
• Tremaine Edmunds and Roquan Smith - two very different players, with Smith a natural replacement for Lee, and Edmunds reminds of Rolando McClain in size and ability. But with teams reaching for WR's, QB's and pass rushers, not to mention some good defensive backs, it is possible either one could fall to the Cowboys - which means they should sprint to the podium.
• Rashaan Evans - I really don't like that he didn't run at the Combine or at his Pro Day. But, maybe he ran for the Cowboys in his private workout with them. If so, maybe they have some inside information. Speed a BIG DEAL to me at the linebacker position, which Jimmy Johnson proved in the early 90's. I'm not interested in a slow LB in the 1st round. If the Cowboys draft him, I have to believe they know something I don't
• Leighton Vander Esch - I wasn't really keen on him early, but he's grown on my a little. Late 1st round with a trade back? Sure. #19? Nah.
• Micah Kiser - I really like him as a 2nd/3rd round prospect
• Darius Leonard - Another kid I like a lot in the 3rd round
• Josey Jewell - I think he's being overrated, but that doesn't mean I don't like him. I like him as a 3rd day pick, but not before the 4th round. He lacks speed, but makes up for it (sometimes) in instincts on running plays, which give him a headstart. But you have to take him off the field in passing situations, so he's a two down linebacker at best. He's just not fast enough to cover tight ends or running backs. I can envision him chasing down the offensive player from behind as they score.
• Shaquem Griffin - please, please, please don't give me another crippled linebacker. I know it's not politically correct, but I don't care. He's a great story. I hope he's a great story for some other team, and not the Cowboys.
• Christian Sam and Jack Cichy - I like both as 5th round picks. Speed is an issue though.
• Tegray Scales - is another 5th/6th round prospect I like a lot, along with
• Genard Avery - great 3rd day prospect for the Cowboys
• Kenny Young from UCLA interests me as a 7th round/CFA player.
• Matthew Thomas - Strictly a special teams player, so 7th round at the earliest
• Joel Iyiegbuniwe - is another good 3rd day prospect to keep an eye on.

Safety - while I think the Cowboys need more at safety, I don't expect the top 2 guys to still be there. After that, I'm not sure about the overall quality available. I'm trying, but I just can't get too excited about the other prospects.

• It appears the Cowboys are only looking at 3rd day prospects. Their grouping of safety visits screams 4th round. DeShon Elliott and Kyzir White have intrigued me some, and Tarvarus Moore is a good prospect, but he's likely gone by the time the Cowboys pick.
• I like Woods as a future starter whose going to do nothing but get better.
• Heath and Frazier are better suited as premier special teams players than starting safeties in the NFL.
• There is some talk of the Cowboys drafting a big corner, and plugging them in at safety. While that worked with Darren Woodson, I don't see that guy in this draft.

Cornerback - I really, really like the players the Cowboys have in Jones, Awuzie, Lewis as their top 3 guys, and Brown and Thomas as their 4th & 5th CB's. I never liked the Marquez White pick, and I still don't believe in him. I don't have a problem with the Cowboys spending a late round pick a guy with tremendous speed to challenge Duke Thomas for the 5th CB position.

• Parry Nickerson is a late round prospect I wouldn't mind seeing in the Cowboys training camp.

Welcome back to the football draft world Jumbo. Nice breakdown. BTW, Hanna was just placed on injured/retired list so we now have only 4 TE's.Witt, Rico freak, Swaim and Jarwin. Only 4 but use 1 . Most of us have 4 tires and a spare, the team has 1 tire and 3 spares lol

 

[atlantacowboy]

Totally Agree on Harold Landry. If he's there, I take him as BPA. He's going to be a special player, and if Gregory doesn't come back strong, then the Cowboys will need a player like Landry. Also, it allows the Cowboys the luxury of letting Lawrence walk after this season if he regresses into another so-so year.

I think you're 1st round pick should almost NEVER be a need pick. I don't mind need picks in rounds 2-7, but unless it's a QB, the 1st round pick needs to be BPA.

As for Josh Allen, I admitted that I just want to see him make Wow!! plays. I don't know if he'll be a winner or not. But Favre's college completion percentage was also below 60%. It's just that Allen's physical skills are SOOOO unique, it's just hard to ignore them.

Plus, Allen did not play with NFL caliber prospects at WR in college. Playing with some more physically talented guys alone should increase his completion%.

 

[Kaiser]

Wide Receiver - Too many fans want a guy who "can take the top off the defense" with his speed. Take a look at the list of top WR's in NFL history, and other than Randy Moss, where are the speed demons? They don't exist. Speed is being highly overrated. Yes it matters. Give me 4.55 speed or better. But I don't need a 4.3 burner at WR.

I completely disagree with this. The history of NFL catch leaders is irrelevant, the NFL where Dwight Clark was playing against defenses that stayed in their base defense the entire game is a completely different world from today's NFL.

If you look at today's leading WRs you see plenty of 4.4 guys like Julio Jones and 4.3 guys like Brandin Cooks. There is a need to take a top off the defense because if you can't, you have exactly what Dallas had last season with defenses keying on the short stuff and taking away Beasley, etc. Look at the early season games where defenses keyed on Zeke and basically shut down the offense - all because we didn't have a guy that could make them pay for it deep. That is exactly why Thompson was signed and its likely we draft a guy like Pettis or Chark.

 

[yentl911]

This team needs a stud MLB and a guard before a WR.

 

[hornitosmonster]

My sleeper is Jaleel Scott. He is a big WR with good hands. He would be an instant red zone threat.

 

[Jumbo075]

I completely disagree with this. The history of NFL catch leaders is irrelevant, the NFL where Dwight Clark was playing against defenses that stayed in their base defense the entire game is a completely different world from today's NFL.

If you look at today's leading WRs you see plenty of 4.4 guys like Julio Jones and 4.3 guys like Brandin Cooks. There is a need to take a top off the defense because if you can't, you have exactly what Dallas had last season with defenses keying on the short stuff and taking away Beasley, etc. Look at the early season games where defenses keyed on Zeke and basically shut down the offense - all because we didn't have a guy that could make them pay for it deep. That is exactly why Thompson was signed and its likely we draft a guy like Pettis or Chark.

Well, I would agree with you; but then we'd both be wrong...

 

[HanD]

Which means he changed positions, which was my point.

got it. was just making a clarification. not criticizing in any form....

 

[Kaiser]

Well, I would agree with you; but then we'd both be wrong...

I'm sure Will McClay is hanging on your every word. And Donte Moncrief has to give back his 9 Million dollar contract and Dontae Thompson does as well.

 

[Sydla]

Plus, Allen did not play with NFL caliber prospects at WR in college. Playing with some more physically talented guys alone should increase his completion%.

Conversely he also played against largely non-NFL type talent.

 

[HanD]

Look at the early season games where defenses keyed on Zeke and basically shut down the offense - all because we didn't have a guy that could make them pay for it deep. That is exactly why Thompson was signed and its likely we draft a guy like Pettis or Chark.

can you clarify shut down the offense? we averaged 28 points the first half of the season with zeke.

 

[Kaiser]

can you clarify shut down the offense? we averaged 28 points the first half of the season with zeke.

The Denver game where Zeke had 8 yards on 9 carries and we lost by 25 points. Saying the first half average of points includes horrible teams like SF and Washington.