Ranking the Top Edge Rushers for the Cowboys

[darthseinfeld]

10 career picks are pretty much ring of honor numbers for Cowboy safeties since the early 2000s lol

He also tore his achilles last year

 

[darthseinfeld]

Neal is a stud when healthy, but he essentially brings the same skill set Wilson has. WIlson showed enough promise for me to give him the SS role.

I think someone like Marcus Maye would be a good target.

Maye could be a possibility if he is under 10M per. Sproctac has his market at 8.5ish, if thats his number he could be in play. I think Neal's would be similar

 

[darthseinfeld]

This year's group doesn't have that Chase Young or Miles Garrett, but has some good depth at the position. Cowboys just have Tank/Gregory under contract with the jag Armstrong and the unproven Anea behind them, depth is a major concern. You would think a veteran is signed, but adding another quality edge rusher is an important need. Here are my top 10 Edges for the Cowboys:

1-Ojulari Georgia (we need to start putting him in the conversation at pick #10)
2-Phillips Miami (medical/durability concerns could make him fall, but extremely talented rusher)
3-Paye Michigan (tremendous run defender, but needs work at a pass rusher, best 4T in the Class for our D)
4-Ossai Texas (non-stop motor, a little raw as a pass rusher, has some versatility to his game)
5-Oweh Penn State(the ball of clay prospect, with elite traits, may need time to develop)
6-Basham Wake Forest (my pet cat, very technical LE who can kick inside in the nickel, pocket pusher)
7-Rosseau Miami (tremendous 1 yr production, but new to the position, David Irving type boom/bust)
8-Tyron Washington (more of a fit for a hybrid defense, most likely will become a 3-4 OLB)
9-Rouche Miami (some compare him to Daryl Tapp, who played with Seattle and Quinn)
10-Jones II Pittsburgh (many see him higher, but disappointed at the Senior Bowl)

Needs to be noted that Quinn uses Leo's. Those guys tend to be very hard to find.

 

[Carson]

He also tore his achilles last year

So he’s perfect.

They will drag it out and put him on PUP

 

[Cowboyny]

Needs to be noted that Quinn uses Leo's. Those guys tend to be very hard to find.

Here is what I have read about Quinn's defensive scheme up front:

Base

LE-more of a two gap 4 or 5 Tech, kind of like a 3-4DE.
NT-0 or 1 Tech, two gapper
3T
Leo-hybrid DE/OLB
Strong-Side LB lined up at the line of scrimmage (replaced in the nickel with the slot CB)

Gregory would be the most likely Leo, a player like Ojulari could also play at role as well as the Strong-side LB in the base.

 

[Cowboyny]

Maye will be out of our range.

Id look more into guys like Tartt, Kazee, Hooker. They will be looking at smaller pay days and trying to get leverage to get paid. Tartt likely cost more than the other two based off of injuries

I think Kazee if healthy is a lock to be a Cowboy. Played under both Quinn/Whitt with the Falcons and even can play slot if the team drafted a high level Free Safety.

 

[cnuball21]

Maye could be a possibility if he is under 10M per. Sproctac has his market at 8.5ish, if thats his number he could be in play. I think Neal's would be similar

That sounds about right. I"d love Simmons but imaging he'll be in the 12/14 mil per range which will likely price him out.

 

[cnuball21]

Here is what I have read about Quinn's defensive scheme up front:

Base

LE-more of a two gap 4 or 5 Tech, kind of like a 3-4DE.
NT-0 or 1 Tech, two gapper
3T
Leo-hybrid DE/OLB
Strong-Side LB lined up at the line of scrimmage (replaced in the nickel with the slot CB)

Gregory would be the most likely Leo, a player like Ojulari could also play at role as well as the Strong-side LB in the base.

I don't think it changes much from our base 4-3 from last year.

I think Lawrence will be fine at LE, and whoever your RE is will likely just drop and cover a short zone a little more. Gregory has the athleticism to do it and Ajulari would be a perfect fit for that.

Boogie Basham would be a good LE target as well if we go that route and just rotate the 3 around on what makes sense.

 

[Avery]

I just think there's other holes on defense to address first than the edge.

 

[darthseinfeld]

Here is what I have read about Quinn's defensive scheme up front:

Base

LE-more of a two gap 4 or 5 Tech, kind of like a 3-4DE.
NT-0 or 1 Tech, two gapper
3T
Leo-hybrid DE/OLB
Strong-Side LB lined up at the line of scrimmage (replaced in the nickel with the slot CB)

Gregory would be the most likely Leo, a player like Ojulari could also play at role as well as the Strong-side LB in the base.

We would use Ojulari the same way Seattle used Irvin and Gregory the same way they used Avril. I don't see them playing Gregory at SAM like Seattle did Avril

 

[darthseinfeld]

I just think there's other holes on defense to address first than the edge.

Edge rushers are so critical that you never rule one out.

 

[Cowboyny]

We would use Ojulari the same way Seattle used Irvin and Gregory the same way they used Avril. I don't see them playing Gregory at SAM like Seattle did Avril

Since teams play in the nickel the majority of the time, you would think if they drafted a Ojulari. Their 4 man line would probably have Gregory/Ojulari at End or used in a rotation at the RE spot, where DLaw could stay at LE or even kick inside if they decided to play all three. Who knows if Aldon resigns, there is our Nascar package.

 

[Cowboyny]

I don't think it changes much from our base 4-3 from last year.

I think Lawrence will be fine at LE, and whoever your RE is will likely just drop and cover a short zone a little more. Gregory has the athleticism to do it and Ajulari would be a perfect fit for that.

Boogie Basham would be a good LE target as well if we go that route and just rotate the 3 around on what makes sense.

Gregory has the skill set to certainly play a little coverage if called upon.

Basham is one of my pet cats. Can certainly play LE, but also has the ability to kick inside against the pass. I think a player like him is better then drafting another 3T.

 

[cnuball21]

Gregory has the skill set to certainly play a little coverage if called upon.

Basham is one of my pet cats. Can certainly play LE, but also has the ability to kick inside against the pass. I think a player like him is better then drafting another 3T.

I love Basham. I don't think he's going to be an elite pass rusher but he's going to give you a high floor in that he's a very balanced player that can kick inside.

I think his ceiling is someone like a Michael Bennett...who was a stud in his prime.

 

[Cowboyny]

I love Basham. I don't think he's going to be an elite pass rusher but he's going to give you a high floor in that he's a very balanced player that can kick inside.

I think his ceiling is someone like a Michael Bennett...who was a stud in his prime.

I agree, he also is very good against the run and is advanced with his technique for his position. This suggests, immediate impact player. He is one of those players I would like to see fall to 44.

 

[J-man]

On that list I'd take Phillips, Basham and Rouche.

 

[cnuball21]

I agree, he also is very good against the run and is advanced with his technique for his position. This suggests, immediate impact player. He is one of those players I would like to see fall to 44.

Yea, I think he’s a good one to have in the short list for our 2nd round selection.

 

[beware_d-ware]

From the guys I've seen so far, Rousseau is my DE #1, and I think he's deserving of a top 10 pick. I've seen some criticism on here that some of his sacks seem fluky... well, the guy led the ACC in sacks, hits, pressures, and TFLs in 2019, so those can't all be flukes. The one year wonder claims are fair, but he clearly has some rare athleticism and put up monster production at a very young age. That traits-production-growth combo is exactly what you're looking for in a top pick. I don't get the move to 3T idea either... he's got that power forward build that's perfect for DE but too high and narrow to sit down and anchor at DT. Let him develop at end first before you try to move him.

Ojulari is a good player, but I wouldn't call him a top 10 player. When you watch a top 10 player in the draft, your mouth should be hanging open. Guys like Parsons, Pitts, Ja'Marr Chase, Sewell, Devonta Smith... they leave absolutely no doubt that they're studs. With Ojulari, my reaction's more like "he's pretty good". He can capture the edge really well, but doesn't offer much in the way of run defense and often looks like he's dogging it. I'd say he's a first rounder, but he's more of an up and down speed rusher like Chaisson from last year than say Chase Young.

I'm out on Kwity Paye. Studly athlete who's probably even more gifted than Rousseau, but he doesn't try nearly enough and disappears for long stretches. I know you're supposed to scout the player and not the helmet, but Jim Harbaugh's been at Michigan for 5 years now and all the 5 star uber-athletes he's got - Peppers, Rashan Gary, DPJ, etc - underachieved in college and have turned into average at best players in the pros. That's not a pattern I'm banking pick #10 on. I don't want to draft a raw athlete from a program that's repeatedly failed to develop raw athletes.

Jalen Phillips is a guy who jumped off my screen, and I think he has first round game, but I'm burnt out on round 2 defensive gambles. It has less to do with him and more to do with the Cowboys, really.

 

[cnuball21]

From the guys I've seen so far, Rousseau is my DE #1, and I think he's deserving of a top 10 pick. I've seen some criticism on here that some of his sacks seem fluky... well, the guy led the ACC in sacks, hits, pressures, and TFLs in 2019, so those can't all be flukes. The one year wonder claims are fair, but he clearly has some rare athleticism and put up monster production at a very young age. That traits-production-growth combo is exactly what you're looking for in a top pick. I don't get the move to 3T idea either... he's got that power forward build that's perfect for DE but too high and narrow to sit down and anchor at DT. Let him develop at end first before you try to move him.

Ojulari is a good player, but I wouldn't call him a top 10 player. When you watch a top 10 player in the draft, your mouth should be hanging open. Guys like Parsons, Pitts, Ja'Marr Chase, Sewell, Devonta Smith... they leave absolutely no doubt that they're studs. With Ojulari, my reaction's more like "he's pretty good". He can capture the edge really well, but doesn't offer much in the way of run defense and often looks like he's dogging it. I'd say he's a first rounder, but he's more of an up and down speed rusher like Chaisson from last year than say Chase Young.

I'm out on Kwity Paye. Studly athlete who's probably even more gifted than Rousseau, but he doesn't try nearly enough and disappears for long stretches. I know you're supposed to scout the player and not the helmet, but Jim Harbaugh's been at Michigan for 5 years now and all the 5 star uber-athletes he's got - Peppers, Rashan Gary, DPJ, etc - underachieved in college and have turned into average at best players in the pros. That's not a pattern I'm banking pick #10 on. I don't want to draft a raw athlete from a program that's repeatedly failed to develop raw athletes.

Jalen Phillips is a guy who jumped off my screen, and I think he has first round game, but I'm burnt out on round 2 defensive gambles. It has less to do with him and more to do with the Cowboys, really.

I actually like Rousseau more than most but I think his production was incredibly inflated. He's essentially an upside pick - as you hope you can take the size / length and mold him into a + edge player since he's so young. Most of his wins were just with sheer power, rushing from inside or coverage sacks. You don't really see him bend the edge or win with pass rush moves.

Rousseau pass rush win rate in best season: "Over half of those sacks were charted as either unblocked or as a cleanup sack, and Rousseau ranked outside the top 50 in the FBS in pass-rush grade and win rate."
Ojulari pass rush win rate in best season: Top 5 in FBS in pass rush win rate

When you look back at some of the best DE prospects over the years they're usually very high in win rate / pressure percentage as it's a good indicator of future success.

 

[baltcowboy]

1 - Ojulari
2 - Melifonwu
3 - McNeil / Wilson

FA FS

I could get down with something like this.

I like how you are thinking. We need to improve our front seven. I might put linebacker ahead of cornerback in the second round as well. Let’s give Reggie Robinson a chance in the cover 3 scheme that Quinn will probably use. I really think this will be the wildest draft in NFL history.