CFZ TE Luke Schoonmaker vs Jake Ferguson

[cnuball21]

Good grief. That so isn't true. Goodness.

He’s literally the definition of a reach for need.

The Cowboys set their board up for needs this year probably feeing they are close and TE was high on the list. I don’t agree with the strategy but I’ll be rooting for the kid and hope I’m wrong.

 

[Cowboyny]

I've been from podcasts to podcasts, article reads, TV spots,..but i still haven't comprehend why exactly did the Cowboys
felt they just had to draft a TE high in their liking,- despite having two promising young TEs in Jake Ferguson and Peyton Hendershot.

Why did we have to draft a TE that early as the 2nd round, with those two in the mix ?

Do the Cowboys see Fergy and Shot as too lacking in blocking to be TE1 and TE2 ?

What exactly does Schoon possess as a player,... that Ferguson does not ?

Schoon ?
While I've heard and read about his blocking prowess, that’s great asset.
But frankly, I am far more interest in his receiving skills that impacts the passing game.

Imo, you don’t draft a TE as high and early as a 2nd round for his blocking.

You can get the Shawn McKeon’s and James Hanna’s for that.
You can acquire cheap vet FA tight ends for that. ala Blake Bell types.
Those types are not game changing difference makers

- There would have to be something exceptional , something special - about Schoon's receiving skills that warrants drafting him
as high as the 2nd round.

- Despite playing for a well-known ex-NFL coach in Jim Harbaugh, maybe Schoon was not in a scheme that best emphasized and stood out his receiving skills.
I fully admit that I have full Mark Andrews/ George Kettle aspirations and expectations for Schoon.
Drafted in the 2nd round … he had better at least be like Philly TE Dallas Goedert, imo.

I think our TE coach wants inter-changable TE's. Whomever is in the game, they will offer the same skillset. Hated the pick, thought they could of gotten him in the 3rd, maybe even in the 4th. Certainly looks like they reached to fill a need.

 

[CATCH17]

Interesting stat I found is that he led or was 2nd in the country in receiving yards on crossing routes.

I think you’ll see him used alot on that type of play in Mikes O.

Yeah.. Crossing routes are basically just telling the guy to run across the field as fast as you can and find a window.

He should be great at that.

 

[JD_KaPow]

I've been from podcasts to podcasts, article reads, TV spots,..but i still haven't comprehend why exactly did the Cowboys
felt they just had to draft a TE high in their liking,- despite having two promising young TEs in Jake Ferguson and Peyton Hendershot.

Why did we have to draft a TE that early as the 2nd round, with those two in the mix ?

Do the Cowboys see Fergy and Shot as too lacking in blocking to be TE1 and TE2 ?

What exactly does Schoon possess as a player,... that Ferguson does not ?

Schoon ?
While I've heard and read about his blocking prowess, that’s great asset.
But frankly, I am far more interest in his receiving skills that impacts the passing game.

Imo, you don’t draft a TE as high and early as a 2nd round for his blocking.

You can get the Shawn McKeon’s and James Hanna’s for that.
You can acquire cheap vet FA tight ends for that. ala Blake Bell types.
Those types are not game changing difference makers

- There would have to be something exceptional , something special - about Schoon's receiving skills that warrants drafting him
as high as the 2nd round.

- Despite playing for a well-known ex-NFL coach in Jim Harbaugh, maybe Schoon was not in a scheme that best emphasized and stood out his receiving skills.
I fully admit that I have full Mark Andrews/ George Kettle aspirations and expectations for Schoon.
Drafted in the 2nd round … he had better at least be like Philly TE Dallas Goedert, imo.

If there are two things that are consistent with the Cowboys draft-board-building over the years, they are: (1) they love elite athleticism, and (2) they aren't concerned with need.
Sometimes they break that second rule in the actual draft, but that's when Jerry lets Marinelli or someone pick his pet cat. Not sure if that happened here, but it doesn't surprise me that Schoonmaker was higher on their draft board than others.

 

[BEARCATSKLZ]

Shouldn't his read Schoonmaker vs Schultz

 

[jterrell]

The Cowboys clearly want to get 2 TEs on the field at the same time a lot this year and I don’t think they feel great about the current bunch. My guess is they like Fergy but don’t trust Hendershots blocking ability.

So they made their minds up they were taking a TE eary, panicked in the 2nd, and reached to fill that need.

TE was in a group of 5-6 positions they were targeting.
The Cowboys front office has earned the right to laugh at anyone suggesting their draft picks are reaches.
They might miss and have done so but they hit regularly.
And if a player wouldn't be there with your next pick then it wasnt a reach.


As a fan you get what you get so pointless to throw a fit.

Micah made most of us look stupid and Travis Frederick had a near universal cry of reach.

 

[cnuball21]

TE was in a group of 5-6 positions they were targeting.
The Cowboys front office has earned the right to laugh at anyone suggesting their draft picks are reaches.
They might miss and have done so but they hit regularly.
And if a player wouldn't be there with your next pick then it wasnt a reach.


As a fan you get what you get so pointless to throw a fit.

Micah made most of us look stupid and Travis Frederick had a near universal cry of reach.

Yep - they made it very clear they were heavily targeting a TE when they took Schoon as early as the 2nd. And yes they’ve drafted ok but I think it’s perfectly fair to question some of their picks when there is a pretty good list of players considered reaches that haven’t lived up to their draft status.

Parsons was arguably the best defender in the draft that year and I was ecstatic when we picked him - seemed odd some fans didn’t like it. Travis is like the outlier of all outliers, but yes, he turned out great.

 

[817Gill]

Yeah.. Crossing routes are basically just telling the guy to run across the field as fast as you can and find a window.

He should be great at that.

Yup but they are short of depth routes. So if he’s a top yard getter on those short YPA routes that means he was using his athleticism to run away from LB’s and S’s and scoop YAC.

He doesn’t have much wiggle or shown tackle breaking ability. But if you’re running crossers and a LB is on him he could easily scoop chunks of yards. Very WCO route and I think bud proficiency there gave them even more evidence of hope.

 

[beware_d-ware]

Schoonmaker offers a speed dimension that we haven't had at TE in forever. I will say that. He's far faster than Hendershot and Jake from State Farm.

The size and speed combo profiles well to NFL success. The age and advanced charting numbers (few broken tackles, high number of drops) don't. And production really doesn't project well for TEs, but you've still got to wonder how an NFL-caliber tight end only had 54 catches in a 5 year college career.

 

[jaythecowboy]

Zero chance that happens.

Schoonmaker had a 2-3 grade. The Cowboys got him where they could get him. At pick 90 someone would likely have grabbed him. I went back and looked and no tight ends were taken in the 4th because the position was wiped at that point. You can debate a small trade back to maybe get a 4th round pick but is that worth it when the guy you want is right there? I say just get your guy there.

 

[gimmesix]

Man don’t get me started….I love the draft every year but I’m not gonna lie the fans make it unbearable at times. People don’t even understand how flawed their thinking is. They determine how good someone is based on how other people view their picks. If s guy falls it’s for a reason. Because Bijan went at 8 that means he went too high because experts said he should be taken later lol.

Yet in a redraft in a couple of years, he might end up being the top player taken.

 

[VaqueroTD]

I don't mind going round 2 for T.E.

While I thought LaPorta was the best of the bunch he went early. I know Kraft was from a D-2 school so the question of him adapting to the NFL/speed/size is a valid one but did like that reports called him a big back once he had the ball in his hands.

Hoping Schoon pans out obviously, but thought there were some with a higher ceiling still on the board at the position.
Thinking Ferguson may still be the starter this year due to him going through the ringer of adapting to what's needed from a T.E. in the NFL.

Was watching those Cowboys Scouts interviews on their websites and sounds like they were all miffed they didn’t get LaPorta.

I know they claim they went BPA but feels like a desperation pick with all the top TE candidates taken in front of them.

Hoping we get a Jason Witten and not an Anthony Fasano.

 

[KDM256]

Before the draft I was lobbying on not drafting a TE due to the fact of wanting to see what Dallas had on the roster with Ferguson and Hendershot especially with using a 4th on Ferg a year ago. I honestly thought that Jake was a "shoe in" as the starter next season since Schultz moved on but the coaching staff felt the need to add more at that position.

I like Schoonmaker as a player from the limited games I saw, Mich / Michigan State and he caught my eye in that game. Watching the draft, it was starting to feel like a run on TEs drafted in 2nd with 3 being picked before Dallas which put them in a now or never situation due to the fact Schoonmaker wouldn't have lasted to pick 90.

 

[Mac_MaloneV1]

I think there will be very little difference, but they just want to run more 12 personnel. It's fine to draft your #4 WR at 58 and fine to draft your #2 TE at 58.

It's also worth considering that, in other drafts, Schoonmaker might have been a third-round pick. The weakness of this draft really inflated the draft stock of some players, so that run on TEs probably doesn't happen and you get Schoonmaker in the third.

 

[BleedSilverandBlue]

Zero chance that happens.

Not saying this really means anything, but here is where he was projected to go by different media organizations:

Bleacher Report - 4th rounder
NFL - 2nd-3rd rounder
Athlon Sports - 4th-5th rounder
NFL Draft Buzz - 4th rounder
Draft Network - 3rd rounder
Pro Football Network - 3rd rounder

The consensus is that Dallas overpaid a little bit on this one. I do think you are right that the huge run on TEs in the second round and relative weakness of this draft at other positions certainly moved him up the board. Wish it would have fallen a little bit differently, but nothing we can do about that now. He has the tools to become a good player for them. I will not judge him until a few years in, but I still am not a huge fan of this pick.

 

[TheMarathonContinues]

Yet in a redraft in a couple of years, he might end up being the top player taken.

That’s what’s funny….Cowboys typically get better redraft grades then draft day grades…that’s all that matters.

 

[cnuball21]

Not saying this really means anything, but here is where he was projected to go by different media organizations:

Bleacher Report - 4th rounder
NFL - 2nd-3rd rounder
Athlon Sports - 4th-5th rounder
NFL Draft Buzz - 4th rounder
Draft Network - 3rd rounder
Pro Football Network - 3rd rounder

The consensus is that Dallas overpaid a little bit on this one. I do think you are right that the huge run on TEs in the second round and relative weakness of this draft at other positions certainly moved him up the board. Wish it would have fallen a little bit differently, but nothing we can do about that now. He has the tools to become a good player for them. I will not judge him until a few years in, but I still am not a huge fan of this pick.

Yea, pretty much nailed it.

And I like the guy - he was one of my favorite mid round TEs if the early guys fell because I liked the athleticism and what I think he can do as a pass rusher.

But in the 2nd round I don’t want “what I think he can do” I want someone that’s already done it and that I think can do it right away for us.

 

[big dog cowboy]

He’s literally the definition of a reach for need.

The Cowboys said before the draft they want to run the ball more. So they need blockers to do that. The best one was a TE that could also get up the field and catch passes. Additionally he will provide better pass blocking for Dak (and he needs it!) so that is another plus.

Not a reach at all. Fills a big need.

 

[big dog cowboy]

Not saying this really means anything, but here is where he was projected to go by different media organizations:

Ok. And that means what exactly? All that matters is where he was on the Cowboys draft board.

Just like some had Mazi in the 30's but we now know he was #14 on the Cowboys.

 

[cnuball21]

The Cowboys said before the draft they want to run the ball more. So they need blockers to do that. The best one was a TE that could also get up the field and catch passes. Additionally he will provide better pass blocking for Dak (and he needs it!) so that is another plus.

Not a reach at all. Fills a big need.

“Fills a big need…”

When you draft a player well ahead of where’s he slotted it’s the definition of reach for need.