Trying to rank the DT's in the class

[817Gill]

McNeil would be number 1 for the Boys imo

 

[Cowboyny]

no matter how much they like him they will need to pay through the nose for Williams and there is no way they are paying top dollar for 2 DTs

That's how their GM build his team's, Gettlemen prioritizes his defensive lineman. Drafted Dexter Lawrence, traded for Leonard Williams and opened the spot for Tomlinson when they dealt Harrison.

 

[Cowboyny]

McNeil would be number 1 for the Boys imo

I know many big boards have him as a top 50 prospect, but saw Dane list him more as a top 100 player. This probably means, he is somewhere in between.

 

[Malhavoc]

no matter how much they like him they will need to pay through the nose for Williams and there is no way they are paying top dollar for 2 DTs

And don’t forget Dexter Lawrence is someone they will have to pay in a couple years. They could certainly keep Tomlinson but I don’t see it happening. I think he’s going to sign with another team. But since we are absolutely clueless when it comes to FA it won’t be us.

 

[visionary]

That's how their GM build his team's, Gettlemen prioritizes his defensive lineman. Drafted Dexter Lawrence, traded for Leonard Williams and opened the spot for Tomlinson when they dealt Harrison.

there is want to and then there is can do

 

[Cowboyny]

there is want to and then there is can do

I'm telling everything I hear here is Tomlinson is apart of their core moving forward. They have money, outside of Bradberry/Soldier, there aren't many players with big contracts on that team.

 

[darthseinfeld]

In Dane's top 100, the majority of those two down players are listed the earliest as mid 3rd rd prospects.

I could live with a 4th. But I really dont like the idea of spending premium picks in 2 down players

 

[Cowboyny]

I could live with a 4th. But I really dont like the idea of spending premium picks in 2 down players

Nor does the Cowboys front office. Question is, they just used premium picks in back the back years at the 3, will they add another one or maybe sign a vet bridge starter? I agree, think they draft their NT in day 3.

 

[darthseinfeld]

Nor does the Cowboys front office. Question is, they just used premium picks in back the back years at the 3, will they add another one or maybe sign a vet bridge starter? I agree, think they draft their NT in day 3.

That depends on what they really think of Gallimore and or Hill. Hill impressed Tomsula and Nolan in camp, but was terrible in actual games. Gallimore looked good at times, but its still very hard to tell how good he actually is

 

[Malhavoc]

Time will tell as it relates to Tomlinson. Williams is going to be franchised or get a monster deal. He’s definitely not going anywhere. They can certainly pay Tomlinson. But Lawrence is then up next. I still think he’ll be available and go to the highest bidder. I don’t expect that to be us.

 

[Malhavoc]

That depends on what they really think of Gallimore and or Hill. Hill impressed Tomsula and Nolan in camp, but was terrible in actual games. Gallimore looked good at times, but its still very hard to tell how good he actually is

Especially when you’re whole DL is a hot mess. I think Gallimore looks like the more promising player.

 

[AsthmaField]

Clearly the team needs major help at the DT position, along with Quinn's scheme calling for more of a 4T at LE, which is similar to playing a third DT.

Let's try to rank them based on the Cowboys specifically:

1) Barmore (hybrid can play 1, 3 or 4-best skillset as an interior rusher)
2) Onwuzurike (was dominate in 1 day of practice, might be the best pure 3 in the class)
3) Nixon (had a huge breakout season, is a 3T only prospect)
4) Tufele (another hybrid, did play some 4T at USC, but can play any spot)
5) McNeil (played 0T/NT and offers some pass rush abilities)
6) Wilson (might be too high, but was once considered a top 20 prospect)
7) Togai (can play the 1 or 4T roles, more of a 2 down player)
8) Shelvin (your prototype NT, who cannot be moved, but offers zero pass rush)
9) Tuipulotu (hybrid, potential 3 down player)
10) Slaton (see Shelvin)

Just missed the cut: Odighizuwa, Tonga

How would you rank them and who do you want?

1) Nixon - What can I say? I really like his play and I always love Iowa players makeup. They play tough, physical football. He’s a pet cat.

2) McNeil - He’s my preferred choice for a NT/1-Tech for Dallas. He’s a huge upgrade on the 1-Techs Dallas has been using.

3) Barmore - He has good potential as an interior rusher. I just wish he had a full year of dominant play.

4) Tufele - He’s my guy if McNeil is gone.

I’m not crazy at all about Wilson. Something about him says bust to me.

Onwuzurike is a guy that I need to spend some more time watching. I don’t know enough about him to even place him on this list. I do know he’s twitchy, and I like twitchy DT’s.

Shelvin, I like because he uses technique and not just his massive size to stop the run. He’s a football player and has the instincts to go with that. What concerns me about him though is his weight and how that affects his lateral movement. The new craze in offense is the Rams/49’ers/Vikings offense where they play a lot of zone, making the DL have to flow sideways down the line. Huge guys can have a real hard time with that, and I’m not sure how well Shelvin will handle it. If it was just hold a gap and get to the ball, he would be great. How he’ll do running side to side is my question.

I kind of like Tuipulotu as well. He’d be a good get on day 3, IMO.

 

[My3Sons]

1) Nixon - What can I say? I really like his play and I always love Iowa players makeup. They play tough, physical football. He’s a pet cat.

2) McNeil - He’s my preferred choice for a NT/1-Tech for Dallas. He’s a huge upgrade on the 1-Techs Dallas has been using.

3) Barmore - He has good potential as an interior rusher. I just wish he had a full year of dominant play.

4) Tufele - He’s my guy if McNeil is gone.

I’m not crazy at all about Wilson. Something about him says bust to me.

Onwuzurike is a guy that I need to spend some more time watching. I don’t know enough about him to even place him on this list. I do know he’s twitchy, and I like twitchy DT’s.

Shelvin, I like because he uses technique and not just his massive size to stop the run. He’s a football player and has the instincts to go with that. What concerns me about him though is his weight and how that affects his lateral movement. The new craze in offense is the Rams/49’ers/Vikings offense where they play a lot of zone, making the DL have to flow sideways down the line. Huge guys can have a real hard time with that, and I’m not sure how well Shelvin will handle it. If it was just hold a gap and get to the ball, he would be great. How he’ll do running side to side is my question.

I kind of like Tuipulotu as well. He’d be a good get on day 3, IMO.

Pretty good analysis, but I would add Nixon only has one year of dominant play also.

 

[robertfchew]

Time will tell as it relates to Tomlinson. Williams is going to be franchised or get a monster deal. He’s definitely not going anywhere. They can certainly pay Tomlinson. But Lawrence is then up next. I still think he’ll be available and go to the highest bidder. I don’t expect that to be us.

Dexter Lawrence has played 2 seasons They have him for a minimum of 3 more on a good salary. He won't be factoring in if they're gonna pay Williams and Tomlinson.

 

[AsthmaField]

Pretty good analysis, but I would add Nixon only has one year of dominant play also.

Yeah, Nixon had just one year... but Barmore played well in just the last two games of the season and the two playoff games. Nixon was pretty dominant in all his games and won the Big 10 defensive player of the year. For whatever reason, Barmore didn’t turn it on until the end.

Having said all of that, I do like Barmore, just not as much as Nixon. I won’t pretend to know that Nixon is the better of the two because none of us really know, but his full year of dominant play just makes me feel a little better than Barmore’s 4 games do.

It is early in the pre-draft process though, so maybe something happens to change my mind and move Barmore to the front.

 

[Cowboyny]

1) Nixon - What can I say? I really like his play and I always love Iowa players makeup. They play tough, physical football. He’s a pet cat.

2) McNeil - He’s my preferred choice for a NT/1-Tech for Dallas. He’s a huge upgrade on the 1-Techs Dallas has been using.

3) Barmore - He has good potential as an interior rusher. I just wish he had a full year of dominant play.

4) Tufele - He’s my guy if McNeil is gone.

I’m not crazy at all about Wilson. Something about him says bust to me.

Onwuzurike is a guy that I need to spend some more time watching. I don’t know enough about him to even place him on this list. I do know he’s twitchy, and I like twitchy DT’s.

Shelvin, I like because he uses technique and not just his massive size to stop the run. He’s a football player and has the instincts to go with that. What concerns me about him though is his weight and how that affects his lateral movement. The new craze in offense is the Rams/49’ers/Vikings offense where they play a lot of zone, making the DL have to flow sideways down the line. Huge guys can have a real hard time with that, and I’m not sure how well Shelvin will handle it. If it was just hold a gap and get to the ball, he would be great. How he’ll do running side to side is my question.

I kind of like Tuipulotu as well. He’d be a good get on day 3, IMO.

Excellent breakdown!!

I draw my own conclusions more of a consensus of reliable insiders then watching the tape on my own:

-Nixon/Onwuzurike are viewed as the best 3T's in the draft, both are considered early day 2 prospects, but might be pushed up due to lack of talent at the position.

-I was extremely high on Tufele early in the process, but have heard many believe he needs a lot of work from the technical standpoint. Might not make a big impact year 1, but could have the ability to play all roles in our defense. More of a 3rd rd prospect. Really like the player.

-Barmore is getting the media hype after the college playoff, many do view him as the best DT prospect in the class, but he is more of an upside pick. Bucky Brooks laughed if he was a prospect for the Cowboys #10 selection. He was a rotational player that disappeared early in games. Many have said, he shows up when Bama is ahead cause he can just pin his ears back and rush the QB. More of a rusher, then a run stopper, kind of like a better version of Gallimore at this stage. Payne was far and away the more polished player coming into the draft.

-Many insiders believe Marvin Wilson is a day 3 prospect, who is considered nothing more then a two down player. You listen to Voch/Cavanaugh they think he is a top 50 prospect, which he is not. His Notre Dame tape is awful this year.

-I agree, McNeil is the ideal fit for this team. Has experience playing the 0 Tech, which Quinn uses in his scheme. Can anchor, handle double teams and offers a little pass rush. Hard to determine his draft slotting, some have him as a top 50-60 selection, where a few others have him in the top 100.

-Good point about Shelvin. Need to find more info on Tuipulotu and Oggy from UCLA who flashed at the senior bowl.

I would like to draft McNeil and Tufele, but more likely Tuipulotu and Oggy, cause Tufele could even be taken higher then McNeil.

 

[AsthmaField]

Excellent breakdown!!

I draw my own conclusions more of a consensus of reliable insiders then watching the tape on my own:

-Nixon/Onwuzurike are viewed as the best 3T's in the draft, both are considered early day 2 prospects, but might be pushed up due to lack of talent at the position.

-I was extremely high on Tufele early in the process, but have heard many believe he needs a lot of work from the technical standpoint. Might not make a big impact year 1, but could have the ability to play all roles in our defense. More of a 3rd rd prospect. Really like the player.

-Barmore is getting the media hype after the college playoff, many do view him as the best DT prospect in the class, but he is more of an upside pick. Bucky Brooks laughed if he was a prospect for the Cowboys #10 selection. He was a rotational player that disappeared early in games. Many have said, he shows up when Bama is ahead cause he can just pin his ears back and rush the QB. More of a rusher, then a run stopper, kind of like a better version of Gallimore at this stage. Payne was far and away the more polished player coming into the draft.

-Many insiders believe Marvin Wilson is a day 3 prospect, who is considered nothing more then a two down player. You listen to Voch/Cavanaugh they think he is a top 50 prospect, which he is not. His Notre Dame tape is awful this year.

-I agree, McNeil is the ideal fit for this team. Has experience playing the 0 Tech, which Quinn uses in his scheme. Can anchor, handle double teams and offers a little pass rush. Hard to determine his draft slotting, some have him as a top 50-60 selection, where a few others have him in the top 100.

-Good point about Shelvin. Need to find more info on Tuipulotu and Oggy from UCLA who flashed at the senior bowl.

I would like to draft McNeil and Tufele, but more likely Tuipulotu and Oggy, cause Tufele could even be taken higher then McNeil.

Yeah, if Dallas wants McNeil, they might have to go ahead and take him in the second round, which I question if they would actually do that. I suppose if they like him enough and see the need at that position to be as big as we do, they might spend the second on him... but who knows on either of those two things. I have a suspicion that the Cowboys might feel like the issues they had stopping the run last year were more because of scheme (read: Nolan) and injuries than because of need at DT. Maybe Quinn convinces them otherwise though.

Jerry and Stephen, for all their flaws, do listen to the coaches about what they need. With Marinelli here, his philosophy of having smaller, faster DT’s and not needing high picks at that position was exactly how the front office approached it. When Nolan came in, they went big at DT and actually spent some in FA at the position. Those moves would have never happened with Marinelli here. So, if Quinn tells them that he needs some bigger, better players at DT, that is what the Jones’ will try to do.

What we don’t know is actually what Quinn is telling them he needs. He may see his secondary as a much bigger problem than the DT’s... particularly with all of the free agents back there that might walk before next season. If that’s the case, you’d expect more DB’s than DT’s and the odds of Dallas taking McNeil a little early so they don’t lose him are, well, not very good. However, if Quinn tells them he needs help at DT in a bad way... they might just do it.

The bottom line is that this is a lean year for interior defensive linemen and what that usually means is that in order to get the guy you want, he has to be picked a little earlier than you feel like his talent says he should go. There’s not much of a chance of Dallas doing that without them thinking that DT is a pretty urgent need. You and I think it is... but what Dallas and Quinn think is something else entirely.

I still have thoughts of Nixon and McNeil in Dallas but I’m not holding my breath on that.

 

[Cowboyny]

Yeah, if Dallas wants McNeil, they might have to go ahead and take him in the second round, which I question if they would actually do that. I suppose if they like him enough and see the need at that position to be as big as we do, they might spend the second on him... but who knows on either of those two things. I have a suspicion that the Cowboys might feel like the issues they had stopping the run last year were more because of scheme (read: Nolan) and injuries than because of need at DT. Maybe Quinn convinces them otherwise though.

Jerry and Stephen, for all their flaws, do listen to the coaches about what they need. With Marinelli here, his philosophy of having smaller, faster DT’s and not needing high picks at that position was exactly how the front office approached it. When Nolan came in, they went big at DT and actually spent some in FA at the position. Those moves would have never happened with Marinelli here. So, if Quinn tells them that he needs some bigger, better players at DT, that is what the Jones’ will try to do.

What we don’t know is actually what Quinn is telling them he needs. He may see his secondary as a much bigger problem than the DT’s... particularly with all of the free agents back there that might walk before next season. If that’s the case, you’d expect more DB’s than DT’s and the odds of Dallas taking McNeil a little early so they don’t lose him are, well, not very good. However, if Quinn tells them he needs help at DT in a bad way... they might just do it.

The bottom line is that this is a lean year for interior defensive linemen and what that usually means is that in order to get the guy you want, he has to be picked a little earlier than you feel like his talent says he should go. There’s not much of a chance of Dallas doing that without them thinking that DT is a pretty urgent need. You and I think it is... but what Dallas and Quinn think is something else entirely.

I still have thoughts of Nixon and McNeil in Dallas but I’m not holding my breath on that.

Good thing is the scouts were probably looking for NT's for Nolan's Defense, Quinn scheme needs a similar type player. I could see an interesting debate occurring in rd 2: due they take the best player? do they fill their biggest need or do they take the highest positional valued prospect? For me, the hardest decision would be if Moehrig/Grant and McNeil/Nixon are all available who would they take? I would probably lean taking a Safety.

 

[Creeper]

The Cowboys need an inside pass rush and stoutness against the run. But their weakness against the run was not just inside. It appeared to me their biggest weakness in the running game was outside the tackles. I swear our LB were too slow getting to the outside. Just upgrade wherever they can at any position they can.

 

[visionary]

If we have made no significant upgrades in FA, my top 3 in rounds 1-3 would be

1. Moehrig
2. Nixon/McNeil
3. Browning