User Mock 2/10/17

[Pessimist_cowboy]

I give our draft a B. I don't like our 2nd round pick at all. He's not a scheme fit. Sutton would've been my pick.

 

[rkell87]

Meet your new Cowboys. Courtesy of the group think tank here at CowboysZone.

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Charles Harris DE Missouri
6'3", 235 lbs

Grade: 6.0

OVERVIEW

Harris came to the game late, not putting on a football jersey until his junior year of high school. It didn't take him long to figure it out, however. His athleticism earned him a scholarship from his in-state university, though he redshirted his first year on campus to work on his game while guys like Shane Ray, Markus Golden, and Michael Sam were chasing quarterbacks. As a reserve, Harris had four tackles for loss and two sacks, starting once while Golden was injured. His breakout season came in 2015, as he garnered second-team All-SEC honors after leading the conference with 18.5 tackles for loss (seven sacks). League coaches voted him second-team all-conference again in 2016 (12 tackles for loss, nine sacks), despite his team's poor 4-8 season.

ANALYSIS

STRENGTHS
Long legs with well defined bubble. Has loose, fluid hips. Explodes out of his stance in search of gap work vs. run game. Lateral quickness makes it a challenge to reach him or cross his face for offensive linemen. Good first step quickness. Plays with energy and keeps it cranked up until the whistle blows. Runs with high knees and athletic, long strides in the open field. Basketball standout in high school who uses nimble feet for an effective spin move. Can unleash spin counter in either direction. Plays on either side of the line and can play with a hand down or standing up. In 2015, led team in sacks, tackles for losses and hurries and was second in tackles. Uses early speed-to-power to create movement before attacking the tackle's inside shoulder. Showed some ability to drop in space when called upon.

WEAKNESSES
Found himself too easily engulfed by size this season. Gives ground on the edge and can be widened out of his run fit. Hands must get better at point of attack. Needs to punch and own the point. Rides on blocks rather than shucks them. Lacks desired glass-chewing mentality against the run. Plays with slow reaction time to counters and misdirection and can lose track of the ball. Needs earlier shoulder turn as rusher to prevent early pass sets from punching him as squared-up rusher. Slow to activate his counter spin back inside. More violent approach with hands at top of his rush would help grease the edge. Productivity dropped after struggling with new defensive scheme.

SOURCES TELL US
"Don't get caught up in his numbers this year. He just didn't mesh with what they asked him to do. He's also got to be coachable and I think he may have fought the changes a little too much. What I saw in 2015 is what I think he's going to be." NFC North regional scout

NFL COMPARISON
Connor Barwin

BOTTOM LINE
High-cut pass rusher with good athleticism but concerns regarding his ability to drop anchor against the run. Ironically, Harris might be best suited as a penetrator which is something he fought against this season. His hands can be improved as pass rush weapons, but he has agility and footwork that can't be taught. Harris can play on the edge in a 4-3 or 3-4 front and should be the next in a line of early contributing defensive ends coming out of Missouri.

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DeMarcus Walker DE Florida St.
6'4", 280 lbs

Grade: 5.51

OVERVIEW

Walker is one of the few big recruits (top 50 overall nationally) that slipped out of Alabama head coach Nick Saban's grasp. He switched his commitment to Jimbo Fisher and enrolled at FSU a semester early to participate in spring practices. Walker parlayed that extra playing time in his freshman season, starting three of the 12 games he played (18 tackles, two TFL, one sack). He won a starting job in 11 of 14 games for the national champions in 2014 (38 tackles, six TFL, one sack) before coming on strong as a junior, garnering third-team all-ACC notice from league coaches (58 tackles, 15.5 TFL, 10.5 sacks, and five pass breakups) and receiving the Seminoles' team Defensive MVP award. Walker started off his senior season with a bang, making 4.5 sacks in the team's win over Ole Miss. He also finished the year well, putting up four tackles for loss in Florida State's win over Michigan in the Orange Bowl. Walker was named a first-team All-American by the Walter Camp Foundation and first-team All-ACC for his production: 68 tackles, 21.5 TFL (eighth in the FBS), 16 sacks (second in the FBS).

ANALYSIS

STRENGTHS
Ties quick swim move to his jump-step in order to climb over top of pass protection. Posted eye-popping sack production (25) over last two seasons at FSU. Attempts to play past the blocker rather than giving in. Always searching for new opening when original rush move is stymied. When rush stalls, he spies quarterback and gets hand in alleys. Eight career passes defensed. Gathers blockers to set up teammates when first on twists. Active, heavy tackler. Stack-and-shed power on the edge when pad level is right. Thick bubble and thighs with ability to carry more mass. Able to stuff cut blocks and keep his feet clean. Hasty with hands and lands first. Engages and mirrors flow of running back with square pads. Durable and dependable; played in 90 percent of the defensive snaps 2016.

WEAKNESSES
Inconsistent motor. Allows backside tackle opportunities to escape his grasp when he's not hustling. Range as a tackler is average. A step slow when sliding down line to constrict cutback lanes. Needs to show quicker feet. Struggles to work feet and hips back into playmaking position once beaten on reach blocks. Pops straight and loses his leverage when fatigued. Doesn't have the juice or hips to consistently bend the edge as a pro rusher. Needs two-way goes to do his best pass rush work. Moves well, but lacks suddenness and play speed is average. Level of play greatly impacted by fatigue level.

NFL COMPARISON
Mario Edwards

BOTTOM LINE
Walker's sack totals are impressive, but he's not the type of "early win" sack artist that generally post those types of numbers. He's a base end with power to hold up at the point, but better suited to reduce inside as interior rusher on passing downs. Walker lacks the desired size and physical traits teams look for off the edge; a move to three-technique isn't out of the question.

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Justin Evans S Texas A&M
6'0", 193 lbs

Grade: 5.82

ANALYSIS

STRENGTHS
Tremendous athlete who was heralded as a baseball pitcher, and receiver and defensive back in football coming out of high school. Has feet and hips for easy toggle between backpedal and angled shuffle as high safety. Ball skills of a slot receiver. Plays with excellent passion for the game. Can snare at the highest point thanks to well-timed leaps, great arm extension and supple hands. Big accelerator to close out crossing routes and disrupt the passing lane. Very good plant-and-go twitch. Looks to make plays taking aggressive routes to the ball. Logged four interceptions and seven pass breakups as a senior. Fast with ability to range over the top from high safety. Seeks out collisions and doesn't shrink from contact. Completely laid-out Alabama's Derrick Henry during hit in 2015 game. Wrap-up tackler who explodes into target and runs his feet through the finish.

WEAKNESSES
Needs improved eye-balance. Has issues splitting focus between ball and man. From second level, hyper-focuses on receiver keys and is late finding running back headed his way. Aggressive nature could make him a play-action target on pro level. Instincts dwindle the further away from line of scrimmage he goes. Inconsistent seeing and breaking on throws from high safety. Needs to come to balance in tackle-ready position more quickly on third-level stops. His heart is bigger than his body. Needs more bulk to withstand fallout from his physical play. Gets stuck to blocking tight ends from slot and struggles to unglue.

SOURCES TELL US
"His interception against UCLA at the beginning of the year was one of those plays that not many safeties can make. But I'm worried about his missed tackles. Hard hits are great for Sportscenter or YouTube but getting guys to the ground is top priority." -- Front-office executive for AFC team

NFL COMPARISON
Karl Joseph

BOTTOM LINE
Soft-spoken but carries a walloping stick. Plays the game with an elevated sense of urgency and excitement. He is a little undersized, but has plus speed, is an extremely physical hitter and can play deep or near the line of scrimmage. Athleticism and ball skills might lead a team to test him out as a slot corner. Regardless of where he plays, he has the talent to become a plus NFL starter and a potential Day 2 (Rounds 2-3) draft selection.

Lol at Evans is a wrap up tackler

 

[RandyOh]

I give our draft a B. I don't like our 2nd round pick at all. He's not a scheme fit. Sutton would've been my pick.

Walker not a fit? Hes a 4-3 SDE. would like for him to slim down to 270 pounds though.

 

[Pessimist_cowboy]

Walker not a fit? Hes a 4-3 SDE. would like for him to slim down to 270 pounds though.

I don't know he has a weird body. It's well known he's awkward. Not saying he sucks but just wouldn't know where he plays.

 

[tm1119]

Walker not a fit? Hes a 4-3 SDE. would like for him to slim down to 270 pounds though.

Walker certainly could play in our defense. It's not that he's not a fit, it's more that he's extremely redundant. How many SDE/3 Techs do we need? He'd have to somehow get snaps playing behind Crawford and Irving.

 

[Silverstar]

Curious what the numbers will look like between Harris and Walker at the combine.

Not to mention, all the other DE/OLB's who will participate.

Looking forward to it.

 

[Alexander]

1(28) Charles Harris DE Missouri
2(60) DeMarcus Walker DE Florida St.
3(92) Justin Evans S Texas A&M

Grade it.

C-.

Not a fan of the last two picks with who was left on the board.

 

[Silverstar]

Dallas Cowboys
28. Charles Harris DE Missouri - Grade 6.0
60. DeMarcus Walker DE Florida St. - Grade 5.51
92. Justin Evans S Texas A&M - Grade 5.82

Atlanta Falcons
31. Tim Williams OLB Alabama - Grade 6.24
63. Carlos Watkins DT Clemson - Grade 5.57
95. Fabian Moreau CB UCLA - Grade 5.59


I think Atlanta fans would love that draft.
Would you switch players?

 

[rkell87]

Dallas Cowboys
28. Charles Harris DE Missouri - Grade 6.0
60. DeMarcus Walker DE Florida St. - Grade 5.51
92. Justin Evans S Texas A&M - Grade 5.82

Atlanta Falcons
31. Tim Williams OLB Alabama - Grade 6.24
63. Carlos Watkins DT Clemson - Grade 5.57
95. Fabian Moreau CB UCLA - Grade 5.59


I think Atlanta fans would love that draft.
Would you switch players?

Yep

 

[RandyOh]

I don't know he has a weird body. It's well known he's awkward. Not saying he sucks but just wouldn't know where he plays.

I would put him at LDE and have slim down some. If he had short arms then i wouldn't touch him till day 3 but he has long arms, good strength, and multiple pass rush moves already.

 

[RandyOh]

Walker certainly could play in our defense. It's not that he's not a fit, it's more that he's extremely redundant. How many SDE/3 Techs do we need? He'd have to somehow get snaps playing behind Crawford and Irving.

Their is truth to this. I would hope Crawford becomes a June 1st cut candidate next year if he doesn't show anything this year. He is not worth the money at all and most of his contract can be wiped off at this point.

 

[tm1119]

Their is truth to this. I would hope Crawford becomes a June 1st cut candidate next year if he doesn't show anything this year. He is not worth the money at all and most of his contract can be wiped off at this point.

Yeah thats possible with Crawford, but it's still a high investment in a position we are pretty set at. In this scenario Harris and Mayowa would be the pass rushing RDE's with Lawrence likely sliding over to LDE with Crawford and Irving backing him up/3 tech subs. And I haven't even mentioned Tapper yet...and this is also assuming we went into the draft without addressing DE in free agency at all either. Something a lot of fans would be irate about.

The idea of using the 1st and 2nd rounders to solve our DE problem sounds nice in theory, but it's really not practical.

 

[InDakWeTrust]

Yeah thats possible with Crawford, but it's still a high investment in a position we are pretty set at. In this scenario Harris and Mayowa would be the pass rushing RDE's with Lawrence likely sliding over to LDE with Crawford and Irving backing him up/3 tech subs. And I haven't even mentioned Tapper yet...and this is also assuming we went into the draft without addressing DE in free agency at all either. Something a lot of fans would be irate about.

The idea of using the 1st and 2nd rounders to solve our DE problem sounds nice in theory, but it's really not practical.

Yeah, this idea of those knives until they stick to something sounds great, but seeing guys like Zay Jones, Watkins, Douglas and Moreau all would've helped too, as we have a talent deficiency, not a numbers deficiency in our pass rush.

 

[RandyOh]

Yeah, this idea of those knives until they stick to something sounds great, but seeing guys like Zay Jones, Watkins, Douglas and Moreau all would've helped too, as we have a talent deficiency, not a numbers deficiency in our pass rush.

Could have attempted to fix pass rush while adding a high level offensive talent to help keep the defense off the field even more but instead of Jake Butt or Smith-Schuster we took a box safety because for some reason a box safety is a huge need to some on here.

 

[InDakWeTrust]

Could have attempted to fix pass rush while adding a high level offensive talent to help keep the defense off the field even more but instead of Jake Butt or Smith-Schuster we took a box safety because for some reason a box safety is a huge need to some on here.

I voted for Zay Jones in the second and Moreau in the 3rd. Would've been fine with Butt in the third as well.

 

[RandyOh]

Yeah thats possible with Crawford, but it's still a high investment in a position we are pretty set at. In this scenario Harris and Mayowa would be the pass rushing RDE's with Lawrence likely sliding over to LDE with Crawford and Irving backing him up/3 tech subs. And I haven't even mentioned Tapper yet...and this is also assuming we went into the draft without addressing DE in free agency at all either. Something a lot of fans would be irate about.

The idea of using the 1st and 2nd rounders to solve our DE problem sounds nice in theory, but it's really not practical.

I was actually getting Walker to take over after Lawrence contract is up. 1 solid not great year during his time here. Already multiple back surgery's. I wouldn't think about bringing him back unless he has a 12+ sack season. But i see your point.

 

[WillieBeamen]

B


Not a fan of Evans even though I do want Church off this roster.

Posters complaining about the Walker pick, but he would come in here day 1 as our best LDE...

 

[Alexander]

Dallas Cowboys
28. Charles Harris DE Missouri - Grade 6.0
60. DeMarcus Walker DE Florida St. - Grade 5.51
92. Justin Evans S Texas A&M - Grade 5.82

Atlanta Falcons
31. Tim Williams OLB Alabama - Grade 6.24
63. Carlos Watkins DT Clemson - Grade 5.57
95. Fabian Moreau CB UCLA - Grade 5.59


I think Atlanta fans would love that draft.
Would you switch players?

Sure, but I do like Harris more than Tim WIlliams.

 

[Alexander]

Posters complaining about the Walker pick, but he would come in here day 1 as our best LDE...

So would the top 10 DEs in this draft.

 

[tyke1doe]

Baltimore take Dalvon Cook, RB, Florida St.

That would be a GREAT pick for the Ravens.