Why Jabril Cox fell to round 4

[Typhus]

Yep.. linebackers are not equipped to constantly be fighting off 320 pound dudes grabbing at them. Since the d-line has been sub par the linebackers have not really had a chance to show what they can or cannot do. All this noise about their lack of coverage skills is hilarious.. You know why guys like Gronk, Kelce, Kittle, Graham have destroyed defenses across the league? Because no linebacker is great in coverage. The good ones can anticipate and fill passing lanes but asking any of them to cover a good pass catching TE or RB one on one is a recipe for disaster. They do not possess the lateral agility and change of direction to be good at it. That's why Witten was able to get open on Y option even after he slowed down to a 5+ second 40 speed. Most linebackers couldn't even change direction with him. Put Jayon and LVE behind the Bucs or Rams d-line and both make the pro bowl.

Very true, and lets just take a look at Sean Lees career and the ridicule he endured for being fragile and injured, just think what Lee could have accomplished with a healthier career behind a good DL... HOF lock.

 

[Western]

Since, we are copying and pasting from Lance Zierlein's analysis on NFL.com, I will copy and paste his strengths:

• Excellent work ethic and is accomplishment-oriented on and off field.
• Not at all out of place athletically in move from FCS to SEC.
• Willing to play through pain.
• Outstanding field range with explosive closing burst.
• Comes from backside linebacker spot to make tackles near far sideline.
• Agility to make sudden change of direction in pursuit.
• Steps upfield to challenge block and push run back inside.
• Capable of playing quickly off the block and making tackle.
• Pocket navigation and acceleration to become dangerous blitzer.
• Sticks and runs with pass-catching tight ends in coverage.
• Instinctive and reactive when spot dropping.
• Finished college with 26 passes defensed, including nine career interceptions.

https://www.nfl.com/prospects/jabril-cox/3200434f-5831-5503-5fb9-edf18e12b912

Dallas got good value for him in the 4th round.
He probably could have anywhere from the late 2nd through the end of round 3.
Considering where he was drafted, probably the best value pick for Dallas outside of Parsons at 12.
His ceiling is much higher than Mr. Swipe.

 

[erod]

Do you EVER have a single positive thought circulate through your melon? But then again, you’re obviously far more football savvy than all of the actual experts.

You mean the experts who passed in him for rounds?

 

[jblaze2004]

I bet he walks on the field being better in coverage then LVE and Jaylon. Probably better than all the linebackers we currently have in coverage.
The best thing is he was what a 4th round pick. Can't really go wrong there. In todays NFL where its basically a passing game he might fit in well.

 

[blueblood70]

It was bad draft for LBs. I hope he plays a big role in a better defense, but this is why he's a 4th round pick.

actually not he was 4th rounder over his shoulder easy 2nd round prospect if healthy.

he wik turn out to be hybrid SS/LB type that can replace neal down the road..he was drafted for this role, hes fast and can cover..
hanging a comp on him and say it will be disaster is ridiculous

you nor anyone here can predict his future..

JS had a bad year but he and LVE had PB years 2 years ago and while JS contract made him more of target to fans as all our payers have , let quinn find roles for all these guys and 2020 is not good way to judge..I saw LEE, LVE and JS all out of position making poor decsions last year , rally the entire defense..there were a lot of reason for this Nolans scheme, bad scheme fit payers, no offseason to figure that out and found out late in the process, bad dl in front of them, etc etc etc etc..

i believe Quinn will find scheme and a better use for these players in his scheme.

so go choke on that positivity..

 

[Shane612]

Remember, Jabril Cox was a first year player in the LSU system and the rest of the defense was less than effective.

He transferred from South Dakota State and was still named a captain 1st season with LSU, let that sink in.

I'm of the opinion that Jabril is a better run player than he's credited. The D-Line play at LSU was sub par to say the least.

He is also the best coverage LB I have ever watched. I would be comfortable with him carrying the all world rookie Kyle Pitts down the field.

Cox is 6'3", runs a 4.42 forty and has longer arms than most of the players that will be asked to match up with Pitts.

Keep this in mind, Jabril was asked to carry slot receivers down the field with no safety help routinely because, the safety play at LSU was horrific.

This kid is smart, tough, and competitive. He should be an excellent addition to the Cowboys.

All this sound like he's better suited for the SS position. He's smallish for an NFL LB, but big enough to handle a TE, and run support...plus, fast enough to run with most WRs and TEs.

 

[BourbonBalz]

You mean the experts who passed in him for rounds?

No one is arguing he should’ve been a first round pick. However, if you think he wasn’t great value where we got him, you don’t have a clue. That’s the point. Every player has weaknesses, but they also have strengths. Some only look at one side of the equation just to try and prove their position. That’s lazy and agenda pushing.

By the way, where he was drafted has nothing to do with whether he is successful. See Tom Brady, Terrell Davis, and hundreds of other players drafted much lower than Cox.

 

[America's Cowboy]

Dont bother, the OP would complain if we drafted LT in his prime.

I'm waiting for him to blame Dak for anything wrong that might happen.

 

[atlantacowboy]

Interesting assumption. So here are weaknesses of a player drafted in the 2017 draft:

Weaknesses:
Gunslinger who can be reckless with the football
Has some mechanical issues to fix
Throws too many passes back across the field
Can sail deep balls too far
Will need to learn working under center
Will have to work on footwork with making drops from under center
Will need to learn working a NFL huddle
Will need to improve footwork
Needs development for a pro-style offense
College offense ran lot of plays he won't run in the NFL
Needs to take more check downs
Needs to work on staying in and being comfortable in the pocket


That player was Patrick Mahomes so how about you wait to see what the player does before assigning a label to him.

Great analogy!

 

[blueblood70]

You mean the experts who passed in him for rounds?

i can name 100 players + that slid in drafts and now are PB or HOF players..

FACTS

the draft position doesnt determine greatness or failure..see Tom Brady and Kurt warner

hers fact i read post draft there are 17 UDFA HOFs compared to 14 first overall picks in the draft in the HOF,,chew on that..

so why are there more Undrafted players in the HOF then the ones choses first overall??

because draft boards, mocks, placemats, ratings etc are typically more wrong then right,.,talented players are taken all over the draft..these draft ratings are supposed to be used as barometers just something to look t but really a lot of scouts and team GMN boards differ from one another some stray way off from the ones fans try and follow..

 

[Future]

Lol @ "he's like Jaylon"

There aren't more two opposite LBers in the history of the NFL.

 

[atlantacowboy]

Since, we are copying and pasting from Lance Zierlein's analysis on NFL.com, I will copy and paste his strengths:

• Excellent work ethic and is accomplishment-oriented on and off field.
• Not at all out of place athletically in move from FCS to SEC.
• Willing to play through pain.
• Outstanding field range with explosive closing burst.
• Comes from backside linebacker spot to make tackles near far sideline.
• Agility to make sudden change of direction in pursuit.
• Steps upfield to challenge block and push run back inside.
• Capable of playing quickly off the block and making tackle.
• Pocket navigation and acceleration to become dangerous blitzer.
• Sticks and runs with pass-catching tight ends in coverage.
• Instinctive and reactive when spot dropping.
• Finished college with 26 passes defensed, including nine career interceptions.

https://www.nfl.com/prospects/jabril-cox/3200434f-5831-5503-5fb9-edf18e12b912

Dallas got good value for him in the 4th round.
He probably could have anywhere from the late 2nd through the end of round 3.
Considering where he was drafted, probably the best value pick for Dallas outside of Parsons at 12.
His ceiling is much higher than Mr. Swipe.

Yeah, but my copy/paste explains explains why he went in round 4. Your copy/paste makes him sound like a first round pick and future all-pro.

 

[chicago JK]

His highlights looks pretty good to me, but just from the eye test he looks pretty finesse and does not bring a lot of punch on his hits. In today's NFL being able to cover is as important as it has ever been. I do worry about how weak our DT's are that our linebackers will continues to be exposed. Some of it is to their own doing, but it is my thoughts we will not get a full evaluation of our defense until our DT play improves.

 

[Cowboysheelsreds053]

Dont bother, the OP would complain if we drafted LT in his prime.

LLLOOOLLL

 

[kskboys]

It was bad draft for LBs. I hope he plays a big role in a better defense, but this is why he's a 4th round pick.

I think he may be more of a role player in the NFL, which for a 4th round pick is fine.

 

[Shane612]

Interesting assumption. So here are weaknesses of a player drafted in the 2017 draft:

Weaknesses:
Gunslinger who can be reckless with the football
Has some mechanical issues to fix
Throws too many passes back across the field
Can sail deep balls too far
Will need to learn working under center
Will have to work on footwork with making drops from under center
Will need to learn working a NFL huddle
Will need to improve footwork
Needs development for a pro-style offense
College offense ran lot of plays he won't run in the NFL
Needs to take more check downs
Needs to work on staying in and being comfortable in the pocket


That player was Patrick Mahomes so how about you wait to see what the player does before assigning a label to him.

Yup.
I wonder what they said about Tom Brady....
Heck, he's still winning championships, 20 years later.
.
You never really know what you have.

 

[atlantacowboy]

Yup.
I wonder what they said about Tom Brady....
Heck, he's still winning championships, 20 years later.
.
You never really know what you have.

We certainly don't. At least Cox is a player Jerry might have caught on TV.

 

[jazzcat22]

Do you EVER have a single positive thought circulate through your melon? But then again, you’re obviously far more football savvy than all of the actual experts.

I truly question if half of these posters are true Cowboys fans.
They probably are fans, but more in the fair weather category. Very fair weather.

 

[kskboys]

Yep.. linebackers are not equipped to constantly be fighting off 320 pound dudes grabbing at them. Since the d-line has been sub par the linebackers have not really had a chance to show what they can or cannot do. All this noise about their lack of coverage skills is hilarious.. You know why guys like Gronk, Kelce, Kittle, Graham have destroyed defenses across the league? Because no linebacker is great in coverage. The good ones can anticipate and fill passing lanes but asking any of them to cover a good pass catching TE or RB one on one is a recipe for disaster. They do not possess the lateral agility and change of direction to be good at it. That's why Witten was able to get open on Y option even after he slowed down to a 5+ second 40 speed. Most linebackers couldn't even change direction with him. Put Jayon and LVE behind the Bucs or Rams d-line and both make the pro bowl.

Not to mention that playing behind a subpar DLine gets your LB's beat up and makes them possibly more prone to injuries.

Having a good disruptive DLine is what they call "Keeping your lb's clean". What you want is the DLine to keep the 320 pounders occupied. If everyone can be single blocked, there's extra blockers to hit your LB's.

 

[blueblood70]

Yep.. linebackers are not equipped to constantly be fighting off 320 pound dudes grabbing at them. Since the d-line has been sub par the linebackers have not really had a chance to show what they can or cannot do. All this noise about their lack of coverage skills is hilarious.. You know why guys like Gronk, Kelce, Kittle, Graham have destroyed defenses across the league? Because no linebacker is great in coverage. The good ones can anticipate and fill passing lanes but asking any of them to cover a good pass catching TE or RB one on one is a recipe for disaster. They do not possess the lateral agility and change of direction to be good at it. That's why Witten was able to get open on Y option even after he slowed down to a 5+ second 40 speed. Most linebackers couldn't even change direction with him. Put Jayon and LVE behind the Bucs or Rams d-line and both make the pro bowl.

not stretch i mean didnt both make PB here? lol but yes fans keep overlooking how bad the DL was last year..when Sean lee looks bad theres an issue and he took more then his share of bad angles and reads last year..