You want to fix the front 7? Start looking at NT

[TheFinisher]

Many of us know that we need some work to do on the D-Line but now that Rob Ryan is here I don't think DE needs to be addressed anymore. Ratliff WILL be an End in Rob's scheme, he's just not a Nose in his defense. Once that move is announced we will have Ratliff, Igor, Bowen, and Hatcher/Spears. If you ask me, that's a pretty darn good group. What Rob will be looking for is a big Nose Tackle and we will be looking to grab one early in this draft.

Who are some Nose Tackles that you guys like? My favorite is Phil Taylor and his stock is soaring from Senior Bowl practices. His value should be good with our 2nd rounder.

 

[realtick]

I'm not sure I would give him a 2nd round grade yet, but I've really liked what I've seen from Phil Taylor so far.

 

[BrAinPaiNt]

Many of us know that we need some work to do on the D-Line but now that Rob Ryan is here I don't think DE needs to be addressed anymore. Ratliff WILL be an End in Rob's scheme, he's just not a Nose in his defense. Once that move is announced we will have Ratliff, Igor, Bowen, and Hatcher/Spears. If you ask me, that's a pretty darn good group. What Rob will be looking for is a big Nose Tackle and we will be looking to grab one early in this draft.

Who are some Nose Tackles that you guys like? My favorite is Phil Taylor and his stock is soaring from Senior Bowl practices. His value should be good with our 2nd rounder.

I like what I see from Phil Taylor in the senior bowl practices. However I don't like that I have heard from different people that he has been a bit of a lazy guy or under achiever prior to this. Don't know if that is true but have heard it.

Chris Neild I like, but it is bias from me as a WVU homer. He is not as big or strong as Phil but he has a motor that can not be questioned and I think he is a good player. I just don't know how much of a player he would be in the NFL.

 

[TheFinisher]

I like what I see from Phil Taylor in the senior bowl practices. However I don't like that I have heard from different people that he has been a bit of a lazy guy or under achiever prior to this. Don't know if that is true but have heard it.

Chris Neild I like, but it is bias from me as a WVU homer. He is not as big or strong as Phil but he has a motor that can not be questioned and I think he is a good player. I just don't know how much of a player he would be in the NFL.

Meh, Taylor was a highly recruited player out of HS and didn't reach expectations at Penn St. Since he transferred to Baylor he has been very good and at times dominating this season. I haven't heard that he was lazy though, so that's interesting.

 

[TheCount]

I like what I see from Phil Taylor in the senior bowl practices. However I don't like that I have heard from different people that he has been a bit of a lazy guy or under achiever prior to this. Don't know if that is true but have heard it.

I haven't watched a lot of Phil Taylor but I wasn't impressed by his bowl performance at all, then come Senior Bowl people are saying he's doing great, so I don't know what to think about him at this point. It's a crap year to need a NT.

 

[Chocolate Lab]

I like what I see from Phil Taylor in the senior bowl practices. However I don't like that I have heard from different people that he has been a bit of a lazy guy or under achiever prior to this. Don't know if that is true but have heard it.

I've heard it, too. A noted poster on here has insisted on it.

But on another board there's an old coach I've talked to some who has been good friends with Art Briles for a long time, still scouts some for him, attends some Baylor practices, and knows a lot of people there. He said they've told him that Taylor's attitude got straightened out after his Penn State ordeal, and that Taylor has never been a problem and has always practiced hard.

So I tend to believe he's not as lazy as some people claim.

 

[The Realist]

Phil Taylor reminds me of Gabe Watson who went in the 4th round.

 

[TheCoolFan]

Lazy or not, he must be doing something intensive in his workouts to be able to weigh 340 pounds and still be quick on his feet. At least he's out there trying to improve his stock while some guys didn't even want to attend. Anyway, some 3-4 NT prospects I like:

Phil Taylor
Jerrell Powe
Kenrick Ellis
Sione Fua

Other guys I like for 3-4 DE:

Nick Fairley
Marcel Dareus
Cameron Jordan
Cameron Heyward
Christian Ballard
Jarvis Jenkins
Cedric Thornton

I'm not sold on Adrian Clayborn. I also find it suspicious that he didn't want to go to the Senior Bowl, especially after a quiet senior year.

 

[natesboys051]

Lazy or not, he must be doing something intensive in his workouts to be able to weigh 340 pounds and still be quick on his feet. At least he's out there trying to improve his stock while some guys didn't even want to attend. Anyway, some 3-4 NT prospects I like:

Phil Taylor
Jerrell Powe
Kenrick Ellis
Sione Fua

Other guys I like for 3-4 DE:

Nick Fairley
Marcel Dareus
Cameron Jordan
Cameron Heyward
Christian Ballard
Jarvis Jenkins
Cedric Thornton

I'm not sold on Adrian Clayborn. I also find it suspicious that he didn't want to go to the Senior Bowl, especially after a quiet senior year.

We definitely need a mammoth NT like either Phil Taylor or Kenrick Ellis on our defense who can stonewall double-teams and stuff runs up our soft middle and inside the 5yd line (goal-line defense) as well as stuff Brandon Jacobs and the other big backs (220lbs and up) in this league.

 

[TheSport78]

Many of us know that we need some work to do on the D-Line but now that Rob Ryan is here I don't think DE needs to be addressed anymore. Ratliff WILL be an End in Rob's scheme, he's just not a Nose in his defense. Once that move is announced we will have Ratliff, Igor, Bowen, and Hatcher/Spears. If you ask me, that's a pretty darn good group. What Rob will be looking for is a big Nose Tackle and we will be looking to grab one early in this draft.

Who are some Nose Tackles that you guys like? My favorite is Phil Taylor and his stock is soaring from Senior Bowl practices. His value should be good with our 2nd rounder.

Definitely not set at DE.

Spears won't be back. Neither will Hatcher.

Igor needs to be upgraded if possible. The guy really annoys me.

Bowen is a solid player but is he a starter or just a role player? Gotta bring him back though.

There's a pretty big need on the DL whether or not we move Ratliff to DE.

 

[TheFinisher]

Phil Taylor reminds me of Gabe Watson who went in the 4th round.

Besides the fact they both had really good Senior Bowl weeks, their college careers were very different. Taylor was a much better player.

 

[WarC]

Nick Fairley is a beast. I'd love to see him in a Cowboys uniform, although he does have an awful mean streak.

 

[burmafrd]

The absolute must have for a NT is a non-stop MOTOR. If a guy even has a hint of being lazy you need to move on.

 

[YosemiteSam]

Could we just get Wade Phillips to play NT?

 

[YosemiteSam]

Nick Fairley is a beast. I'd love to see him in a Cowboys uniform, although he does have an awful mean streak.

He also has a habit of not bringing it all the time. (like say, Fat Albert does)