Williams: Rookie safety J.J. Wilcox doesn't think his inexperience will keep him from

Cotton

One-armed Knife Sharpener
Staff member
Joined
Apr 7, 2013
Messages
119,696
Rookie safety J.J. Wilcox doesn't think his inexperience will keep him from competing for a starting job

J.J. Wilcox played offense his first three seasons at Georgia Southern. He admits he was "hesitant" when the idea of moving to safety was proposed to him by head coach Jeff Monken before Wilcox's senior season.

But Wilcox, who hadn't played safety since he was a two-way player in high school, wouldn't have been a third-round draft pick as a slot receiver or as a running back. The Cowboys drafted WIlcox in the third round, gambling on his upside.

"I’m a team player," said Wilcox, who caught 45 career passes for 898 yards and four touchdowns and had 138 carries for 968 yards and 13 touchdowns. "I love to win, so whatever it takes to win, I’m all in."

Having been a safety for only one season, Wilcox has a long way to go before he makes an impact at the position in the NFL.

"Light years. Light years," Cowboys defensive backs coach Jerome Henderson said when asked how far away Wilcox is. "You have that coupled with the fact that the league he played in. He jumped into this league with only one year at the job. Then, just the adjustment that all rookies have. He’s got a lot to adjust to and learn."

But Wilcox doesn't think his inexperience at the position will prevent him from winning a starting job. That is his goal.

"I think my ability, the characteristics I have, I can contribute and hopefully turn into an NFL starting safety on Day 1," he said.

The Cowboys are unsettled at the position after releasing Gerald Sensabaugh. They have faith that Barry Church can return from a torn Achilles' tendon he suffered in Week 3 and that Matt Johnson can develop into the player they drafted with a fourth-rounder last year. Johnson missed his entire rookie season with hamstring and back injuries. The Cowboys did sign Will Allen in free agency, though he has started only 33 games in six seasons and now is with his third team.

Still, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is not concerned about the position.

"I think we are unproven would be the overall assessment," Jones said. "Church has played and has shown us that if he can play at the level that he’s shown us, then we’re going to have a really outstanding safety. The other guys, Johnson and these guys we’ve brought in from the draft, they’ve got to show it. That’s one of the other good things that I think Monte [Kiffin] and Jerome bring is that we’re going to have a system here that those guys can not have to think about and can go out there and use that natural, physical ability they have and their natural speed. These guys have that, and they’re all very aggressive. I think that we have really something to work with here. I think that we will benefit a lot from a scheme that emphasizes what these guys bring – big, physical guys who like to hit. ...If you look at their backgrounds, the thing that comes up is tough. That’s a common thread that was in all of their evaluations was how tough they are. I’m talking about the new guys we brought in. We know about Church.

"I’m looking forward to seeing how it evolves."

-- Charean Williams
 

boozeman

28 Years And Counting...
Staff member
Joined
Apr 7, 2013
Messages
121,730
"We know about Church."

How the frick do we know based off a couple of games?

Really?
 

Cotton

One-armed Knife Sharpener
Staff member
Joined
Apr 7, 2013
Messages
119,696
Carlos A. Mendez ‏@calexmendez 1m
From J.J. Wilcox: 'The speed of the game is two times faster. College, you could take plays off sometimes. But not here in the NFL.'
 

Clay_Allison

Old Bastard
Joined
Apr 8, 2013
Messages
5,488
"Light years. Light years," Cowboys defensive backs coach Jerome Henderson said when asked how far away Wilcox is. "You have that coupled with the fact that the league he played in. He jumped into this league with only one year at the job. Then, just the adjustment that all rookies have. He’s got a lot to adjust to and learn."
This is the kind of stupid flyer that would be a head scratcher in round six, but we've taken garbage small school safeties in premium rounds two years in a row now. They didn't learn anything from the AOA experiment, no surprise there.
 

Smitty

DCC 4Life
Joined
Apr 7, 2013
Messages
22,488
Why we insist on taking projects in the 4th round is beyond me. Especially when that round is usually where you can find long-term non-elite starting players at a pretty good clip.

It's a Jerry special back to the days of Pete Hunter in the 5th. He just loves the projects.
 

junk

Not So New Member
Joined
Apr 8, 2013
Messages
580
Why we insist on taking projects in the 4th round is beyond me. Especially when that round is usually where you can find long-term non-elite starting players at a pretty good clip.

It's a Jerry special back to the days of Pete Hunter in the 5th. He just loves the projects.
We took this project in the third. But it was the second third so it was basically a fourth. BW Webb was our annual fourth round project. We got two this year!
 

Cowboysrock55

Super Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Apr 7, 2013
Messages
52,453
We took this project in the third. But it was the second third so it was basically a fourth. BW Webb was our annual fourth round project. We got two this year!
I actually think Webb will turn out pretty good. I get the feeling he isn't really all that raw for a small school dude. Wilcox on the other hand would have been considered a project coming from a big time school having only played safety a year.
 

boozeman

28 Years And Counting...
Staff member
Joined
Apr 7, 2013
Messages
121,730
We took this project in the third. But it was the second third so it was basically a fourth. BW Webb was our annual fourth round project. We got two this year!
Black wiener was a safer pick than Wilcocks.

Shit. WTF
 

Jiggyfly

Banned
Joined
Apr 8, 2013
Messages
9,220
This is the kind of stupid flyer that would be a head scratcher in round six, but we've taken garbage small school safeties in premium rounds two years in a row now. They didn't learn anything from the AOA experiment, no surprise there.
Wilcox was projected by everybody to be taken in that range calling him a head scratcher in the sixth is major hyperbole, dial it down a bit dude.:lol
 

Smitty

DCC 4Life
Joined
Apr 7, 2013
Messages
22,488
We took this project in the third. But it was the second third so it was basically a fourth. BW Webb was our annual fourth round project. We got two this year!
:lol

Good point.
 

Clay_Allison

Old Bastard
Joined
Apr 8, 2013
Messages
5,488
Wilcox was projected by everybody to be taken in that range calling him a head scratcher in the sixth is major hyperbole, dial it down a bit dude.:lol
You can have your opinion, I can have mine. If a guy is small school player and changing positions he's too much of a project to be on my draft board.

I wouldn't take Wilcox, Matt Johnson, Akwasi Owosu-Ansah, or any more guys like that in any round. And when Wilcox busts, he'll prove he wasn't worth a pick.
 

Cowboysrock55

Super Moderator
Staff member
Joined
Apr 7, 2013
Messages
52,453
You can have your opinion, I can have mine. If a guy is small school player and changing positions he's too much of a project to be on my draft board.

I wouldn't take Wilcox, Matt Johnson, Akwasi Owosu-Ansah, or any more guys like that in any round. And when Wilcox busts, he'll prove he wasn't worth a pick.
It wasn't a head scratcher of a pick in the sense that it wasn't a reach according to expectations of where he should go. Wilcox went right in the range everyone thought he would as the top small school safety in this draft. That doesn't mean I like the pick because I don't. There were other safeties in this draft I would have much rather had. The Senior Bowl did Wilcox a lot of good.
 

ravidubey

DCC 4Life
Joined
Apr 7, 2013
Messages
20,162
The odds are very high out of the gate that one of Wilcox and Webb won't make it. The success rate for small school DB's is low to begin with but they compounded the risk by taking two and each a full round early.
 

Clay_Allison

Old Bastard
Joined
Apr 8, 2013
Messages
5,488
It wasn't a head scratcher of a pick in the sense that it wasn't a reach according to expectations of where he should go. Wilcox went right in the range everyone thought he would as the top small school safety in this draft. That doesn't mean I like the pick because I don't. There were other safeties in this draft I would have much rather had. The Senior Bowl did Wilcox a lot of good.
If he was rated to go in that range, I can't see why. Success in the NFL is going to be a major long shot for a guy with that much to learn. On top of that, even if he can be developed it will take years and his rookie contract would be almost up by the time he's starting.
 

L.T. Fan

I'm Easy If You Are
Joined
Apr 7, 2013
Messages
21,689
While the game of football takes a reasonable amount of intelligence you don't have to be a genius to learn it. The kid has what is important. He he fast and physical. Who knows, he might be the next Darren Woodson after all.
 

boozeman

28 Years And Counting...
Staff member
Joined
Apr 7, 2013
Messages
121,730
While the game of football takes a reasonable amount of intelligence you don't have to be a genius to learn it. The kid has what is important. He he fast and physical. Who knows, he might be the next Darren Woodson after all.
Woodson actually was a smart player who quarterbacked the secondary. This kid is still figuring out how to play the position.
 

L.T. Fan

I'm Easy If You Are
Joined
Apr 7, 2013
Messages
21,689
Woodson actually was a smart player who quarterbacked the secondary. This kid is still figuring out how to play the position.
I wasn't comparing him to Woodson rather making a point that he has the primary requisites to play the game. He may have adequate learning skills and again who knows. I wouldn't write him off yet.
 
Top Bottom