Sporting News Mock with Calvin Ridley Interview

[lostxn]

There's no question that they need a deep threat -- or two. I just think a WR receiver in the first round needs to be a Randy Moss (minus the personality issues). Otherwise, some truly excellent WRs emerge in the second and third rounds.

Just like most positions, your hit rate in the first round is higher than other rounds. Don't let one off-year scare you off. Dez was a first rounder, Harper was a first rounder, Irvin was a first rounder, Terry Glenn was a first rounder, Joey Galloway was a first rounder, Keyshawn Johnson was a first rounder. Other than Terrell Owens and Miles Austin, our best receivers for the last god knows how many years have been drafted high. If you want to talk the whole league, Calvin Johnson, Jerry Rice, Randy Moss were all first rounders. Yes there is the occasional Drew Pearsons but the hit rate is lower.

I think Moore and Ridley are clearly better than the rest by a fair piece. Is it possible, even likely, someone from the field will end up being better than those two? Probably. However, which one is it going to be?

 

[boozeman]

This is one of the weaker drafts for WRs in a long time. I don't feel good about any one of them to say they are among the 20 best players in this draft.

 

[Cowboysrock55]

All true. It could be that I'm emotionally scarred from Jerry's unending quest for the silver bullet WR, and all the disastrous deals he made in search of the WR Holy Grail. He at one time was channeling Al Davis in the belief that winning always boiled down to elite WRs streaking down the field.

There's no question that they need a deep threat -- or two. I just think a WR receiver in the first round needs to be a Randy Moss (minus the personality issues). Otherwise, some truly excellent WRs emerge in the second and third rounds.

Interestingly, the Cowboys have gone from the worship of messiah WRs -- Galloway, Ismail, Glenn, Owens, Williams -- to a reliance on one talented but fading head case in Bryant.

Well and that's the other thing. I don't think that one great WR does you all that much. What you really want is 3 really good WR's who can all beat man coverage regularly. One great WR is too easy for a defense to focus in on. So a Dez Bryant for example going in and out of the lineup you might not see a ton of difference as a result. Teams just put a corner on him and maybe give safety help. Allows the corner to jump all the short stuff and prevents the deep ball. With Dez not in the lineup defenses are still going to have a deep safety so they have to decide where to put him. So they do it to Terrance or someone else but who cares. You're not going to throw to Williams then.

It's why I'd much rather and offense with three high end number 2 WR's who can all get open as opposed to a true number 1 WR.

 

[Cowboysrock55]

This is one of the weaker drafts for WRs in a long time. I don't feel good about any one of them to say they are among the 20 best players in this draft.

Ridley is the only one I can say that about. Not to say I don't like Kirk or Moore because I do but Ridley is way better than some are giving credit. This is a guy who was able to make defenders look absolutely silly. I think it's a situation of paralysis by analysis. He has been the top guy for so long that people are almost trying to convince themselves out of him. I don't get it.

I think he absolutely turns out better than guys like Mike Williams and Treadwell.

 

[ravidubey]

This is one of the weaker drafts for WRs in a long time. I don't feel good about any one of them to say they are among the 20 best players in this draft.

And you know teams are going to be reaching for them left and right.

 

[Cowboysrock55]

And you know teams are going to be reaching for them left and right.

Maybe but maybe they also all look at the great depth at WR and think what many on this board have said which is that "we can get one later." And as a result you see some guys pushed down. The draft is fickle like that. But as soon as you see a run on WR's I think you could see a lot of them start to go. Which is why I don't know it's safe to assume that some will still be there in the third or fourth round.

 

[lostxn]

This is one of the weaker drafts for WRs in a long time. I don't feel good about any one of them to say they are among the 20 best players in this draft.

Ridley has been consistently ranked in the top 20. The lowest I ever see him drop is to us.

 

[Cowboysrock55]

Ridley has been consistently ranked in the top 20. The lowest I ever see him drop is to us.

And frankly there was a time where if he fell to 19 it would take a small miracle. I saw a Marvin Harrison comparison for him which might be perfect. Very similar guys in a lot of ways. And proof that you don't have to be 210 pounds to be a number 1 WR.

Oddly enough Marvin Harrison was draft at pick... 19

 

[NoDak]

I don’t like drafting age in the first couple rounds. I’ll only be happy with Ridley at 19 if all of our (my) targets are gone and we can’t trade down.

 

[Cowboysrock55]

I don’t like drafting age in the first couple rounds. I’ll only be happy with Ridley at 19 if all of our (my) targets are gone and we can’t trade down.

I'm with you, I prefer my guy to be 21 in the first. But I don't know that 23 years old has me that freaked out. It's 2 years and generally speaking great route runners last longer in the NFL at WR.

 

[NoDak]

I'm not saying I don't like Ridley. I do. But I'd prefer he was younger. He's closer to his ceiling than say a guy of the same talent level, that is 2-3 years younger.

I wonder if part of why he looked so good is because he was 22-23 going up against 18-19 year old guys.

 

[lostxn]

And frankly there was a time where if he fell to 19 it would take a small miracle. I saw a Marvin Harrison comparison for him which might be perfect. Very similar guys in a lot of ways. And proof that you don't have to be 210 pounds to be a number 1 WR.

Oddly enough Marvin Harrison was draft at pick... 19

Brugler had Ridley at 11.

 

[Cowboysrock55]

Brugler had Ridley at 11.

I honestly don't get the #2 WR tag. As though the NFL hasn't seen a ton of number 1 WRs who are 6'1" or shorter.

 

[L.T. Fan]

disagree

If Bryant stays on the roster I think he should compete for a spot or go to the back of the line. He has done zip over the past two years to be given any special treatment consideration.