2015 Combine Stuff...

boozeman

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Why?

Mediots have him ranked in the 40-50 range but that's because he isn't a fit in all schemes, he's a perfect fit as a 3 technique in our scheme.
Take a look at this game and tell me you see the 27th best player in this draft pool.

 

boozeman

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I want the Cowboys to draft Ben Heeney's beard.
 

Cotton

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I don't think he's in the top 50 players in this draft.
Kiper has him ranked like 6th or 7th at his position so most likely not.
 

boozeman

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Sorry, wrong vid...


And we need a 3-technique? Did something happen to Crawford?

If I want another 3-T type, I could take Grady Jarrett a lot later.

We are talking about the first round.

Right now, I am pretty nervous that we can get a quality player on defense worth the pick.

Yeah you want to go BPA, but we need so much help on this defense and it doesn't look like we will have a shot at an elite player without moving up.
 

p1_

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Broaddus: Final Notes From Indy, Including A Look At Petty And A Buzzworthy WR

Broaddus: Final Notes From Indy, Including A Look At Petty And A Buzzworthy WR

Broaddus: Final Notes From Indy, Including A Look At Petty And A Buzzworthy WR
Sunday, February 22, 2015 11:04 AM CST
By Bryan Broaddus

Football Analyst/Scout
@BryanBroaddus

INDIANAPOLIS – A few final notes from this year’s NFL Combine, as we get ready to head back to Texas.



  • I found it a little odd when watching the running backs going through their workouts on Saturday that the best time in the 40-yard dash was only 4.42, turned in by Jeremy Langford of Michigan State -- who is the last guy that I would have bet on to lead this group. Studying tape before the Combine, I would have guessed that someone like Ameer Abdullah, Melvin Gordon or Duke Johnson would have had the best time. I have a feeling that when we get to these school Pro Days that we will see better times from these players which will be more in line to how they play on tape.


  • There was no surprise in how well that Phillip Dorsett of Miami ran with the wide receivers. On tape he plays like a player that can go at 4.33, which in all my years of coming to the Combine is rare. There is a long list of players that run sub-4.3's, but then you study their film and they play like they are 4.6. Dorsett is not that way at all. His timed speed is right in line with what we see when he played at Miami. There are some scouts that believe he needs to be more consistent with his overall play, but I thought he did a really nice job of catching the ball during the workout. Because of his speed I do believe there are plenty of options for him scheme-wise despite his height of 5-9. Player reminds me of a guy like Santana Moss that has played a number of years in this league.


  • I am looking forward to sitting down at my desk when I get back home and studying the day of Baylor quarterback Bryce Petty. From what I was able to see from the coverage by the NFL Network, it appeared that Petty had a nice day throwing the ball. I understand that all eyes were focused on the two top quarterbacks in the draft, but there is a side of me that believes -- and this is just from watching Baylor in some games when studying other players -- Petty has a real chance to be a successful quarterback in this league. I found myself taking a page out of Kurt Warner's quarterback scouting tips and that was to focus on Petty's lower body. His footwork was tidy and he appeared to play in balance. His weight transfer was solid. I thought he threw the ball on time and with accuracy. It didn’t appear that he was making these receivers have to work too much for the ball and there was plenty of power behind it. I am also looking forward to also hearing how he did in the mental side of the interviews, which is also an important part of the evaluation.


  • Georgia wide receiver Chris Conley had one of the all-time great workouts, numbers-wise, in Combine history. The buzz of a 45-inch vertical jump, followed by 11-foot-7-inch broad jump puts him in rare company. Before the Combine, Conley was evaluated as having 7th-round to free agent type of talent. You have heard me say this hundreds of times and it holds true in this case -- the film does not lie. Sure, Conley turned in a workout for the ages, but the tape tells the real story and that is he is what he is. What this workout did for Conley is that on that third day of the draft, when teams are looking for a player with physical traits to draft, his workout will separate him from the others in consideration and before his workout on Saturday afternoon, he might not have had that opportunity.


  • I was told by a couple of different scout buddies of mine to keep an eye on Kenny Bell of Nebraska if you are looking for a player to potentially replace unrestricted free agent Dwayne Harris. The word on Bell is that he is an outstanding special teams player and blocker, which is an area that the Cowboys could use if Harris does indeed leave for a better opportunity. Bell is taller than Harris and faster speed-wise after clocking a 4.42 on Saturday. Bell also had an impressive 41-inch vertical jump and caught the ball well in drills. Keep an eye on him as we get further along in this process.
 

GShock

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Right now, I am pretty nervous that we can get a quality player on defense worth the pick.

Yeah you want to go BPA, but we need so much help on this defense and it doesn't look like we will have a shot at an elite player without moving up.
I think that's probably true, which is why I would be ok going RT at 27. Continuity on the offensive line is critical, whereas our defensive scheme is to throw 2nd to 4th round and mid-level FA types at the dline. I wouldn't pass on a true dline difference maker, but I'm not willing to spend what it takes to go get one, either. Lawrence was pricey enough.
 

Simpleton

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Sorry, wrong vid...


And we need a 3-technique? Did something happen to Crawford?

If I want another 3-T type, I could take Grady Jarrett a lot later.

We are talking about the first round.

Right now, I am pretty nervous that we can get a quality player on defense worth the pick.

Yeah you want to go BPA, but we need so much help on this defense and it doesn't look like we will have a shot at an elite player without moving up.
Am I supposed to be discouraged by this video?

A video where he has a TFL 30 seconds in, 2 sacks, had penetration into the backfield on a play where the runner fumbles (a fumble possibly caused by him as well, I can't tell for sure though) and it's scooped for a TD, and another FF later in the game? Despite the fact that he was often double teamed or rushing on a line of only 3 because his team is up by 40+ all night?

Here's the thing, our main issue is a lack of pass rush. We can get some schlub like Nick Hayden or Terrell McClain alongside Crawford to hold up against the run in base formations, hell, our run defense was decent enough against the Packers in the playoffs with Bishop playing real snaps. Our problem is generating a consistent pass rush, and while Bennett isn't great against the run, he's a natural as a 3 technique at shooting gaps and getting upfield when rushing the passer.

To me, that is worth the 27th pick when we employ such a heavy rotation on the DL, the idea of Bennett and Crawford rushing from the interior in nickel/dime situations is very appealing. Then long term you hope that he can develop into a stronger player against the run.

I watched him against Alabama, Oregon and Michigan St. and am very confident that he can play that role well from the jump. I don't even know what this Wisconsin tape is supposed to prove but it does nothing but affirm that opinion for me. Most pundits have him in the 40-50 range, that is only because he isn't scheme-versatile and is undersized at about 290-300 lbs. He can't really play any spot in a 3-4 and he isn't great against the run, but for a team like us with such a heavy rotation, with such a need for pass rush, and in a scheme like this, he's a perfect fit to come in and do what he does best.

And I'm not saying he's my guy no matter what, there are a whole bunch of guys I'd take over him at 27, but in my opinion he should be a consideration and if we end up taking him there, I'm not complaining.
 

Jiggyfly

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The only DT I think we could have a shot at that I would want is Brown. Forget the likes of Goldman, Phillips, Davis at that stage. No wikey.
You don't like any of them at 27 or you think they will be gone?

I would take both Phillips and Goldman at 27 I think they upgrade the interior immensley.
 
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Deuce

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Josh Shaw is friggin jacked. He must have used all that suspended time at USC in the weight room.
 

Carp

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Monday's best performances from the NFL Scouting Combine
By Bryan Fischer and Chase Goodbread NFL.com

INDIANAPOLIS -- The NFL Scouting Combine wrapped up Monday with a thin class of defensive backs taking center stage for scouts at Lucas Oil Stadium. With fast 40-yard dashes and a plethora of on-field drills designed to test their flexibility, the top cornerbacks and safeties in college football were able to show what they're made of in front of all 32 NFL teams.

Here is a recap of the day's events:

Monday's top performances

1. Florida State cornerback Ronald Darby blazed a 4.38 40-yard dash, which was the third-fastest time among defensive backs Monday. Throw in a quality outing in the drills portion of the event, and there was some well-earned praise thrown his way.

2. UConn's Byron Jones wowed NFL scouts in a couple of areas Monday, but nowhere more than on the broad jump, where he soared a combine-best 12 feet, 3 inches. It was the best mark at the combine in 11 years, and he looked very rangy when being put through the paces during drills.

3. Cornerback Trae Waynes was considered by NFL Media analyst Mike Mayock to be the top corner in the 2015 NFL Draft, and he did nothing to change that with a blazing-fast 4.31 in the 40-yard dash, the fastest time of the day, and some terrific moves when running through drills. In short, he locked up his first-round selection and made himself a hot name on the road to Chicago.

4. Josh Shaw has been a buzzed about name around the combine because of the story surrounding his suspension from USC, but there were questions about his speed, and most viewed him as a press corner. He answered those questions with a 4.44 in the 40-yard dash, which most analysts agreed was a great mark for him. Add in the bench press number -- 26, the highest among defensive backs -- and Shaw helped himself at Lucas Oil Stadium.

5. Alabama's Landon Collins ran a 4.53 40-yard dash, and a 4.54 on his other attempt, to help solidify his status as the top safety prospect in a draft that is razor thin at that position. Don't expect Collins to do much other than position drills at Alabama's pro day event on March 11 -- his draft stock couldn't be helped much more.

What they're saying

"I thought he was going to be a little faster." NFL Media analyst Mike Mayock on second-rated cornerback Marcus Peters, who ran a 4.53 in the 40-yard dash.

* * *

"Golson tracks the ball as well as anyone I've seen in years." -- Mayock on Ole Miss All-American corner Senquez Golson, cautioning only that height (5-foot-9) will definitely be an issue for some teams.

Biggest workout winner

Many thought LSU cornerback Jalen Collins could solidify himself as a late first-round pick with a strong combine performance, but it was Florida State's Darby who might have inserted himself into the same discussion with an impressive afternoon. A former track star, Darby was expected to be fast and blazed a terrific 40 time of 4.38, but more important, he showed the quick hips and ability to roam that scouts were looking for. On top of that, he caught the ball better than most expected and didn't seem to have the "DB hands" he showed at times on his tape.

Biggest workout loser

TCU's Chris Hackett left school a season early in order to join the NFL and was hoping to stand on his quality tape. There were questions about his speed, however, and that seemed to be confirmed with his 4.81 40, the slowest time of any defensive back. Speed certainly matters at the position, so he'll need to keep training and run a better time at the Horned Frogs' pro day.

What NFL Network analysts are saying

"I think the two fastest corners in the building today might be in suits." -- NFL Media analyst Mike Mayock on the lack of depth of the cornerbacks at the combine, referring to Deion Sanders and DeAngelo Hall, who contributed to the NFL Network broadcast.

"The safety class is poor." -- Mayock said, giving his opinion of the group overall that many think is one of the weaker ones in some time.

Six other things we learned

1. There was a lot made about ex-Washington cornerback Marcus Peters after he was dismissed from school and missed most of last season, but he didn't show much rust when going through drills. His slower than expected 40 time of 4.53 might concern some, but he looked pretty sharp when moving around the turf and picking off passes. Peters had a nice backpedal and kept his center of gravity right where you wanted it.

2. UConn's Byron Jones managed to put on a big show Monday without even running a 40-yard dash. According to NFL Media insider Ian Rapoport, the UConn defensive back is still recovering from a surgery and will hold off on his 40 test until UCF's pro day March 31.

3. The New England Patriots figure to make a strong investment in the offensive line area in this draft, and bostonherald.com has connected some interesting dots between that search and the bevy of offensive line talent at Florida State. Seminoles guard Tre Jackson and versatile center Cam Erving are FSU's top prospects up front.

4. It's a thin year for safeties behind Alabama's Landon Collins, but a few of them had an opportunity to step up and throw their name into the mix -- yet they didn't. Obviously, more work will have to be done on this group, but there seems to be a significant drop off in terms of athletes after Collins and many folks' No. 2 player, Louisville's James Sample. If anybody helped his stock recently, Arizona State's Damarious Randall looked the part and had some good testing numbers.

5. You hate to put so much emphasis on 40 times, but Utah's Eric Rowe is a player many teams are looking at as both a safety and a corner. He ran a 4.45, which suggests he's fit to play corner, but given how thin the safety position is in the draft, he could have just earned himself some money with his ability to truly play both at the next level.

6. It might not have meant much, but it seemed like the throwing quarterbacks at the combine had their best day passing in terms of accuracy. That it came against the defensive back group meant it probably wasn't the greatest of news they received in Indy.
 

Carp

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boozeman

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Just goes to show you how awful the QB crop has been over the past decade.
 

boozeman

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Scouting Report: Breaking Down Top Combine Targets From The Defensive Workouts


Monday, February 23, 2015 2:08 PM CST

By Bryan Broaddus


Football Analyst/Scout



@BryanBroaddus


IRVING, Texas – We’re back in Texas, but I wanted to post some notes and reports about the more intriguing defenders at the NFL Combine this year. These are all guys who have worked out in the past two days, and could be very interesting targets for the Cowboys this spring.

DE/OLB Vic Beasley, Clemson DL #04

Plays with his hand on the ground as a defensive end but really is more suited to play as an outside linebacker. Will extend on the blocker with his hands and work off. Slide down the line and tackle. Needs to play with better awareness in locating the ball. Can beat blocks on the move with quickness. Can really run. Played off the low block and made the tackle. Got walled off inside against Georgia for a touchdown. Was able to get up the field and turn the ball back inside. Can get washed outside. Will show some pop with his hands (BC). Initial quickness off the snap with some shake on pass rush moves. Can get up the field. Will attack the corner. Will draw his share of double teams as a pass rusher. Has the ability to capture the edge. Needs to be a tad quicker on his inside rush. Will get chipped as a rusher. Blockers are well aware where he is rushing from. Can show an explosive first step. Cannot rush blockers down the middle. Awareness to read the screen. Can be a very hot and cold player. Going to need to play as an OLB.

DE Owa Odighizuwa, UCLA DL #34



Will line up as the strong side end. Will also line up in certain situations as a tackle. Wrap up tackler. More catch and then react. Would like to see him get off the blocker quicker. Will extend his hands to control but stays engaged. Needs to find the ball better. Appears strong but doesn’t play strong when it comes to shedding blockers. Can play into the blocks but doesn’t get off them. Ride blocker wide then work back inside. Uses his hands to play the low block. Will struggle against the down block by the tight end. Will get stuck along the line of scrimmage. Was able to get up the field and retrace his steps. Better getting off the block against Arizona. Some initial quickness off the snap. Missed low block with hands. Lateral quickness. Motor and effort better. Showed quickness and a burst around the corner. Will extend his arm then work around the blocker. Will play in a two point stance. Quick inside move. Aware for assignments. Play down the line, needs to finish tackle. Quick to come down the line. Better pass rush technique against Arizona. Quicker off the ball. Faced double team against USC. Able to burst inside. Can get penetration on the move. Had trouble when he had to disengage. Struggled to free himself. Doesn’t have many counter or pass rush moves. Finally was able to get a pressure on an inside move vs USC. Physically looks better than he plays. Much better on outside alignment than he is inside. Burst in space. Stayed square worked down the line. There are times where he tackles well than other times not. Can push the blocker when he wants. Able to get edge vs Virginia tipped ball for INT. Will dip his shoulder to get around blocker.

DE Preston Smith, Mississippi State DL #46

Will normally line up at right defensive end. Quick arm over move. Will carry out assignment. Hard up the field but needs to counter. Doesn’t have a burst. Had a really nice rush vs Ole Miss avoiding blocks on inside move. Worked up the field then back inside for a sack. Can hold the blocker off with one arm. Retraces steps works back inside for tackle. Doesn’t seem to play in balance. Got down blocked by the TE. Has played some as a one but nose as well. Has no plan as a rusher. Was asked to drop in coverage vs Ole Miss. Not able to redirect. Has a hard time getting home on the twist. Needs to fight pressure. Can play inside or out.

LB Paul Dawson, TCU LB #06

Will fill on the run but will also miss tackles in the hole. Would like to see better wrap up. Can be physical but will bounce off tackles. Athletic ability to avoid blocks. Times where he over runs plays. Caused a fumble against Minnesota on a strip. There are snaps where he plays light. Like how he attacks the ball. Able to go in and out of holes to make tackles. Doesn’t always play with the power at the point. Can make tackles when unblocked. Will dip around blockers to get to the ball. Shows the ability to find the ball. Very aggressive player. Baylor had success running the ball right at him. Had trouble with men in his face. Will sometimes run himself out of position. Will flow and fill. Timed leap well on 3rd and short play against Baylor. Bad read vs OSU where he jumped in the wrong gap with the ball at him. Aware for throw back to Maxx Williams vs Minnesota. Will try and jump routes. Had better success carrying tight ends up the field than running backs in the flat. It was like he was reaching or grabbing to stay in position. Is going to have to change the way that he plays pass coverage or he is going to be flagged a ton in the NFL.

CB Jalen Collins, LSU DB #07

Played the ball with his off hand. Plays both sides of the field. Will play out of the slot. Showed some catchup speed. Was aware playing in zone. Needs to drive quicker when play off vs the slant. Will wrap up as a tackler. Not good reactions when playing the slant. Quarterback throw back vs Ole Miss, played well but dropped the ball. Poor ball skills. When he gets his hands on the man he has a chance. Able to knock the ball away on cross. Can turn when he needs to. Will take some strange angles to the ball. When he tries to be physical will get knocked around. Can be all over the place with his technique. When he wants to mirror a receiver he can but then other times where he is not. Great job of covering Cooper of Alabama. Gave up a touchdown on the wheel route vs Ole Miss.

CB Marcus Peters, Washington DB #36

Looks comfortable playing in press coverage. Can turn and reroute receiver. Can adjust to the receiver on the move. Doesn’t allow the QB big windows to throw in. Doesn’t get help over the top. Nice position to play the ball along the sideline. Ability to carry his man across the field. Plays aware. Can redirect. Is a grab and hold on tackler. Will guess on coverage vs Oregon let man behind him in zone. Doesn’t look as comfortable playing in zone. Will jump routes. Reads quickly. Can close some ground. When he sees it he will break. Will take a poor angle to tackle. Were some snaps where it appeared that he had some balance issues. Able to play off block to make tackle on the screen but there was another time where he just held the blocker in place and let teammate make a tackle. Much better player in press man than off. Best traits are ability to cover and move. Don’t think he wants much to do with the tackling side of the game.

S James Sample, Louisville DB #42

Breaks down for the tackle. Will get rid of the blocker. Will attack the ball. Play with leverage on the outside when down. Has a nose for ball. Can cover some ground when he sees it. Wrap up tackler. Has a feel for how to blitz. Plays under control. Nice job against screen in Virginia. Able to read the slant and react. Missed interception on a crossing route. Has some stoutness in the way he plays. Can stop ball carrier in tracks. INT vs Clemson. Cover back in the flat. Gets his head around to find the ball. If he struggles he tends to get lost in play action coverage. Runs better than his 40 time. Just a really good football player. Makes all the plays in this secondary. His teammate Holliman is rated better as a player but to be honest it isn’t even close. There are times where he crosses Holliman to get to the ball to make a tackle.
 

Clay_Allison

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Just goes to show you how awful the QB crop has been over the past decade.
Hey, he may be all of those things. It just won't matter much since he will fail at handling the money, the attention, and the lifestyle. He's good at football, but he's not all about football.

No matter how talented he is, I wouldn't draft a party animal to be my QB in this day and age. Joe Namath could get away with it back in the day. Nowadays, the game is more sophisticated, TMZ is everywhere, and there is drug testing.

Basically, he's not RKG. :art
 
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