Prospects Dallas Has Shown Interest In - 2018

[Smitty]

I'll call it right now, 4 QB are going top 10. I think the Giants move out and a team moves in to take a QB. The Browns are for sure taking a QB. The Jets are for sure taking a QB. My guess is the Bills sell the farm to move up to 2 to take a QB. Which leaves the Broncos at 5 probably picking up the scraps.

Either way I think 4 QBs are gone before our pick at 19 and then possibly 5. For arguments sake Smith and Edmunds are both gone since we all know we would love them. Barkley, Minkah, Chubb, Ward and Nelson are all locks as well to be gone by our pick.

So now we are hypothetically threw 11 picks without batting an eye. You then have a bunch of guys like Davenport, Ridley, Vea and Payne who could all easily go in that next range. So while it may be slim, I still see a shot at James at 19.

James is without question ahead of Davenport, Ridley, Vea and Payne. James is in the same conversation as Minkah and Ward. 12-14 is like the absolute latest he will last.

 

[boozeman]

Power Schmitty day.

 

[Smitty]

Power Schmitty day.

You love it.

 

[Cowboysrock55]

James is without question ahead of Davenport, Ridley, Vea and Payne. James is in the same conversation as Minkah and Ward. 12-14 is like the absolute latest he will last.

Don't get me wrong I like Derwin more than those guys as well. But you under estimate teams desire to draft for need. If you are desperate for a pass rusher you'll take Davenport. If you absolutely need a WR you'll take Ridley. Everyone and their mother on this board claims Vea belongs in the top 15 of this draft.

Everyone always assumes worst case scenario. And on top of that they always assume that their favorite players for the Cowboys will be the favorite players for other teams. I'm not promising Derwin James will fall to us. But I also didn't think Badger would go for 7 mil. Or that Vaccarro and Reid would still be unsigned at this point. For whatever reason this is not a safety offseason. It has however been a big WR offseason.

 

[Smitty]

I do think that some WRs may surprise us and move up.

 

[Cowboysrock55]

I do think that some WRs may surprise us and move up.

I would not be shocked if two WRs are gone by our pick and if 3 guys go in the first round. These WR's are going to be a total team preference. I think multiple teams will have different WR's as their top guys. And with all the spread offenses in the NFL everyone wants to have multiple talented guys at that spot. Similar to how the Rams ran 3 deep last year with excellent WRs.

 

[boozeman]

I want no part of Leighton Vander Carpenter.

 

[Simpleton]

I want no part of Leighton Vander Carpenter.

What basis for comparison is there aside from them both being white and some chud on Twitter making an inane comparison?

 

[boozeman]

What basis for comparison is there aside from them both being white and some chud on Twitter making an inane comparison?

I prefer the angry Simp that agrees with me.

 

[Cowboysrock55]

What basis for comparison is there aside from them both being white and some chud on Twitter making an inane comparison?

I guess they are both white with great size and speed?

The problem I always had with Bobby was even though he was 250 + pounds he played like he was 215 pounds and I mean that in a bad way. There was absolutely no physicality or strength to his game. He basically went unblocked at Ohio State so his numbers looked great but he was a sally at taking on blocks.

Vander Esch from what I have seen at least has the functional strength to backup his size. He doesn't look laid back on the football field the way Carpenter did. But again, I'm not really sold on him at 19. If we took him in the late first I'd probably be good with it. But where we pick is the middle first in my opinion.

 

[Simpleton]

I guess they are both white with great size and speed?

The problem I always had with Bobby was even though he was 250 + pounds he played like he was 215 pounds and I mean that in a bad way. There was absolutely no physicality or strength to his game. He basically went unblocked at Ohio State so his numbers looked great but he was a sally at taking on blocks.

Vander Esch from what I have seen at least has the functional strength to backup his size. He doesn't look laid back on the football field the way Carpenter did. But again, I'm not really sold on him at 19. If we took him in the late first I'd probably be good with it. But where we pick is the middle first in my opinion.

Yea, I mean the other thing is that Carpenter was playing 3-4 OLB for us while Vander Esch would be drafted as an off-ball LB, which is much less demanding physically as far as taking on blocks.

My main gripe with Vander Esch is actually his ability to take on blocks but I don't think it's a strength/aggressiveness thing, I think it's mostly just a lack of experience and the fact that he's so good at using his speed/agility to work around blockers to find the ball. I also think his sideline to sideline range is much better than Carpenter. Carpenter's similar 40 time came on a fast track on campus at Ohio St., Vander Esch ran his at the Combine, I'm guessing in reality Carpenter was in the 4.7's.

I wouldn't be thrilled with Vander Esch at 19, he's one of the names on a long list of guys I would really like in the late 20's after a trade back, but I do think he deserves to be in the conversation at 19 if we select there.

 

[Simpleton]

I prefer the angry Simp that agrees with me.

Can't agree all the time.

 

[Cotton]

I prefer the angry Simp that agrees with me.

I'm not a big fan of his either.

Also, I do not care for Vander Esch.

 

[Cotton]

I guess they are both white with great size and speed?

The problem I always had with Bobby was even though he was 250 + pounds he played like he was 215 pounds and I mean that in a bad way. There was absolutely no physicality or strength to his game. He basically went unblocked at Ohio State so his numbers looked great but he was a sally at taking on blocks.

Vander Esch from what I have seen at least has the functional strength to backup his size. He doesn't look laid back on the football field the way Carpenter did. But again, I'm not really sold on him at 19. If we took him in the late first I'd probably be good with it. But where we pick is the middle first in my opinion.

So is Vander Esch.

 

[Cowboysrock55]

So is Vander Esch.

Vander Esch isn't a sally when he takes on blocks. He just doesn't do as well shedding them as I'd like. He definitely prefers to try and avoid the block instead of take the block on. He just looks more physical to me than Carpenter ever did his entire career.

It's why I'm not in love with the guy at 19 but I don't necessarily view him as Carpenter 2.0.

 

[Cowboysrock55]

I'm not a big fan of his either.

Also, I do not care for Vander Esch.

I hated Bobby Carpenter when we drafted him. He wasn't even the best LBer on his team. He was an unblocked over looked guy who ran around free.

At least with Vander Esch he was the star of that defense. He wasn't just running around going unnoticed.

With that being said, who do you like better, Vander Esch or Rashaan Evans? Both are coming in for predraft visits. Both are projected in the middle to late first round. I'm not super high on either but I think I'm way higher on Vander Esch. I'm not an Evans guy. To me he is a second round pick. He is not the same guy as Foster. He reminds me more of the run of the mill MLBers we see out of Alabama every year that belong somewhere in the second round. Solid NFL contributors but nothing special.

 

[Cotton]

I hated Bobby Carpenter when we drafted him. He wasn't even the best LBer on his team. He was an unblocked over looked guy who ran around free.

At least with Vander Esch he was the star of that defense. He wasn't just running around going unnoticed.

With that being said, who do you like better, Vander Esch or Rashaan Evans? Both are coming in for predraft visits. Both are projected in the middle to late first round. I'm not super high on either but I think I'm way higher on Vander Esch. I'm not an Evans guy. To me he is a second round pick. He is not the same guy as Foster. He reminds me more of the run of the mill MLBers we see out of Alabama every year that belong somewhere in the second round. Solid NFL contributors but nothing special.

I want neither of them at 19. In a trade back scenario, I probably go with Vander Esch.

 

[Cowboysrock55]

I want neither of them at 19. In a trade back scenario, I probably go with Vander Esch.

That's how I feel as well. Shit I prefer Hernandez at 19 to either of them. At least I can view Hernandez as a dominant run blocker in the NFL. Just so big and strong.

The problem is right now our predraft visits that I know of and are first round prospects are Ridley (Probably gone), Vander Esch, Hernandez and Evans. Obviously more names will come but that scares me a little in the first. At least I think Vander Esch has the potential to be an elite LBer. Evans is a low ceiling but high floor guy. I doubt he is every anything more than a solid starter. But I also don't think he will be a Bobby Carpenter type bust. Just sort of a meh guy.

I'm starting to like the idea of trade down more and more unless a Darwin James type falls to us. But the odds of that are less than 50%.

*Edit* saw a list that has us bringing in Christian Kirk as well.

 

[Simpleton]

So is Vander Esch.

He isn't.

He's so good laterally and working around blocks that he has a bad habit of trying to do that but he's definitely physical enough to sit in there and take on linemen once he develops/improves his technique in the pros.

The other thing is that Carpenter was a 3-4 OLB, often working heads up vs. OT's in Parcells very strict 2-gap 3-4, that's not what Vander Esch will be doing at all.

 

[Cowboysrock55]

He isn't.

He's so good laterally and working around blocks that he has a bad habit of trying to do that but he's definitely physical enough to sit in there and take on linemen once he develops/improves his technique in the pros.

The other thing is that Carpenter was a 3-4 OLB, often working heads up vs. OT's in Parcells very strict 2-gap 3-4, that's not what Vander Esch will be doing at all.

I don't excuse Carpenter for that though. He was trash. They tried him in the middle as well. And then he left Dallas and never became shit either. He was just a bad player who was drafted way higher than he should be. I hated him out of Ohio State. Their scheme had him going unblocked on almost every play he made. I'm not talking about dodging a block. I remember just giant holes and him running straight forward.