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Cowboys Draft '14, Draft Chat Pt. 6 - How Many 4-3 Fits?
Posted by Rafael at Monday, January 13, 2014
Part six of Cowboys Nation's draft chat series breaks down the first round by position groups, and shows limited options for those looking for a 1st round defensive lineman who fits Dallas' scheme.
Cowboys Nation: In Cowboys world, everybody knows the team need to revamp its defensive line, but from what I'm hearing, the depth and value in the first round, at least in the first 20 picks or so, appears to be on offense.
TD: Without a doubt. You look at the depth in the first round and its a quarterback-driven draft. It's an offensive linemen-driven draft. You have some talented defensive backs and you have some talented wide receivers, but you look up and down the early mock drafts and it's QBs, offensive linemen and some other key positions mixed in.
CN: You say there are other positions "mixed in." What are those other positions? What does the top-20 look like, by position?
TD: There are a couple of pass rushers. Jadeveon Clowney, obviously. You have [Kony] Ealy from Missouri. He's one of those 6'5", 275 buys who are high cut, and really athletic. There are some impressive outside linebackers who show the flexibility to play in a 3-4 or 4-3 scheme. Anthony Barr from UCLA is a big linebacker who I think could be effective in either scheme.
Kalil Mack from Buffalo is another 250 lb. linebacker who can play in either scheme. I was talking to one scout who could not stop raving about him. He thought Mack has the ability to be a stud in the NFL. He's got the ability to run, he's tough to move at the point of attack.
You move to wide receiver and you have Mike Evans, Sammy Watkins and Marquise Lee. I think those three can be really good NFL players.
You add C.J. Moseley, who looks like a 3-4 inside backer and Ryan Shazier from Ohio State who looks like a more traditional 4-3 backer and you're getting close to 20 players.
CN: Let's break it down by position, starting where we were last week. It sounds like three quarterbacks in the top 20, maybe four if some GM falls in love with Derek Carr?
TD: I'm not the biggest Carr fan, so I'd hold off putting him in there, but Teddy Bridgewater, Johnny Football and Blake Bortles, definitely.
CN I don't hear any running backs mentioned.
TD: No, and that position has become so devalued, I don't see any in this draft.
CN: Tight ends?
TD: One, maybe. I could see Eric Ebron from North Carolina make it, but a lot will depend on how he runs. He could end up slipping into the 2nd if his times are not strong.
And if you look at the wide receiver position, Mike Evans can probably play the Jimmy Graham role better than any tight end in this draft. He's 6'5", 230 and you could line him up in a number of places and create mismatches. You have Sammy Watkins, who could be one of the better wide receiver prospects to come out in a while. And I really like Marquise Lee. He was underutilized at USC and he could be a special player. He's better than Robert Woods, who went in the 2nd round to Buffalo.
CN: That's seven players if Ebron makes it. Moving to offensive line, how many tackles would you put in the top 20, four or five?
TD: Four. I'd put Jake Matthews, Greg Robinson, Cyrus Kouandjio and Taylor Lewin in there. I'm probably the shakiest on Lewin.
CN: That's ten, twelve offensive players. Move to defense. Where is the depth on that side of the ball?
TD: There are some really good linebackers this year. We've gone over Anthony Barr and Khalil Mack. C.J. Moseley is a real nice player. Vic Beasley from Clemson is another good player, though I think he's just outside the top 20. I'd say the same for Ryan Shazier, I think he's in that last third of the first round.
That gets us to the weakness at the top of this draft. There are not great 4-3 defensive tackles. I think one reason Clowney is so highly valued is that he's one of the few true 4-3 ends who can put his hand on the ground and get it done for you. You can also move him inside on passing downs.
You have Louis Nix from Notre Dame, but he's a 3-4 guy. There are no real pass rushing defensive tackles at the top of this draft. Ra'Shede Hageman is a really different type of player. He's 6'6", 311 lbs. I could see him being a real nice fit for a 3-4 team as a 5-technique. You don't see a lot of really tall 4-3 defensive tackles, and I think that will be a real struggle for 4-3 teams who are looking for an interior rusher this year.
CN: If the tackle position is thin, how the the 4-3 end class stack up?
TD: Once you get past Clowney, you' have players like Timmy Jernigan from Florida State. He's an undersized defensive tackle. I think you should keep him there. Then you have Ealy from Missouri, he's a high-cut 275. You have Stephon Tuitt from Notre Dame. I think he's a 3-4 guy. He's 6'5" and about 300 lbs.
The one guy I really like who can be a productive player for a long time, who can do a lot of good things versus the run and the pass is Stanford's Trent Murphy. He's 6'6", 261. He plays with a lot of heart. He's got good hand placement. He can change directions. He's not an elite athlete, but I see another Ryan Kerrigan type player, who can get eight, nine, ten sacks a year. Now Kerrigan plays in a 3-4 but I think you'll get that type of consistent production from Murphy.
You have Jackson Jeffcoat from Texas. He's a bit of an overachiever, but he has some talent. Demarcus Lawrence from Boise State is another guy who plays really hard. Those are some of my favorite 4-3 ends, but I really like Murphy, because he's a complete package and I think he could be very productive for a team for a long time.
CN: Where does Murphy project right now, and I mean by position? Is he a strong-side end, a weak-side end?
TD: He's a bit of a tweener, because he relies on technique and a willingness to do the dirty work. My gut says he would play the strong side, but I could see him playing some on the weak side. I'd say strong side, though, because teams generally want more dynamic players on the weak side.
CN: This is an annual question if you're a Cowboys draft fanatic. Are there any 1st-round safety prospects in this class?
TD: I knew that question was coming. I think there are two free safeties with the chance to be first rounders. One is the underclassman who just declared, HaHa Clinton-Dix from Alabama. He's 6'1", 208, he's got good technique. He'll get leggy in coverage at times but he'll come up and smack you in the run game. There's also Calvin Pryor from Louisville. He's an even bigger safety. I like Clinton Dix a little more, because I think he's more fluid in coverage, and because he's got the ability to be physical in the run game.
Clinton Dix is probably a 2nd rounder now, but his 40 time will dictate where he goes. If he runs really well, he could wind up in the 1st, and he's the one guy you might roll the dice on high. I like him the best and I know a lot of scouts feel the same way.
CN: Say again, where do you see him?
TD: I'd say right now he's in that 25-40 range. That's where scouts put guys like him until they see them run. If he posts a time under 4.55, then that would really help him move up the charts. But for now, I'd stick with 25-40.
Dion Bailey from USC is another safety I like. He's 6'0" 200 lbs. He's rated in the 2nd-3rd round range right now, but he could move up a little, depending on his time. He's a bit smaller than Clinton-Dix but he's another free safety who spots the football well.
Posted by Rafael at Monday, January 13, 2014
Part six of Cowboys Nation's draft chat series breaks down the first round by position groups, and shows limited options for those looking for a 1st round defensive lineman who fits Dallas' scheme.
Cowboys Nation: In Cowboys world, everybody knows the team need to revamp its defensive line, but from what I'm hearing, the depth and value in the first round, at least in the first 20 picks or so, appears to be on offense.
TD: Without a doubt. You look at the depth in the first round and its a quarterback-driven draft. It's an offensive linemen-driven draft. You have some talented defensive backs and you have some talented wide receivers, but you look up and down the early mock drafts and it's QBs, offensive linemen and some other key positions mixed in.
CN: You say there are other positions "mixed in." What are those other positions? What does the top-20 look like, by position?
TD: There are a couple of pass rushers. Jadeveon Clowney, obviously. You have [Kony] Ealy from Missouri. He's one of those 6'5", 275 buys who are high cut, and really athletic. There are some impressive outside linebackers who show the flexibility to play in a 3-4 or 4-3 scheme. Anthony Barr from UCLA is a big linebacker who I think could be effective in either scheme.
Kalil Mack from Buffalo is another 250 lb. linebacker who can play in either scheme. I was talking to one scout who could not stop raving about him. He thought Mack has the ability to be a stud in the NFL. He's got the ability to run, he's tough to move at the point of attack.
You move to wide receiver and you have Mike Evans, Sammy Watkins and Marquise Lee. I think those three can be really good NFL players.
You add C.J. Moseley, who looks like a 3-4 inside backer and Ryan Shazier from Ohio State who looks like a more traditional 4-3 backer and you're getting close to 20 players.
CN: Let's break it down by position, starting where we were last week. It sounds like three quarterbacks in the top 20, maybe four if some GM falls in love with Derek Carr?
TD: I'm not the biggest Carr fan, so I'd hold off putting him in there, but Teddy Bridgewater, Johnny Football and Blake Bortles, definitely.
CN I don't hear any running backs mentioned.
TD: No, and that position has become so devalued, I don't see any in this draft.
CN: Tight ends?
TD: One, maybe. I could see Eric Ebron from North Carolina make it, but a lot will depend on how he runs. He could end up slipping into the 2nd if his times are not strong.
And if you look at the wide receiver position, Mike Evans can probably play the Jimmy Graham role better than any tight end in this draft. He's 6'5", 230 and you could line him up in a number of places and create mismatches. You have Sammy Watkins, who could be one of the better wide receiver prospects to come out in a while. And I really like Marquise Lee. He was underutilized at USC and he could be a special player. He's better than Robert Woods, who went in the 2nd round to Buffalo.
CN: That's seven players if Ebron makes it. Moving to offensive line, how many tackles would you put in the top 20, four or five?
TD: Four. I'd put Jake Matthews, Greg Robinson, Cyrus Kouandjio and Taylor Lewin in there. I'm probably the shakiest on Lewin.
CN: That's ten, twelve offensive players. Move to defense. Where is the depth on that side of the ball?
TD: There are some really good linebackers this year. We've gone over Anthony Barr and Khalil Mack. C.J. Moseley is a real nice player. Vic Beasley from Clemson is another good player, though I think he's just outside the top 20. I'd say the same for Ryan Shazier, I think he's in that last third of the first round.
That gets us to the weakness at the top of this draft. There are not great 4-3 defensive tackles. I think one reason Clowney is so highly valued is that he's one of the few true 4-3 ends who can put his hand on the ground and get it done for you. You can also move him inside on passing downs.
You have Louis Nix from Notre Dame, but he's a 3-4 guy. There are no real pass rushing defensive tackles at the top of this draft. Ra'Shede Hageman is a really different type of player. He's 6'6", 311 lbs. I could see him being a real nice fit for a 3-4 team as a 5-technique. You don't see a lot of really tall 4-3 defensive tackles, and I think that will be a real struggle for 4-3 teams who are looking for an interior rusher this year.
CN: If the tackle position is thin, how the the 4-3 end class stack up?
TD: Once you get past Clowney, you' have players like Timmy Jernigan from Florida State. He's an undersized defensive tackle. I think you should keep him there. Then you have Ealy from Missouri, he's a high-cut 275. You have Stephon Tuitt from Notre Dame. I think he's a 3-4 guy. He's 6'5" and about 300 lbs.
The one guy I really like who can be a productive player for a long time, who can do a lot of good things versus the run and the pass is Stanford's Trent Murphy. He's 6'6", 261. He plays with a lot of heart. He's got good hand placement. He can change directions. He's not an elite athlete, but I see another Ryan Kerrigan type player, who can get eight, nine, ten sacks a year. Now Kerrigan plays in a 3-4 but I think you'll get that type of consistent production from Murphy.
You have Jackson Jeffcoat from Texas. He's a bit of an overachiever, but he has some talent. Demarcus Lawrence from Boise State is another guy who plays really hard. Those are some of my favorite 4-3 ends, but I really like Murphy, because he's a complete package and I think he could be very productive for a team for a long time.
CN: Where does Murphy project right now, and I mean by position? Is he a strong-side end, a weak-side end?
TD: He's a bit of a tweener, because he relies on technique and a willingness to do the dirty work. My gut says he would play the strong side, but I could see him playing some on the weak side. I'd say strong side, though, because teams generally want more dynamic players on the weak side.
CN: This is an annual question if you're a Cowboys draft fanatic. Are there any 1st-round safety prospects in this class?
TD: I knew that question was coming. I think there are two free safeties with the chance to be first rounders. One is the underclassman who just declared, HaHa Clinton-Dix from Alabama. He's 6'1", 208, he's got good technique. He'll get leggy in coverage at times but he'll come up and smack you in the run game. There's also Calvin Pryor from Louisville. He's an even bigger safety. I like Clinton Dix a little more, because I think he's more fluid in coverage, and because he's got the ability to be physical in the run game.
Clinton Dix is probably a 2nd rounder now, but his 40 time will dictate where he goes. If he runs really well, he could wind up in the 1st, and he's the one guy you might roll the dice on high. I like him the best and I know a lot of scouts feel the same way.
CN: Say again, where do you see him?
TD: I'd say right now he's in that 25-40 range. That's where scouts put guys like him until they see them run. If he posts a time under 4.55, then that would really help him move up the charts. But for now, I'd stick with 25-40.
Dion Bailey from USC is another safety I like. He's 6'0" 200 lbs. He's rated in the 2nd-3rd round range right now, but he could move up a little, depending on his time. He's a bit smaller than Clinton-Dix but he's another free safety who spots the football well.
