Sturm's Draft Digests

boozeman

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[h=1]NFL draft digest: 5 edge rushers Cowboys fans need to watch for in Round 1[/h][h=2]By
Bob Sturm , Special contributor[/h][h=2] Contact Bob Sturm on Twitter: @SportsSturm

Weekly NFL draft digest[/h]It is draft season! This is a fun time of the year, but it is filled with many new names and faces and stories we want to get to know. I have my own system for rolling through the next 10-11 weeks that I won't declare the best, but it is the best I have.
The system is this: I watch football. Seriously. I am not that worried about doing much else. Every day, I will try to grab another prospect and watch him play three full games (around 200 snaps) simply to watch him play. I try to ignore the outside noise and opinions as best as I can and just watch the guy play. Pro days, the scouting combine, rumors and hearsay all factor into draft season, but I have often found that the best opinion you can get on a player (who still looks pretty good 3-5 years after he is drafted) is through putting your eyes on him with his college tape and letting that guide you.
Other information is useful, but it also serves to confuse. Before long, you hear about a guy's knee injury in high school, so you knock him way down your list only to see he played three years of major college football at a high level and went on to lead the NFL in sacks. You thought too hard. You didn't trust the tape and your eyeballs.

So, through all of that, I try to just watch the player play. From there, I watch another, and then another. Now, there is no way this side hobby can be as complete as the work from guys who do this all year. If I have 10-12 weeks, I can only get to about 50-60 players. So, understand that I just want to know the guys in the top two rounds. But we have done this for several years now, and it seems most readers are fine with this system. So, take it for what it is worth.
I want to grab prospects at positions of interest for the Dallas Cowboys. I also want to spend more time on those who we think could still be there when they pick at Nos. 28 and 60. This, of course, is impossible, since we have no idea who the top 27 picks will be. So we visit and collect information, and then try to narrow things down. But in early February, information is pretty general, to be honest.
[h=2]FEB. 10: EDGE RUSHERS, GROUP 1[/h]Today, I want to introduce you to the first five players I grabbed. They are all edge rushers who have been grouped as potential Round 1 guys. They are all thought of as top-50 guys, for sure, but this is not the top group. So yes, Texas A&M's Myles Garrett will go before all of these guys (we think), and Stanford's Solomon Thomas may, too. I will grab those guys in the weeks ahead, but today, I just randomly grabbed these five players. Please keep in mind that heights/weights are unofficial until the combine.
[h=2]Derek Barnett - DE - Tennessee[/h]-- 6-foot-3, 257 pounds - 2016 first-team All-SEC
-- Stats from past two years: 26 games, 23 sacks, 31 tackles for loss = 54.5 explosive plays
Barnett is an absolute beast who broke Reggie White's sack record at Tennessee. This guy is plenty young and talented, and a very gifted and natural edge rusher.



POSITIVES: He has a great "get-off " at the snap and can turn the corner on just about any of the tackles he faced in the SEC. He can also squeeze through gaps in short-yardage situations, which makes him a force against the run. He has loose hips and is the very definition of an athlete who you want patrolling the edge in the NFL. His size is ideal and, more importantly, he can turn the jets on and close on anyone in the open field. He just takes over games and his production is out of this world. For a guy at that level to exceed two explosives per game for his final two years shows what a game-changer he really is. On third down, it is seek and destroy. He is very, very good and college tackles have no chance whatsoever. He gets double-teamed quite a bit.



CONCERNS: Well, the first one is that he has no chance of falling to No. 28. He is absurdly good and it looks like he will land in the top half of Round 1. Beyond that, it looked like he was playing carefully in his final season with his head on a swivel to keep from getting damaged ahead of his draft year. This doesn't concern me, but some will mark off his motor for this. I just want to make sure we noted that.
-- Top half of Round 1.
[h=2]Taco Charlton - DE - Michigan[/h]-- 6-6, 265 - 2016 first-team All-Big Ten
-- Stats from past two years: 24 games, 15.5 sacks, 22 TFLs = 37.5 explosives
Charlton, part of a very talented Michigan defense, is a very big and imposing man who looks like he can play some power forward in that Julius Peppers model of big ends who can intimidate against the run and pass.



POSITIVES: Charlton has size that makes him a focal point of the defense and battles his tail off from the snap on. He bulls through traffic and makes himself at home in the backfield on a regular basis. He comes up big in big games. He has an impressive get-off as well and really has a skill set that offers plenty to like. I really love his traditional skill set in terms of looking how defensive ends always did. He can carry 280 pounds and play a style that will hold up well on the edge in terms of crashing a pocket with brute strength. I really like his compete level and his bull rush. He was getting a lot of clean runs at quarterbacks, which is a credit to Jim Harbaugh's scheme up there.



CONCERNS: The biggest concern about a player like Charlton is simply his short-space quickness and ability to change direction. This is a very fast league with very athletic tackles, and while Charlton is impressive for sure, the reason you may prefer someone with a bit more fluidity to their game is that it seems like they are generally the high-production players on Sundays. He moves well on rails, but if you ask him to circle and change directions quickly, he appears to lack those hips, comparatively speaking. You get a bit concerned when a player is this young and looks that way, because it seldom improves with age in the trenches.

-- There is no question he is a fine prospect, but you have to put the proper value on him.
[h=2]Carl Lawson - DE/OLB - Auburn[/h]-- 6-2, 257 - 2016 first-team All-American
-- Stats from past two years: 20 games, 10 sacks, 16 TFLs = 26.5 explosives
Lawson is the type of dynamic and explosive edge player who seems like a prototypical 3-4 outside linebacker capable of running down plays to the outside and still be a menace in the pass rush.



POSITIVES: Lawson returned from injury to show he is back in terms of having the explosiveness in his body that allows him to win with power and quickness as a pass rusher. He is a very interesting player who remains active and has the ability to win with his hands. He is a creator of chaos who moves very well. He has a real fire that makes him a focal point, but as the season went along, you continued to see him terrify college tackles who had no idea how to slow him down. He is a real terror and looks like he will be excellent at the next level.



CONCERNS: In general, the concerns are about his injury history, which is mostly about him blowing out an ACL that forced him to miss 2014 and a good portion of 2015. In specific, with Dallas, he just looks like one of those players who would not really be a fit in Rod Marinelli's defense. The most basic question of "where would you play him" will pop up as he could be a SAM linebacker here, which, as many will attest, seldom plays in today's NFL. Too small to be a 4-3 defensive end, therefore he is in the space that this scheme does not really value as much. I suspect he is a 3-4 edge player all day.
-- First-round talent, for sure, but not a fit here.
[h=2]Takkarist McKinley - DE - UCLA[/h]-- 6-2, 260 - 2016 first-team All-Pac-12
-- Stats from past two years: 24 games, 14.5 sacks, 25.5 TFLs = 40 explosives
McKinley is as impressive a pass rusher and game-wrecker as you can imagine. In watching three games from his final college season, he was absolutely phenomenal.



POSITIVES: He is simply a freakish athlete who looks like a classic "joker" that can be moved around and put wherever the best matchup is found. He is explosive, switches from a 2-point stance to a 3-point stance and appears to be a fit either as a 4-3 edge or 3-4 outside linebacker. He also seems capable of adding weight, but the first thing that jumps off the screen is how he is a mismatch across the board. Perhaps the best comparison is Clay Matthews in how he explodes at the snap. He competes his tail off and his production was absurd, especially on a UCLA defense that lost plenty to the NFL over the past two years. Still, he stepped up and made plays continuously. Great use of arms and tools to get into the backfield.



CONCERNS: The biggest concern I would have is just hoping he drops to me in the draft. I see someone who, once the combine hits, will continue to rise as an athletic freak. But I sit here thinking that I don't need to see that because as a player, his credentials are good enough. Not a name you heard a lot of in the fall, but I am guessing he will push his way well ahead of where the Cowboys will select. I really like this player.
-- I think he belongs with the elite in this draft class.
[h=2]Charles Harris - DE - Missouri[/h]-- 6-3, 260 - 2016 second-team All-SEC

-- Stats from the past two years: 24 games, 16 sacks, 30.5 TFLs = 46.5 explosives

Harris is yet another impressive edge rusher in a very deep draft class who can bend and get to the quarterback with regularity.



POSITIVES: Anyone who watched Harris will quickly see that this guy appears to have all sorts of qualities you really like when scouting edge rushers. He has a real athletic build that allows him to get low and underneath a tackle with his shoulder to turn the corner with explosiveness off the edge. He has that prototypical defensive end build and an intensity and energy about him that checks all of the boxes. Also, his productivity is right at that two-explosives-per-game level that you desire and he comes from a program that teaches edge players well. He seems to remind me a bit of Michael Bennett in his disruptiveness against the run and pass. He has great bull rush and is very active with a spin move that he may risk using too much.



CONCERNS: I saw him appear to slow down as the game goes along, which speaks to the need for a deep rotation if you want your pass rushers to go 100 percent each snap. It is a taxing job, but he appears to be capable in long doses. In 2015, he looked just a bit lighter and perhaps a bit quicker. But overall, this is another player where the biggest concern is that there is no way he likely gets to the late stages of Round 1. Harris is another very impressive player who looks like a stud at the next level.
-- A real difference-maker and first-round talent, for sure.

* * * * *
So, there is a quick review of five edge guys, and I have easily 10 more to study in the next few weeks. If the Cowboys want pass rushers, there is no reason to think they can't get a good one in this draft.

My quick review would be that Harris, Barnett and McKinley are special talents that will likely be long gone by pick No. 28 -- but I would love any of them. I may put them all on a rather equal level, but if you want me to rank them, I will put Barnett first, Harris second and McKinley third. Then, Charlton is fourth and Lawson is just a 3-4 guy right now.


We'll go through five more next week.
 

boozeman

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[h=1]NFL draft digest: 5 more potential 'war daddies' for Dallas Cowboys to look at[/h]


By


Bob Sturm
, Special contributor



Contact Bob Sturm


on Twitter:
@SportsSturm






NFL draft digest (Week 2)

This
week, we grab another set of prospects who appeal to the strength of the 2017 NFL draft. So, if you happen to be a team that needs a "war daddy," as Jerry Jones likes to refer to the dominant defensive linemen,
then this is a good draft for you.
There are many very good
defensive line prospects, and since we follow the Dallas Cowboys here,
we need to examine all of them at the top of the draft. Now, before you
help us out with a very important detail we all know, I am ignoring the
fact that many of these players will be off the board when the Cowboys
pick at No. 28. We made the mistake back in 2012 of assuming there was
no way Morris Claiborne would be available when the Cowboys picked then,
so we didn't examine him too closely. Then the Cowboys traded up to get
him and I was scrambling. So since it is February, I have the time to
give each prospect at these key positions a morning of attention (the
200-snap treatment), and I am not too concerned about their chances of
falling to No. 28 just yet. I want to watch Myles Garrett play football
either way -- regardless of his future in Cleveland.
So, what is a "war daddy?" Well, it probably would help to have Jerry Jones define it, so here is what he told KESN-FM 103.3 (ESPN Radio) this week: "We
need more pressure. And we can get that. But we've got to come to grips
with how we're going to get it. You can get it by compromising the
fundamentals of other places on your defense by, in effect, blitzing.
But those are not our style. We really want a player to stay in there
that defends the run, can hold the gap, as well as when called for crash
the gap. So, we've got to make sure that we've got the personnel
skills. We've really got it on campus, so to speak, in [DeMarcus]
Lawrence and we've got it in [Randy] Gregory. They both are compromised
as we sit here and speak, but they're both the type of players that we
need out there.

"If I have a chance to bring one of these
premier pass rushers, one of these war daddies that takes two to block,
if I have a chance to get a player like that -- I would...it's not a
question of that. It's a question of where is he? And who gives him up
if he's a veteran, or where is he in the draft, or where is he anywhere?
So, yeah we do need pressure. We're going to try to do something about
it."

He calls them "war daddies." We can call them anything
you want. I think if we were to define where the Cowboys need it most,
it would be more on the outside. They seem to have some pretty solid
talent on the inside at defensive tackle, so, although there are some
generational defensive tackles in this draft -- one from Coppell -- I am
thinking this team needs some edge pass rush that can really bring 10
sacks back into play.















So every week we grab five more prospects and really give them
the eyeball -- 200 snaps -- and try to look at what they do and don't do
well, with a projection as to how they would fit A) in the NFL, and B)
in the Cowboys' defense. Some, obviously, look like terrific pros, but
not a scheme fit.
Last week, we grabbed our first five (not
ranked, just random top-50 prospects) in Missouri's Charles Harris,
Tennessee's Derek Barnett, Auburn's Carl Lawson, Michigan's Taco
Charlton and UCLA's Takkarist McKinley.
This week, I want to stay
in the same general area of the draft and grab five more. So this week,
it is Texas A&M's Myles Garrett, Illinois' Dawuane Smoot, Florida
State's DeMarcus Walker, Alabama's Tim Williams and Stanford's Solomon
Thomas.
Now, I will just tell you here, even though I am watching
three complete games for each of these players, I also am biased. We all
are. But I am looking for certain characteristics. The fact is, all of
these guys will be in the NFL. They are all talented. But only some fit
the very exact specifications of what fits a 4-3 scheme, what fits with
what the Cowboys already have (there is no point in spending a top pick
on someone who is "as good" as what you already have. We want
improvements). I am looking for electric players who have great power
and quickness and are a massive problem to block. I am not looking for
guys who are "speed bumps" and have big anchors. Those guys are not
generally at the top of the draft. Guys who hold their ground are
important, but they also are in great supply. We need guys who live in
the opponent's backfield. That is why college production on explosive
plays (sacks and tackles for loss) are very important. If you average
two "explosives" per game, you are a dynamite producer. Less than
one explosive per game is a real concern.
OK, let's get started:
Myles Garrett - DE - Texas A&M

-- 6-foot-5, 270 pounds - 2016 first-team AP All-American
-- Stats from the past two seasons: 24 games; 21 sacks, 34.5 tackles for loss = 55.5 explosive plays
Garrett
seems to have the type of total package that will get him off the
board in the first few minutes of the draft. For about 24 months, it has
been said he will be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 NFL draft, and
he has done nothing to change that perception.



















POSITIVES: He has an incredibly rare combination of size
and twitch. This is very rare in that most players his size are a bit
more plodding and use strength as their key positive attribute. But when
you get a guy his size who also has his electric "get-off" and
flexibility, as well as a motor that runs hot and is highly competitive,
you see that you have another Jadeveon Clowney-level prospect. Clowney
was a No. 1 pick and we expect Garrett will be, too. He bends so well
around the corner but is at his best when he shows his quickness and
just destroys a play in the blink of an eye. They can't stay in front of
him, but they also can't get to him in time. He had unreal production
from the moment he first stepped on campus. He has violence in his game
and is a big, lean and menacing presence. You literally can't say enough
about him.



















CONCERNS: I really don't have much for you here. His
production in 2016 was down, but he sustained an injury in late
September that caused issues all season. He had only 8.5 sacks and 4.5
of them came in one game against UTSA, so that isn't great.
But throughout three years of being a marked man, he averaged just under
a sack per game and had 81 explosives in 36 games. That is insane. He
did look like he played a bit "carefully" late in the season, to both
protect his injury and draft spot, but even then he wanted to stay on
the field and help his team, so there is little to be alarmed about.
Your only concern is blocking him.
-- TOP TALENT IN THE DRAFT.
DeMarcus Walker - DT/DE - Florida State

-- 6-4, 280 - 2016 second-team AP All-American, ACC Defensive Player of the Year
-- Stats from the past two seasons - 26 games; 26.5 sacks, 37 TFLs = 63.5 explosives
Once
again, the production is off the charts for another player
who possesses many of the attributes teams are looking for. He has been a
force in the past few years as Florida State's talent factory turns out
another stud.



















POSITIVES: Walker is an interesting player in that he has
plenty of utility. He is an early-down defensive end for me, and far
more explosive when Florida State would push him inside on passing downs
to feast on guards. His interior quickness is unquestioned, and he can
go with speed or power to maul players, which tells you he seems far
more like a 3-technique than a defensive end/edge rusher. He also has a
very uncanny ability to sense what is happening around him, and this is
indicative of high intelligence and the ability to study well all week
to have the big picture sorted out by gameday. He will hold his anchor
against the run and squeeze through cracks at times, getting into the
backfield.



















CONCERNS: He is not really a candidate on the edge for me.
There is just not a lot of edge-level twitch to his game, and I am a
bit slowed by how often he gets stoned in his spot by a tackle. He also
seems to have long droughts in impact, but there is no questioning his
overall production. You would have to call his overall pass rushing
"ordinary" and wonder what his future in the NFL would be at defensive
end. If you need inside guys, I like him a lot, but the Cowboys just
took Maliek Collins and I think they are very similar players. I was
hoping for a little more "high-end" flash.
-- Very solid prospect at defensive tackle. Likely a second-rounder.








Tim Williams - EDGE - Alabama

-- 6-4, 252 - 2012 high school All-American
-- Stats from the past two seasons: 28 games; 19.5 sacks, 28.5 TFLs = 48 explosives
Williams
is going to be one of the most debated names on draft day as he comes
with very unique skills, a host of red flags and cautionary whispers
about investing in him too highly.



















POSITIVES: Turn on some Tim Williams tape and you are
going to see all of the flash of some of the NFL's best edge rushers. He
is scary off the edge and possesses a quickness and suddenness that is
nothing short of elite. He looks very similar to Von Miller on his best
plays, and there is no better compliment. He is lightning and also has
impressive strength for his size. He can bully tackles, despite being a
rather small edge player. He is going to be trouble at the next level in
a 3-4 scheme as an outside edge rusher.



















CONCERNS: There are many. Off-the-field conduct whispers
have followed him throughout his time at Alabama, and it ranges from
sources at Alabama claiming he has failed many drug tests to his overall
view of how important football is to him. On the field, you also have
the discussions about why he had such a limited role in college. For a
team like Dallas, I don't really see a fit because situational pass
rushers are just not ideal first-round picks for me. I think he can go
either way in his pro career, but one important component will be to get
to a 3-4 defense and feed off the end to stack those sacks up.
-- First-round talent, with a fair amount of baggage.
Dawuane Smoot - DE - Illinois

-- 6-3, 255 - 2016 third-team All-Big Ten
-- Stats from the past two seasons: 24 games; 13 sacks, 30 TFLs = 43 explosives
Smoot is another edge force in this draft who can combine an array of skills and help build a team's D-line group.



















POSITIVES: Smoot is a very interesting player who has some
incredibly impressive moments on tape when he can destroy plays and
live in the backfield. It is sometimes tricky to evaluate players
because of what is around him. If a guy plays for Florida State and
Alabama, sometimes you are influenced by their plays only to find out
they are feeding off favorable matchups that won't be available on
Sundays because of the talent around them. Smoot is the opposite,
playing on a side with limited talent and being keyed on quite a bit. To
see him compete hard against Michigan while his team was down
five touchdowns proves his competitiveness, and then to see him convert
speed to power on sacks from the edge is equally impressive. He has
limitations, but there is something there for sure.



















CONCERNS: He has some moments of looking quite ordinary
and not having a whole lot that would separate him from the rank and
file at the next level. He can play big, but we don't always see that.
Against the run, there are real questions as to whether he can stand his
ground on runs at him. Moving to the edge is no issue, but standing his
ground seems to be. Just not overly twitchy and explosive for the most
part, and as the athletes continue to improve all around him, you wonder
how that translates to Sundays. He also appeared to wear down as the
game goes along, but that is to be expected at his size while trying to
play defensive end. But he may not be athletic enough to move
to linebacker.
-- Good talent, but not a high ceiling.








Solomon Thomas - DE/DT - Stanford

-- 6-3, 275 - 2016 first-team All-Pac-12








-- Stats from the past two seasons: 27 games; 11.5 sacks, 25.5 TFLs = 37 explosives
The best defensive tackle prospect in the draft.



















POSITIVES: When I think war-daddy types, I think Fletcher
Cox and Aaron Donald -- players from past drafts who were taken in years
when the Cowboys needed help at defensive tackle and were unable to
match up with the leaders from that season. This is that type of player.
Absurd athleticism. Now, it is important to note that Thomas was a
redshirt sophomore, so he has only played two years of college football,
and thus his stats are not quite as mind-boggling as some of the others
we look at, but from a tape standpoint of the jaw-dropping destruction
of college guards in his path, he is off the charts. His power and
short-area quickness are gifts that seem wasted at defensive end, but
when he is lined up inside -- which I assume will be his home in the NFL
-- he can absolutely humiliate big men in front of him. He can do
whatever you want in short spaces, from beating a man at the snap to
slicing through a double-team. His final college game, a bowl win
vs. North Carolina, was a three-hour clinic on why this Coppell
product appears he could be an NFL star for years to come. A tremendous
motor and will to fight all day long make him a very enticing talent.



















CONCERNS: While he can handle things on the outside, I
think a big part of the NFL process is finding where a player can be
special. I just believe that is to use his skill set like Cox and Donald
do -- to probe his way to space inside. He is so good as a 3-technique
candidate. You may be concerned about his numbers, but the way Stanford
rotates guys and balances roles suggest that shouldn't slow you down.
Otherwise, I see no real issues or concerns.
-- I assume we will see him taken in the top half of the first round.

*****
Ten prospects down, five more next week. We will do one more batch of D-linemen, but I may move to cornerbacks for Week 3.
 

L.T. Fan

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Looks like there will be plenty of these types.
 

Bluestar71

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I don't get how Derek Barnett at 6-3, 257 has "ideal size" and Takkarist McKinley at 6-2, 260 "appears to be a fit either as a 4-3 edge or 3-4 outside linebacker" while Carl Lawson 6-2, 257 is "Too small to be a 4-3 defensive end."

I'm not shilling for Lawson but you have three players with nearly identical measurables and visually they appear to share very similar body types but one is considered too small while the others are evidently fine. Doesn't make a lot of sense.
 

Smitty

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Not at pick 28.
Unless 8-9 DEs go in the first round there will be one or two there for us at least.

And I think that's unlikely given that in 2013, SEVEN offensive linemen went and it was unheard of to have that much concentration.

There won't be 10 DLs that go.
 

Smitty

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I don't get how Derek Barnett at 6-3, 257 has "ideal size" and Takkarist McKinley at 6-2, 260 "appears to be a fit either as a 4-3 edge or 3-4 outside linebacker" while Carl Lawson 6-2, 257 is "Too small to be a 4-3 defensive end."

I'm not shilling for Lawson but you have three players with nearly identical measurables and visually they appear to share very similar body types but one is considered too small while the others are evidently fine. Doesn't make a lot of sense.
Body type. Compact versus long.
 

Bluestar71

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Body type. Compact versus long.
That was my initial thought too but looking at the provided videos I couldn't see that much difference. I guess exact measurements on arm length etc. at the underwear Olympics will make it more clear.
 

L.T. Fan

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Unless 8-9 DEs go in the first round there will be one or two there for us at least.

And I think that's unlikely given that in 2013, SEVEN offensive linemen went and it was unheard of to have that much concentration.

There won't be 10 DLs that go.
Yeah that's the way I see it. If this array of candidates is with merit there will be one or more available at 28.
 

boozeman

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Unless 8-9 DEs go in the first round there will be one or two there for us at least.

And I think that's unlikely given that in 2013, SEVEN offensive linemen went and it was unheard of to have that much concentration.

There won't be 10 DLs that go.

A couple does not equal "plenty".
 

Cotton

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[h=1]Could one of these pass rushers be just what the Cowboys are looking for?[/h]By Bob Sturm, Special contributor Contact Bob Sturmon Twitter:@SportsSturm

Here we go with Week 3 of our Draft Digest -

I realize I am going rather heavy on defensive players this season, but that is the fun thing about my exercise each spring; I can tailor my search to what I perceive to be the Cowboys' main focuses. I have deduced that Dallas is search for sacks, cornerbacks, and selected skill position players on offense in the first two days of the draft. And, I have modified my search accordingly. That means that for the 3rd straight week, I am looking for big fellas who can get to Aaron Rodgers in a playoff game and help this team continue down the road.

Now, I want to make one simple point this week that seems obvious, but often gets lost in the shuffle. There is no point in taking a player who you already have (at least in Round 1). So, every time I look at this board, I am trying to ask myself, "Do the Cowboys already have someone who can do this?" And, if they do, is that player in the fold for a while? Because, I do want depth and a rotation, but this Cowboys front is definitely missing some elements -- and I would sure love to find players who fill the void, rather than players who simply provide redundancy. Redundancy is useful. It helps you sustain injuries and fatigue. But, it doesn't help you get to the QB on that one play in that one playoff situation. And that is the guy I am looking for. Of course, picking at #28 complicates the matter, too.

=====

So every week we grab five more prospects and really give them the eyeball -- 200 snaps -- and try to look at what they do and don't do well, with a projection as to how they would fit A) in the NFL, and B) in the Cowboys' defense. Some, obviously, look like terrific pros, but not a scheme fit.

So, now, let's move on to Week 3: Here we have: Alabama's Jonathan Allen, Alabama's Ryan Anderson, Michigan State's Malik McDowell, Temple's Haason Reddick, and Ohio's Tarell Basham. All of these players seem quite qualified to rank in the Top 50 (or so) prospects in this draft.


JONATHAN ALLEN - DE - ALABAMA

-- 6'3, 291 - 2016 First Team All American

--2 year stats - 30 games, 22.5 sacks, 30.5 TFLs = 53 Explosives

Allen has been considered one of the top names in this draft for quite a while and is perhaps the top defensive tackle in the entire group (Stanford's Solomon Thomas has something to say about that, too). Allen is a freakish athlete and can provide fabulous results against the run or pass.



POSITIVES: Allen is a very impressive athlete for a man his size which qualifies him for the rare title of being a "dancing bear" in the middle. These players possess size, but also the ability with their quickness and balance to seem unblockable for large parts of the game. He fights to beat double teams and can live in the backfield. He has great wrestler leverage which is important for defensive tackles. Perhaps one of his best traits is he appears highly intelligent in realizing what play is coming and knows what to do next to bring it to a stop. He certainly can play many spots, but I see him as a fantastic force inside. He is productive and he lives in the backfield where run plays go to tide. He seems a lot like Geno Atkins to me. You can't zone block him very well. Really has great hands and uses them to control the blocker in front of him easily. He is a destroyer at DT.



CONCERNS: Very few concerns to be honest. He seems like he can do whatever you ask him to do. Perhaps the closest thing to a concern is that he has already played a lot of football with 56 college games under his belt at a position where that means something. Otherwise, this is a true talent.

--- Has every quality you look for in a Top 5-10 selection.


RYAN ANDERSON - LB - ALABAMA

-- 6'2, 253 - Red Shirt Senior

-- 2 year stats: 30 games, 15 sacks, 30.5 TFLs = 45.5 explosives

Anderson is another key piece in this Alabama defense that will soon populate the NFL. There is a reason offenses felt hopeless trying to account for each of these studs.




POSITIVES: He can do a lot of things and Alabama asked him to prove that. Sometimes, he is a DE and is rushing the passer. Other times, he is clearly a stand-up OLB in a 3-4 and is dropping in coverage mostly into zones. In man, he seems a bit uncertain about his ability to stay with and thus can get too hand-on. He can really shed and tackle against the run. He is not afraid to go inside. He can dip around the edge, but I would be careful about expectations as a pure pass rusher.



CONCERNS: It is really difficult to analyze Alabama players who are a bit lower in the pecking order. When you feel like they are surrounded by 1st round picks, you have to be careful not to evaluate based on proximity. At Alabama, players get favorable matchups and sometime are left unaccounted for because of the scheme where Nick Saban will design a blitz and get a free rusher.

We cannot assume a player like Anderson would shine as the top threat, and from what I have seen, there is some of that to consider with him. He is a very nice player, but I find him a bit of a tweener who causes me some real uncertainty when trying to picture him as a key component on a Sunday. I think I like him, but I don't love him. He isn't quite strong enough to win at the edge all day, but when he does, it is great. I have issues with his positional fit and quality projections.

--- Very serviceable Piece. Just have to Value correctly.


TARELL BASHAM - LB - OHIO UNIVERSITY

6'4, 259 - 2016 MAC DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR

2 Year Stats: 26 games, 16 sacks, 25 TFL's = 41 explosives

Basham is a real solid mid-major prospect that looks right at home when Ohio would step up in competition and seems to have all of the qualities to make it at the next level.




POSITIVES: Basham is a very impressive edge player who can turn the corner in a convincing manner with both speed and power. He is incredibly explosive and battles with real conviction. In one of his biggest tests of the season - at Tennessee - he put on a real show of terrorizing the entire Volunteer front. Just a defensive menace who can do many things. He sets the edge and prevents anyone from running outside zones to his side by walking his guy into traffic. He has a wonderful motor. He rallies to the ball. I love his combination of twitch and raw and functional power. I like him much more than most in this group.



CONCERNS: We need to see his weight at the combine because he ranges between 249 and 275. He looks like he has good size, but that is an awful big discrepancy. He has some technique rawness that seems plenty able to be developed, but does need to go through that process. He may be best as a 3-4 OLB and frankly, because of his abilities, he might be wasted as just a DE in a 4-3. The production does not completely match the tape. If he has been this good, we should likely have more than 41 explosives in 26 games at this MAC level.

--- I think he belongs with the group in the Top 2 Rounds. It is a bit of a projection and we want to see his testing results, but I am very bullish on Basham.


MALIK MCDOWELL - DT - MICHIGAN STATE

6'6, 276 - 2nd Team All Big 10 - 2015, 2016

2 Year Stats: 24 games, 6 sacks, 20 TFLs = 26 Explosives

This very large inside player has unique traits that make him a rare prospect on the inside, but also comes with a number of interesting questions.



POSITIVES: McDowell is an athletic cut big man that makes you think of all of those special attributes of Calais Campbell and more recently, the big prospects from Oregon, Arik Amstead and Deforest Buckner. That means, initially, that he is a 5-technique in a 3-4, where he would take up double teams and drop anchor on plays to his side, with the athleticism to close plays down that go the other way. He is long and lean, but has freakishly long arms and on his day can really dominate inside against lesser athletes. He seems pretty smart at sniffing out plays meant to deceive the defense and is just a massive handful to contain. He has all sorts of ability and looks like a real high-end talent if everything falls right. He is very young and after watching his tape, I feel quite strongly about his ceiling.



CONCERNS: His production never approached his promise at Michigan State. He even got a tag of being lazy (which I dispute from my 200 snaps) and was hurt periodically. He will always have a leverage disadvantage in the trenches, but he battles and sneaks in creases very well. He seems to be cut like a Defensive End, but Michigan State liked him against guards inside. He had 7.5 college sacks in 37 games. That says quite a bit.

--- 1st Round talent, but it might take a few years to figure it all out.


HAASON REDDICK - LB - TEMPLE

6'1, 230 - 2016 First Team - All ACC

2 year stats - 28 games, 15.5 sacks, 35 TFLs = 50.5 explosives

Reddick is a fast-riser in this draft season as a jack of all trades defensive player that is simply a "baller" in scout's jargon. Not sure his best fit, just know he will be seen.



POSITIVES: He is a joker on the field in that it appears he is a safety playing up, but has the tenacity to bring the wood like a Linebacker and even rushes the passer at times like a DE. He is very small, but has electricity to his game where you try to find guys who get to the ball. He is very active and runs so well. He makes blockers miss and sheds traffic to make the stop. He may be undersized, but it seldom prevents him from getting in your backfield and getting the man down. Honestly, the way the NFL is going, where safeties play linebacker and linebackers play up, he seems to be this year's best example of that. At times, he appears to be literally everywhere.



CONCERNS: Clearly, the key will be to get a good fit with a defensive coach that will be willing to use him in a spot where it might not follow "the book". He is small. very small. And yet, at Temple, he would take over games and had an amazing ability to cause trouble all over. Finding the best fit and not asking him to do too much in coverage are both issues, but his upside and overall body of work tells you to let him play and enjoy the results.

--- Seemingly a 1st Round talent who fits in Today's NFL Quite Well.

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On Monday, now that 15 defensive front prospects have been eyed, I will try to rank them against each other to get a good view on where we currently stand. And then, we will move over to defensive backs for a few weeks.
 
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