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[h=1]The Large Humans of Relevance: Cowboys Edition
[/h]
By Jeff Cavanaugh 18 minutes ago
Positional value is an important thing to consider when you're deciding who to spend your draft picks and dollars on as an NFL team. Trying to rank an organization's most-important to least-important position can be a fascinating exercise. In the case of the Dallas Cowboys, you can easily surmise that they don't value the nose tackle position.
A quick note in case you aren't familiar: The Cowboys have two different defensive tackle spots. The '3-technique' lines up over an offensive guard. That's the spot where you'd like to place explosive/quick guys who can penetrate and be a disruptive force in the offensive backfield. The Cowboys do value that spot. It's why they drafted Maliek Collins, and paid Tyrone Crawford.
The other defensive tackle is the '1-technique,' or nose tackle. The space eater. The refrigerator. He lines up between the opposing center and the other guard and his job is to get in fights every snap with multiple large humans. This is the spot the Cowboys have historically tried to fill with very little money and marginal draft capital in recent history. That's why Nick Hayden, Cedric Thornton, and Stephen Paea have wound up filling that role recently. It's why you can look up the Cowboys' draft history and not see a nose tackle taken before the seventh round under this regime.
I'd like to introduce you to a couple of candidates worthy of changing that organizational philosophy: Vita Vea of the University of Washington and Da'Ron Payne from Alabama.
Vita Vea
Height: 6'04.1
Weight: 340
Estimated 40-yard dash Time: 5.34
Strengths
Weaknesses
Conclusion:
If Vita Vea is somehow available at 19 (I doubt that he will be) the Cowboys should forget all of their 'we can find a nose tackle anywhere' thoughts and sprint to the podium to submit their pick. He has a first-round grade.
DaRon Payne
Height: 6'01.5
Weight: 308
Estimated 40-yard dash Time: 5.38
Before the playoffs, Payne was only credited with one sack and one tackle for loss on the season. Once again, don't let that fool you about the value of the player. Alabama linebackers get well-deserved love every season, but that success is partly a factor of worker bees up front occupying blocks, leaving them free to wreak havoc.
If you only watched the title game you'd probably consider taking Payne in the top ten in this draft. He was incredibly disruptive and a big reason Alabama are the national champs.
Strengths
Weaknesses
Conclusion:
It's reasonable to consider Payne around the area that the Cowboys are picking. I include him because he's my second-best nose tackle in this draft. I have a second-round grade on him. Whether either of them ends up a Cowboy or not, it's imperative we all let the team know the fat athlete is one of the most glorious things in all of sport, and we're in the market for a good one. I mean, who wouldn't want a nose tackle who can also do this?
[/h]
By Jeff Cavanaugh 18 minutes ago
Positional value is an important thing to consider when you're deciding who to spend your draft picks and dollars on as an NFL team. Trying to rank an organization's most-important to least-important position can be a fascinating exercise. In the case of the Dallas Cowboys, you can easily surmise that they don't value the nose tackle position.
A quick note in case you aren't familiar: The Cowboys have two different defensive tackle spots. The '3-technique' lines up over an offensive guard. That's the spot where you'd like to place explosive/quick guys who can penetrate and be a disruptive force in the offensive backfield. The Cowboys do value that spot. It's why they drafted Maliek Collins, and paid Tyrone Crawford.
The other defensive tackle is the '1-technique,' or nose tackle. The space eater. The refrigerator. He lines up between the opposing center and the other guard and his job is to get in fights every snap with multiple large humans. This is the spot the Cowboys have historically tried to fill with very little money and marginal draft capital in recent history. That's why Nick Hayden, Cedric Thornton, and Stephen Paea have wound up filling that role recently. It's why you can look up the Cowboys' draft history and not see a nose tackle taken before the seventh round under this regime.
I'd like to introduce you to a couple of candidates worthy of changing that organizational philosophy: Vita Vea of the University of Washington and Da'Ron Payne from Alabama.
Vita Vea
Height: 6'04.1
Weight: 340
Estimated 40-yard dash Time: 5.34
Strengths
- Vita Vea is the strongest player I've ever scouted.
- He's impossible to move, even with double teams. I'll type 'tough to move' for a lot of nose tackle prospects. Those words don't do Vea justice.
- Brute strength allows him to discard offensive linemen at will. Many times multiple guys on a single play.
- Agility. He's a much better mover than you'd expect from a guy who tips the scale near 350.
- Has a great 'push-pull' move to snatch and discard guys.
- Can disrupt plays by jamming up blocking schemes. Pulling guards will have to go around the logjams he creates.
- Good balance to stay up against cut blocks.
- He's a leverage master who has the flexibility to hold his ground and move people even from compromised positions. Can contort his body and still generate power.
- Tracks the ball well. He's able to control blockers while tracking the runner.
- Makes linebackers and other linemen's life easier because he requires a lot of attention.
- Possesses a forklift move. Can lift and toss offensive lineman with one arm.
Weaknesses
- Production. Having fewer than 10 tackles behind the line of scrimmage in a season is why a lot of teams won't take a nose tackle high in the draft.
- Polish. He has amazing natural gifts but can improve hand usage and pad level.
- Awareness. He doesn't always see a double team coming. Physical gifts allow him to absorb and overcome it in college. NFL is a different story.
Conclusion:
If Vita Vea is somehow available at 19 (I doubt that he will be) the Cowboys should forget all of their 'we can find a nose tackle anywhere' thoughts and sprint to the podium to submit their pick. He has a first-round grade.
DaRon Payne
Height: 6'01.5
Weight: 308
Estimated 40-yard dash Time: 5.38
Before the playoffs, Payne was only credited with one sack and one tackle for loss on the season. Once again, don't let that fool you about the value of the player. Alabama linebackers get well-deserved love every season, but that success is partly a factor of worker bees up front occupying blocks, leaving them free to wreak havoc.
If you only watched the title game you'd probably consider taking Payne in the top ten in this draft. He was incredibly disruptive and a big reason Alabama are the national champs.
Strengths
- Stout at the point of attack. Lower-body strength to anchor and hold his spot.
- Good hand usage to get himself free when it's time to make a tackle.
- Flashes initial quickness to penetrate. Can occasionally help as a rusher.
- Solid agility for a man of his size.
- Strength to disengage from blockers when he wants to.
- Flashes ability to snatch and toss offensive linemen.
- Consistent awareness of where the ball is.
- Awareness to get hands into passing lanes if he isn't going to get home.
Weaknesses
- Consistency. I used the word 'flash' multiple times because he doesn't dependably show the ability to penetrate. He doesn't consistently snatch and discard guys in a way that I know he's capable of. Part of that might be what he's asked to do at Alabama.
- If he doesn't win early his surge stalls. Sometimes does too much dancing when he doesn't immediately get pressure.
- Doesn't offer a lot as a backside defender chasing plays.
- The title game performance was an aberration compared to the tape he put together all year.
- Inconsistency as a rusher might mean he's not on the field on third downs.
Conclusion:
It's reasonable to consider Payne around the area that the Cowboys are picking. I include him because he's my second-best nose tackle in this draft. I have a second-round grade on him. Whether either of them ends up a Cowboy or not, it's imperative we all let the team know the fat athlete is one of the most glorious things in all of sport, and we're in the market for a good one. I mean, who wouldn't want a nose tackle who can also do this?