Broaddus: Breaking Down 7 Rookie Free Agents Expected To Sign With Cowboys
Wednesday, May 04, 2016 8:47 AM CDT
By Bryan Broaddus
Football Analyst/Scout
@BryanBroaddus
IRVING, Texas – On Friday the Cowboys’ 2016 draft class and a group of undrafted rookies will start the three-day rookie minicamp. Here’s a closer look at seven of the rookie free agents who have agreed to terms with the team and are expected to officially sign this week and participate in minicamp.
Caleb Azubike, DE, Vanderbilt (6-4, 250; 4.92)
Will line up inside over the guard. Nice job of using his hands to free himself. Quick arm over move. Works down the line to find the ball. Can finish. Times where he was out of control in space. Will over run plays. Little herky-jerky in his movement. Will give ground to play off block. Will wrap up when he gets in position. Quick to come up the field then retrace steps to get back on play. Shows pass rush moves. Will line up wide to rush. Faces too many double teams inside. Snaps where he is late off the ball. Doesn’t always show great balance. Works hard to get rid of the blocker. Much better player when he can line up wide. Will extend into the blocker and find the ball. Quick off the ground when knocked down. Trouble when he has to go toe-to-toe with blockers – better when on the move against the run. Active and relentless.
Jake Brendel, C, UCLA (6-4, 303; 5.04)
Position blocker, stays on his feet. Can adjust on the move to the second level. Will absorb his man and work to control. Doesn’t really extend his hands. Can be knocked off track when he is in space. Used as a puller. Is not going to give you much push. Has to work hard to try and redirect his man. Has trouble when his head goes down. Aware to help across the pocket when uncovered. Has trouble sustain blocks in space. Has trouble with power on his nose. Doesn’t play with much upper body strength. Tends to play light. Majority of his snaps are in the shotgun.
Chris Brown, WR, Notre Dame (6-2, 193; 4.46)
Shows the ability to adjust to the ball. Will go high or low to make the catch. Catches the ball in his hands. Can drive his man off the ball. Will come back for the ball. Will make the reception and head up the field. Nice run after catch. Will high point the ball. Nice leaping ability. Aware where the sticks are. Knows how to work the sideline with his feet. Good on the “hot” reads. Does a nice job of finding space while in route. Not afraid to carry them inside. Consistent with his hands – had a couple of opportunities where he dropped catchable passes. Productive player.
Rodney Coe, DT, Akron (6-3, 310; 4.90)
Lines up as a defensive tackle but will also play as an end. Has even lined up as a standup linebacker behind the line. Physical at the point of attack. Can really get off the ball. Quick with his hands to shed blockers. Plays with power. Hard guy to move. Outstanding reactions to get to the outside. Impressive speed for a man his size. Can find the ball and finish the play. Can hold up blockers to allow linebackers to run to the ball. Plays in balance. Will work around blocks. Stays square. Can redirect to handle the screen. Is one of those guys who is always around the ball.
Arjen Colquhoun, CB, Michigan State (6-0, 188; 4.58)
Will line up at either cornerback spot but will normally line up in the boundary. Can play in the slot but would not want him there all the time. Physical tackler but there are snaps where he goes low. Will step up and deliver a blow. Right place, right time player. Puts himself in position to make plays. Can play the ball in the air. Doesn’t have much catch-up speed. Will peddle sideways in zone. Not quick out of his break. There is separation down the field. Doesn’t turn easily. Strong enough to hold his man along the line. Used on the blitz but just not quick enough to make a difference. Will knock the ball away with his off hand. Has trouble when receivers run the double moves on him. Has to grab to stop. Relentless effort when chasing the play. Not a “wow” type of player – more steady than spectacular.
Ed Eagan, WR, Northwestern State (5-10, 192; 4.48)
Shorter receiver but lines up on the outside. Has the initial quickness to separate off the line. Lack of length hurts him down the field when adjusting for the ball. Can overthrow him. Is not going to win many balls in the air. Quarterback does him no favors. Catches the ball in his hands – not against his body. Carries his routes inside. Shifty with the ball in his hands. Routes tend to be all over the place. Not as smooth as you would like. Will struggle with his balance. Team does things to try and get him the ball in space.
David Hedelin, OT, Purdue (6-5, 297; 5.30)
Lines up as a left tackle. Tall and upright player. Doesn’t get much movement. Gets his hands inside then tries to steer his man away from the play. Has trouble sustaining his block when his man begins to move. Has trouble when he has to redirect. When his feet stop, he loses all chance he has to complete the block. Will get overextended. Better when he can jump his man off the snap. There are snaps where he is slow off the ball. Has trouble with quickness inside. Poor body control. Can pull but has trouble with the finish. Has a chance as a pass blocker when the rusher goes down the middle. If he has to deal with quickness or movement then he is going to have problems.
Broaddus: Scouting The Rest Of The Cowboys' Undrafted Free Agents
Thursday, May 05, 2016 2:37 PM CDT
By Bryan Broaddus
Football Analyst/Scout
@BryanBroaddus
IRVING, Texas – Yesterday, I took a first look at the undrafted rookie free agents the Cowboys are bringing to Valley Ranch. If you missed it, you can read that here.
On Thursday, the Cowboys’ rookies are arriving at the team facility to begin preparations for rookie minicamp and the start of their NFL careers. Before practice begins on Friday, here’s a look at the rest of the undrafted class.
Andy Jones, WR, Jacksonville (FL) (6-1, 217; 4.51)
Catches the ball on the move. Will push off to gain separation. Tremendous concentration. Sideline awareness for his feet. More physical than quick. Will need to tighten his routes. Can track the ball down the field. Works hard to finish receptions. Can run through arm tackles. Not an explosive player. Has a hard time getting away from people. Will adjust to the ball. Can get his head around to make the catch. Able to flip his hands and adjust to the low ball. Understands how to work himself open. Will find space and come back to the ball. Will keep moving to get open. Can make the contested catch. Will catch the ball in traffic. Will be interested to see how he handles playing on the NFL level. Has receiver traits to work with but doesn’t have that extra gear as a route runner.
Deon King, LB, Norfolk State (6-1, 220; 4.64)
Attacks the line. Flows to the ball. Can close some ground when he runs. Can fool him with movement. Quick with his hands. Wrap up tackler. Used on the blitz. Quick to jump around blocks and at timesd will get him in trouble. Better ball skills? Dropped a ball over the middle right in his hands. Can play off the blocks. Will step up to fill. Physical player. Quick to get in position. Will leave his feet at times. Gets hooked on blocks at times. Size will give him problems. If he goes toe-to-toe with a big blocker, he can become engulfed. Can really change directions. Undersized but very active. Will take on blocks but gets over run too. Is best when he can make plays on the move. WILL linebacker candidate.
Ryan Mack, OT, Memphis (6-4, 300; 5.35)
Lines up as a right tackle. Transfer from Louisville. Started three games in 2016 season. Gets away from the line well. Has to be careful that he doesn’t get over the tops of his toes. Can recover. Does well to get to the 2nd level. Gets out well in space. Can adjust to make the backside block. Nice job to seal the corner on the down block. Gets movement with athletic ability. Bad balance when he lunges. Lack of technique will get him in trouble. Hand fighter. Struggled with his awareness on the twist and the execution of picking it up. Didn’t work well with the guard. Has trouble when he has to sit down on his man. Doesn’t play with much upper or lower body power.
Jeremiah McKinnon, CB, Florida International (5-11, 190; 4.51)
Plays with ball skills. Does a nice job of reacting to the ball. There are snaps where he goes low as a tackler. Needs to wrap up better when he gets in position. Doesn’t really want to tackle. Can avoid blocks. Plays with some quickness. Will turn and find the ball when carrying his man. Burst out of his pedal. Knows how to cut off the route. Plays the ball well in the air. Used on the slot blitz. Can close some ground but needs to do a better job of finishing. Will play the ball down the field. Aware to play with off-hand. Not physical on the edge. Doesn’t have great catch up speed. Some problems with his balance. Is a much better defender when he is dealing with the pass then when he is playing the run.
Rolan Milligan, S, Toledo (5-10, 195; 4.58)
Wrap up tackler. Will play out of the slot. Will break on the ball quickly. Plays as a down safety. Can cover some ground when he runs. Very nice ball reactions. Can carry his man across the formation. Stays in position up the field. Turns to find the ball. Shows the ability to create turnovers. Can close on the ball. Will miss in space. Super aggressive. Plays faster than his 40 time. Can finish when he gets in position to make plays.
Jason Neill, DE, University of Texas–San Antonio (6-2, 266; 4.71)
Lines up as the left defensive end. Some stiffness in his up field rush. Has the power to hold the point of attack. Plays with his hands inside. Good leverage. Doesn’t have many pass rush move – tries to bull rush his man. Tries hard to get rid of his man quickly. Gets the edge through effort. Has trouble when he has to start-then-stop. Takes time to get going again. Tries to keep moving. Can make plays when the ball is right at him. Stays square to play his technique. Good with assignments. Plays with upper body power. Can walk his man back. Will work down the line to make the tackle.
Boston Stiverson, OG, Kansas State (6-3, 311; 5.25)
Lines up as the left guard. Plays on his feet. Can get overpowered. Gave up pressure inside early but was better as season wore on. Can make 2nd level adjust. Used on the pull and able to locate man, sustain. Aware player. Wants to help across the pocket when uncovered. Will stay in position on the down block. Can get movement when he works on the double team. Base tends to get wide and it will throw him off balance. Effort and finish are better than his technique. Did not see any snaps where he was used as a center so likely a stretch to think he could be a swing guy. Read