2023 Cowboys UDFA Thread

boozeman

boozeman

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Bill Shatner said:
Wonder why this guy gets the UDFA jackpot?

Mississippi State OLB Tyrus Wheat - per NFL Network, which adds it's a "deal that includes a $20,000 signing bonus plus $185K salary guarantee.''
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We throw all kinds of weird money at guys.

Hell, I remember when Ginger QB Rudy Carpenter cashed in.

It happens a lot.

But it is not my money.
 
Chocolate Lab

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mcnuttz

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shoop said:
33. DAVID DURDEN | West Florida 6014 | 204 lbs. | 6SR Midville, Ga. (Emanuel County) 12/26/1998 (age 24.34) #17 BACKGROUND: John David Durden II, who is one of four children, was a multi-sport athlete growing up in east Georgia. His mother (Jeana) is a teacher and father (John), who played baseball at Air Force, is a minister. Durden attended Emanuel County Institute and kicked extra points as a freshman. A wide receiver on offense and safety on defense, he posted 13 receptions for 327 yards and five touchdowns as a sophomore, adding 42 tackles and four interceptions (one returned for a touchdown). As a senior, Durden finished with 45 receptions for 782 yards and 14 touchdowns to earn All-Region honors. He also accounted for three rushing scores and two special teams touchdowns (one punt return, one kick return). He also lettered in basketball and was a standout baseball player. He led Emanuel County to a state championship in 2015 and was named the 2017 Region Player of the Year with eight home runs. A two-star recruit, Durden was the No. 301 wide receiver in the 2017 recruiting class and the No. 235 recruit in Georgia. Playing at a small-town high school program, he went mostly overlooked as a recruit until FCS-level Mercer scouted him and reached out with a scholarship offer. Durden committed to play football but backtracked after the Boston Red Sox selected him in the 20th round (No. 611 overall) of the 2017 MLB Draft. He spent the 2017 season at the rookie ball level and hit .220 (20-for-91) with one double and nine RBI in 30 games. With his heart still in football, Durden left the Red Sox and joined Mercer for the 2018 season. After two seasons at Mercer, he transferred to Division II West Florida and enrolled in the summer of 2020. Durden received an invitation to the 2023 East-West Shrine Bowl but was unable to participate due to a left wrist injury. YEAR (GP/GS) REC YDS AVG TD DROP NOTES 2017: Part of the Boston Red Sox organization 2018: (11/10) 18 407 22.6 5 0 Mercer; Honorable Mention Freshman All-American; 11-yard TD pass; 95-yard KR TD 2019: (9/8) 45 647 14.4 4 1 Mercer; First Team All-SoCon (Returner); Second Team All-SoCon (WR); FG block 2020: Season canceled due to COVID pandemic West Florida; Enrolled at West Florida in summer 2020 2021: (9/9) 34 787 23.1 10 1 West Florida; Honorable Mention All-American; First Team All-GSC; Led team in receiving; 6-yard rush TD 2022: (13/13) 54 1,128 20.9 13 2 West Florida; First Team All-American; First Team All-GSC; Led team in receiving; 64-yard PR TD
Total: (42/40) 151 2,969 19.7 32 4 HT WT ARM HAND WING 40-YD 20-YD 10-YD VJ BJ SS 3C BP COMBINE N/A (not invited) PRO DAY 6014 204 30 3/8 9 1/2 74 1/2 4.45 2.44 1.55 37 10’7” 4.21 7.00 - (no bench press – left wrist)

STRENGTHS: Good-sized athlete with functional strength to beat the jam … explosive timed speed and play speed … displays the acceleration to consistently gain vertical separation against Division II corners … graceful in mid-air with natural ball-tracking skills … takes sharp angles out of his breaks … mixes his gears as a route runner and not shy attacking the middle of the field … can turn short gains into big plays, displaying outstanding vision, competitive toughness and contact balance with the ball in his hands … productive on special teams as a returner and gunner (10 special teams tackles) … averaged 17.7 yards per punt return in 2022, including a 64-yard touchdown (14/248/1) … averaged 24.6 yards per kick return (43/1,058/1) … receiving production increased each season in college … NFL scouts say his pro day workout (in 33-degree weather) was “outstanding.”

WEAKNESSES: Doesn’t have a body of work against top-tier competition … routes can be overly deliberate at times, drawing sticky coverage … shorter arms and might struggle to fight through the physical coverage of longer corners … inconsistent high-pointer and too content using his body/wrists to finish … contested windows disrupt his focus … guilty of bracing himself for contact at the catch point, making grabs tougher than they need to be … patient with the ball in his hands to follow his blocks but will need to make quicker decisions vs. NFL pursuit … will turn 25 during his NFL rookie season … suffered a left wrist injury that required postseason surgery (December 2022).

SUMMARY: A two-year starter at West Florida, Durden was an outside receiver in the Argos’ balanced offense. After a short-lived pro baseball career, he returned to the football field was immediately productive, initially at Mercer and then West Florida where his 23 receiving touchdowns matched the program record. An impressive athlete for his size, Durden has a smooth accelerator before and after the catch and displays natural pass-catching skills thanks to his steady hand-eye coordination (averaged 19.7 yards per catch in his career). He shifts his gears well as a route runner but could use more polish to consistently create separation out of his stem turns. Overall, Durden will need to prove he can match up vs. NFL speed and strength, but he has the athletic profile and instincts (as a receiver and ball carrier) to earn an NFL roster spot in camp. His value on special teams (as a return man and gunner) could give the edge.
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Secretly rooting for this kid.
 
Bill Shatner

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Jalen Moreno-Cropper WR Fresno State much better prospect than the turd from SC
 
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Chocolate Lab

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Found this on Durden

An unusual scenario could come to fruition if the the New England Patriots take a wide receiver who previously got drafted by MLB’s Boston Red Sox.

Patriots insider Phil Perry of NBC Sports Boston suggested West Florida wide receiver David Durden as a late-round option. As a former baseball player, the Red Sox drafted Durden 2017 MLB Draft out of Mercer, where he also played football. Durden played for the Rex Sox’s rookie league team and batted .229 in 30 games before he left baseball for college football at West Florida.

“Durden meets many of the Patriots’ standards athletically thanks to his 4.46-second 40, a 37-inch vertical and a 10-foot-7 broad jump,” Perry wrote. “He averaged 23.1 yards per catch in 2021 for Division II West Florida and followed that up with a 54-catch, 1,128-yard campaign with 13 scores in 2022.”

At Mercer, Durden also fared well in two seasons for the Division I FCS Bears. He made freshman All-American honors amid 18 receptions for 407 yards and seven total touchdowns, which included a 95-yard kickoff return for a score in 2018. As a sophomore, Durden caught 45 passes for 647 yards and four touchdowns, and he averaged 25.9 yards on kickoff returns as he received All-Southern Conference honors.

David Durden Became This Year’s ‘Prospect X’
Because of Durden’s athletic ability and unique path to the NFL, The Athletic’s Kalyn Kahler featured him as “Prospect X” this year. The annual feature takes a look at a little-known NFL Draft prospect but doesn’t name the player directly.

“Every team he’s talked to has been fascinated by his brief foray into another career,” Kahler wrote. “His boss at that job has worked with more than 1,600 employees and said X ‘stood out like a sore thumb’ because he was such a hard worker and always put forth 100-percent effort. The boss said X had a lot of potential and was surprised when X told him he was quitting to go play college football.”
 
shoop

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Jose Barbon

Barbon put together an impressive performance.

His 40-time was the most important aspect of his workout. Barbon had high expectations for himself as he set his goal for a “high 4.3 or low 4.4.”

After a word with scouts, Barbon shared what his times were looking like.

“They had told me, I ran a 4.3 on the first one and then on the second one it was a 4.45,” Barbon said.

Barbon’s unofficial time was a 4.47, according to Owlsports. That time would have put him in the top-20 among wide receivers who ran the 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine.

In the position drills, Barbon looked comfortable running the entire route tree and caught nearly every ball thrown his way. He didn’t have a lot of body catches, which should go a long way with NFL scouts during the draft process.

Barbon looked smooth in all of the agility drills, showing off his short-area quickness and change of direction skills. Both of which should translate well at the next level.
 
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