2026 Cowboys Draft Chatter Thread

ravidubey said:
6’6” 280 pound 20 year old
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Technically he was 274 at his Pro Day. Just saying.

But why do NFL teams love him? I think they have a blind spot when it comes to lengthy DEs and the length with him is major. At basically 6'6" he has almost 35 inch arms. Dude is about as long as they get. Which I like. I'd be excited about him in the third round on potential and knowing he could be a good run stopping 3-4 DE. I just don't see a guy who is anywhere close to a first round player. You're banking entirely on, we can develop him.

I don't think he has the demeanor to ever become that type of guy. And I have seen way too many of those types drafted in the first round and totally flame out.
 
I'd argue that if used properly, Faulk will be one of the best (or the best) interior rushers in the class. It's a bit of a projection and I get the concern because he's generally thought of as an edge player, but there isn't anybody in this class who I think projects to be the type of interior rusher he likely will be if given the opportunity to align that way.

I'd guess that's a big reason why he's likely a top 20ish type in the eyes of most teams.
 
Simpleton said:
I'd argue that if used properly, Faulk will be one of the best (or the best) interior rushers in the class. It's a bit of a projection and I get the concern because he's generally thought of as an edge player, but there isn't anybody in this class who I think projects to be the type of interior rusher he likely will be if given the opportunity to align that way.

I'd guess that's a big reason why he's likely a top 20ish type in the eyes of most teams.
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Despite what ravi says he played very few plays at DT at Auburn. I don't think he translates very well to that position. His weight isn't there. And I don't think he is powerful enough to bull rush a double-team for more than half the plays.
 
Cotton said:
Despite what ravi says he played very few plays at DT at Auburn. I don't think he translates very well to that position. His weight isn't there. And I don't he is powerful enough to bull rush a double-team for more than half the plays.
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I only think he should be lining up as a true interior player in passing situations, other than that he should be on the edge or as a 5T.
 
Simpleton said:
I only think he should be lining up as a true interior player in passing situations, other than that he should be on the edge or as a 5T.
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I guess it boils down to you think he would be a good interior rusher, and I don't. I'm not above taking on a project, but I think that projection is bordering on a prayer.
 
We hate when we take injury risks. We hate when we take character risks. We bitch about that when it happens in the 2nd and 3rd round.

I don't want to take an "upside" risk in the first round. I want to use our first rounders on guys that have done it on the field already. That project to continue to do it. You don't spend first rounders on projects.

He has great measurables. I get it. You can't teach size. It's extremely tempting. But give me those measurables later in the draft. In the first, you have got to have the production to go along with the measurables.
 
NoDak said:
We hate when we take injury risks. We hate when we take character risks. We bitch about that when it happens in the 2nd and 3rd round.

I don't want to take an "upside" risk in the first round. I want to use our first rounders on guys that have done it on the field already. That project to continue to do it. You don't spend first rounders on projects.

He has great measurables. I get it. You can't teach size. It's extremely tempting. But give me those measurables later in the draft. In the first, you have got to have the production to go along with the measurables.
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My thing is I don't think the interior pass rush is a huge projection, the question for me is just whether or not he's used that way in the league to put up the statistical production that I think he can. I agree with not going nuts for pure traits, but he was more impactful than how you're characterizing him.

But I also get not wanting to spend a first on a guy with so-so production and a murky position projection.
 
Cotton said:
I guess it boils down to you think he would be a good interior rusher, and I don't. I'm not above taking on a project, but I think that projection is bordering on a prayer.
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He has more sacks than Arvell Reese the last two years, and is known for generating ‘almost sacks’.

It’s not more of a projection than most 1st round draft choices, because all first round picks are projections.

We know Bailey and Mesidor won’t have 14.5 and 13 sacks as rookies, because it’s a completely different game at the next level. Meanwhile Micah Parsons didn’t have ten sacks his whole college career, but hit double digits every year as a pro.

Like other 1st round picks, they’ve shown something that projects them as good pass rushers at the next level at some point.

What’s strange is the ‘anti-Faulk’ cult growing based on his two sacks this past year.

Despite every publication including Brugler calling him a first round pick! Because somehow they are all delusional when it comes to this one guy?

Every first round pick, just like every other draft pick period, is a projection.

Not seeing what’s convinced y’all. Not yet
 
ravidubey said:
Not seeing what’s convinced y’all. Not yet
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Not seeing what has convinced you. I'm honestly not sure if you saw a couple highlights and became convinced or what.

But I've watched the guy, I've watched him a lot. I really want to like him. And I come away more disappointed every time I watch him. There aren't a bunch of "almost sacks" out there.

It's more like the opposite. Go look at those 7 sacks from 2024. Seriously go watch them. They are fluky hustle plays. They weren't a guy creating sacks and pressures. It was more of a guy being in the right place at the right time.

Anyway, I know I won't convince you any more than I'll convince Simp. The draft every year is littered with these type of DEs. And the vast majority never work out. Call him Tyree Wilson, Payton Turner or whatever. I don't see anything that tells me Faulk is anything other than a very long 274 pound guy with little explosive ability or pass rush moves.
 
ravidubey said:
Despite every publication including Brugler calling him a first round pick! Because somehow they are all delusional when it comes to this one guy?
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There are consensus first round picks that bust every year that "experts" miss on and the fans (the dumdums) knew would bust. There are quite a few but I will just name two. Manziel and Trubisky. There are many more but those two stand out in my head. Oh, and guess who projected them both as first rounders? Brugler.

These "experts" watch the same players that we do. They aren't always right. And, a lot of times, the fans are.

And, comparing sack numbers of an EDGE to a LBer is disingenuous. An EDGE is supposed to have more sacks. They rush the passer way more than a LBer does. LBers have coverage responsibilities on pass plays, of course, an EDGE does not. But, if we are comparing apples to apples numbers-wise, Howell, Lawrence, and Jacas all had more sacks in just their senior year than Faulk had in his entire career.

Now, I'm not saying Faulk can't develop into more of a player in the NFL if someone can teach him bend and any pass rush moves at all, but as he sits right now, I wouldn't even take him until the late second for my team.
 
Cowboysrock55 said:
Not seeing what has convinced you. I'm honestly not sure if you saw a couple highlights and became convinced or what.

But I've watched the guy, I've watched him a lot. I really want to like him. And I come away more disappointed every time I watch him. There aren't a bunch of "almost sacks" out there.

It's more like the opposite. Go look at those 7 sacks from 2024. Seriously go watch them. They are fluky hustle plays. They weren't a guy creating sacks and pressures. It was more of a guy being in the right place at the right time.

Anyway, I know I won't convince you any more than I'll convince Simp. The draft every year is littered with these type of DEs. And the vast majority never work out. Call him Tyree Wilson, Payton Turner or whatever. I don't see anything that tells me Faulk is anything other than a very long 274 pound guy with little explosive ability or pass rush moves.
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There's just as good a chance he's Travon Walker or Arik Armstead as he is Wilson or Turner.

I get not wanting him in the first but this talk of being a 3rd/4th is pure nonsense and based on nothing except lazy comparisons to 3-4 DE's we drafted 20 years ago.
 
Cotton said:
There are consensus first round picks that bust every year that "experts" miss on and the fans (the dumdums) knew would bust. There are quite a few but I will just name two. Manziel and Trubisky. There are many more but those two stand out in my head. Oh, and guess who projected them both as first rounders? Brugler.

These "experts" watch the same players that we do. They aren't always right. And, a lot of times, the fans are.

And, comparing sack numbers of an EDGE to a LBer is disingenuous. An EDGE is supposed to have more sacks. They rush the passer way more than a LBer does. LBers have coverage responsibilities on pass plays, of course, an EDGE does not. But, if we are comparing apples to apples numbers-wise, Howell, Lawrence, and Jacas all had more sacks in just their senior year than Faulk had in his entire career.

Now, I'm not saying Faulk can't develop into more of a player in the NFL if someone can teach him bend and any pass rush moves at all, but as he sits right now, I wouldn't even take him until the late second for my team.
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Faulk wasn't really a pure edge player with how Auburn used him last year, that's a big reason that it's not fair to compare him statistically to someone like Howell or Lawrence.

He was often asked to do the dirty work taking on multiple blockers to free up blitzers.
 
Simpleton said:
There's just as good a chance he's Travon Walker or Arik Armstead as he is Wilson or Turner.
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Arik Armstead was 292 pounds. I liked him in the draft but he looked way more like a DT. Faulk is big but he isn't physically thick like Armstead was.

I didn't like Trevon Walker at all. He has turned out to be a good pro. But his athleticism was very freaky. The guy is closer to Gary than he is Faulk in terms of size and athletic ability.
 
Simpleton said:
Faulk wasn't really a pure edge player with how Auburn used him last year, that's a big reason that it's not fair to compare him statistically to someone like Howell or Lawrence.

He was often asked to do the dirty work taking on multiple blockers to free up blitzers.
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I only brought up stats because Ravi did. Even not rushing as much as some other EDGEs, when he did rush, it was really bad. I know you know that. And, I'm not taking an EDGE in the first or even early second that his only proven is run defense.
 
Cowboysrock55 said:
Arik Armstead was 292 pounds. I liked him in the draft but he looked way more like a DT. Faulk is big but he isn't physically thick like Armstead was.

I didn't like Trevon Walker at all. He has turned out to be a good pro. But his athleticism was very freaky. The guy is closer to Gary than he is Faulk in terms of size and athletic ability.
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He could very easily be a Gary level player too.

But yes Armstead was bigger, but I'd argue Faulk has shown more quickness and explosiveness while still being a very good size for part-time work on the interior. Armstead was also much less productive in college.
 
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