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Chat replay: Jonathan Bales answers Cowboys questions
Special contributor Jonathan Bales answered your questions in a chat Thursday. Here are some highlights.
playmaker13 ... how do you feel about the more polarizing players in the draft like Mathieu and Te'o?
Jonathan Bales: Those are two interesting players because I'm not as high on them as others from a purely on-field standpoint. Te'o obviously has some issues with long speed. His character really isn't a concern to me, and I don't think teams will care about it too much either. He'll work hard to improve and I think he can be a productive player, just not a Pro Bowl-caliber linebacker. Mathieu is overrated to me because he's so small. That can be overcome if you have elite speed, but he ran an official 4.50 at the Combine. He can't play outside, so you're looking at a nickel cornerback with return ability whose value is likely inflated due to some takeaways he generated at LSU. Most of those were fumbles, however, which are inherently volatile; he had just four picks in two years. With all of that, I think you're looking at a mid-round guy, and then when you factor in the off-field stuff, it drops him even more. I don't think the Cowboys will have him on their board, but it starts with the fact that he's not an elite prospect.
Ray from southside ... What are ur thought on TE Travis Kelce from Cincy? He seems to be imo the most complete TE that can both block adn be effective catching the ball.
Jonathan Bales: Yeah, Kelce is a guy to keep an eye on, but I think he's going to get drafted higher than you might think. There will be some TE-needy teams to jump on him after Ertz and Eifert. With all of the Cowboys holes, I don't think they're in a position to address the backup tight end spot early enough to really give hard consideration to Kelce. Don't forget about James Hanna.
Bruce B. ... Could Costa move to guard if the Cowboys drafted the center from Wisconsin?
Jonathan Bales: He might, but I think it would make more sense to keep Costa at center and move Travis Frederick to guard. He has plenty of experience there from his Wisconsin days.
J1C1 Virus ... Why hasn't Barrett received more attention leading up to the draft? Has his injury hurt his draft stock that much?
Jonathan Bales: I think the issue with Barrett Jones is that he's sort of a jack-of-all-trades, but not an elite player at any single spot. That versatility can be useful, but not necessarily in the first or second round when the guys on the board all offer something special. You definitely want a safe player early in the draft, but I think there are probably some other safe options there who offer more upside than Jones.
Click this link for the full chat. http://www.dallasnews.com/sports/mo...-jonathan-bales-answers-cowboys-questions.ece
Special contributor Jonathan Bales answered your questions in a chat Thursday. Here are some highlights.
playmaker13 ... how do you feel about the more polarizing players in the draft like Mathieu and Te'o?
Jonathan Bales: Those are two interesting players because I'm not as high on them as others from a purely on-field standpoint. Te'o obviously has some issues with long speed. His character really isn't a concern to me, and I don't think teams will care about it too much either. He'll work hard to improve and I think he can be a productive player, just not a Pro Bowl-caliber linebacker. Mathieu is overrated to me because he's so small. That can be overcome if you have elite speed, but he ran an official 4.50 at the Combine. He can't play outside, so you're looking at a nickel cornerback with return ability whose value is likely inflated due to some takeaways he generated at LSU. Most of those were fumbles, however, which are inherently volatile; he had just four picks in two years. With all of that, I think you're looking at a mid-round guy, and then when you factor in the off-field stuff, it drops him even more. I don't think the Cowboys will have him on their board, but it starts with the fact that he's not an elite prospect.
Ray from southside ... What are ur thought on TE Travis Kelce from Cincy? He seems to be imo the most complete TE that can both block adn be effective catching the ball.
Jonathan Bales: Yeah, Kelce is a guy to keep an eye on, but I think he's going to get drafted higher than you might think. There will be some TE-needy teams to jump on him after Ertz and Eifert. With all of the Cowboys holes, I don't think they're in a position to address the backup tight end spot early enough to really give hard consideration to Kelce. Don't forget about James Hanna.
Bruce B. ... Could Costa move to guard if the Cowboys drafted the center from Wisconsin?
Jonathan Bales: He might, but I think it would make more sense to keep Costa at center and move Travis Frederick to guard. He has plenty of experience there from his Wisconsin days.
J1C1 Virus ... Why hasn't Barrett received more attention leading up to the draft? Has his injury hurt his draft stock that much?
Jonathan Bales: I think the issue with Barrett Jones is that he's sort of a jack-of-all-trades, but not an elite player at any single spot. That versatility can be useful, but not necessarily in the first or second round when the guys on the board all offer something special. You definitely want a safe player early in the draft, but I think there are probably some other safe options there who offer more upside than Jones.
Click this link for the full chat. http://www.dallasnews.com/sports/mo...-jonathan-bales-answers-cowboys-questions.ece
