Posted by Rafael at Monday, March 04, 2013
Part two of this week's chat with Cowboys Nation draft analyst TD examines other need areas for Dallas and looks at the veteran free agent crop.
Cowboys Nation: We have not talked about the wide receiver spot much. The Cowboys are happy that Dwayne Harris stepped up his game late in the year but they need depth, since Kevin Ogletree is probably gone. I seriously doubt this team looks at receiver until at least round 3, but how do the receivers stack up?
TD: I'd say the two guys who are first round locks are Keenan Allen and Cordarrelle Patterson;
When you think fringe 1st/2nd round guys? -- Tavon Austin, DeAndre Hopkins, Robert Woods
Solid 2nd guys? -- Justin Hunter from Tennessee;
Players in the 2/3rd range -- Terrance Wiliams from Baylor, Da'Rick Rodgers from Tennessee Tech, Qinton Patton from Louisiana Tech.
Guys who could sneak into 3rd, are in that 3rd/4th area -- Marquis Goodwin from Texas, and Dennard Robinson from Michigan.
CN: Where does Texas A&M's Ryan Swope go after his strong Combine?
TD: Right now, I think somewhere in 3rd
CN: Play the same game with running back. This position seems harder to call because running back has become so devalued recently. Start in the 2nd round and work your way through the 4th.
TD: Okay, right now, I'd put Eddie Lacy in the 1st, Giovani Bernard as a fringe 1st/2nd. He's the only other running back I could see slipping into the 1st.
In the 2nd -- Stepfan Taylor, Andre Ellington,
ln the 2nd/3rd fringe, Marcus Lattimore
Kenyon Barner, I'd rate as a solid 3rd
Johnathan Franklin, I'd say is a mid round
Here's what's hard about these guys, and I'm not saying they'll be drafted in these slots. These are the levels where I rate them. Once you get past the 2nd round guys, there's not a lot of difference. It all comes down to, what are you looking for? Are you looking for an every-down back? Are you looking for a change-of-space speed guy in the Darren Sproles range? Some of these guys who have similar grades have very different styles, and it will all come down to matching up the teams that are looking for a back to the back's game. I find it very hard to just stack them up and say they'll go in a certain order.
CN: Say more about Stepfan Taylor, since he's a guy who gets some love from the readers.
TD: Stepfan Taylor times around 4.6. On tape he looks like a 4.5 guy. He plays faster. With Giovani Bernard, people think Ray Rice. I'd have a tough time arguing. I think Taylor could be a Matt Forte-type player.
CN: Stack up the quarterbacks now.
TD: 1st round -- Geno Smith, Matt Barkley and then it depends on who you talk to. Who's the next guy? I've heard rumors that this year's Brandon Weeden could be E.J. Manuel. You remember Weeden hit the Combine as a likely 2nd/3rd rounder, and then on draft day he goes 22nd. Some think it's Mike Glennon. Some think it's Tyler Bray. It all depends on who you talk to. Personally, the QBs I like best are Bray and Glennon, but they have to go to the right team. Those two need to be protected.
If you put a gun to my head I'd say Ryan Nassib would be the 3rd QB taken. But I'm getting the feeling it could be Manuel. Some coach will look at Manuel's skill set and think he can coach him up.
CN: Do the same with safeties.
TD: If you're Tony Jefferson and run 4.75, you fall. You can't play him in deep half. Now, I think he's a 5th round guy. You can't draft a safety high who runs slower than a lot of D-linemen. Robert Lester and Zeke Motta are now late round players.
Terry Hawthorne from Illinois ran 4.4. Dwayne Grant from UConn ran 4.47. Sharmko Thomas from Syracuse ran a 4.42. They're underrated prospects. They've jumped up into mid-round range.
CN: Talk about two guys from Florida who get a lot of attention here. Matt Elam from the University of Florida and Johnathan Cyprien from Florida International.
TD: Matt Elam is 5'10" 208, had a good workout, ran decently, in the 4.5s at 210 lbs. He looked balanced. He had a good workout. I think he's the 3rd or 4th safety off the board in 2nd round range. Kenny Vaccaro was a bit disappointing. On tape he plays a lot faster.
On Cyprien, I know a lot of people really like him. He had a great Senior Bowl. He's also older. He red-shirted, started 4 years. He plays fast enough. He plays like a 4.55 guy. He can change directions and thump. I think he's got good but not elite athleticism. I think 2nd round is very possible for him. In a weak safety class you want a guy who can hit and run and he can play a role in the secondary, no doubt.
There could be a slight backlash to Vaccaro where he falls a bit, after the workouts.
CN: Let's go back to offensive line and D.J. Fluker. He rates as a pure right tackle. Is there the possibility he could slide a bit and be a trade down option in the late 1st or a trade-up option in the early 2nd, because he's not projected as a two-side player?
TD: I don't think so. Once we get to Lane Johnson at offensive tackle who's after him? It's Fluker. Kyle Long from Oregon would be interesting.
CN: You mentioned Oday Aboushi as a possible 2nd-3rd round value right tackle pick. Dallas may cut Doug Free and if they do, then right tackle becomes a priority. It would be very risky to enter 2013 with Jermey Parnell as the starter and no known backup on the roster.
.TD: Aboushi is 6'6", 315. He's not as balanced as you would like right now. Has some natural power. The tools are there, but he needs to clean up his game. He's still putting it together.
Overall,the draft is not sexy at the top but it's deep. Last year we saw a good top 10 with depth at guard. This year good meat throughout the draft, especially at interior D-line. Tight end is a very deep class. It's a decent corner crop. Not elite besides Dee Milliner but there are a lot of good cover-2 corner options.
CN: What have you heard from your sources about NFL free agency? That starts in just over a week.
TD: I've heard overall this is one of the best years for free agency in some time. A lot of people are saying players are not going to be franchised like they have in the past, so the Paul Krugers and William Moores are hitting the market this year.
The question will come down to which teams are going to jump right in and over-pay? There's good talent but not elite talent out there. Who will over-pay? That's what you have to determine. There's a lot of depth in this class. You mentioned right tackle. Sebastian Vollmer will be there. So will Andre Smith. The best teams in this game will be the ones that don't get sucked into overpaying.
It's a younger class for a change. You often see a lot of 30 year olds near the top of this list. This year, you'll see a lot of 25-26 year olds -- there are a lot of guys who we thought were going to be great players who didn't pan out. Guys like Louis Delmas, Jason Jones, good young players at the back end.
An interesting offensive lineman is guard Andy Levitre. He will be highly sought after and you won't have to break bank on him; but you will probably have to pay a lot
Part two of this week's chat with Cowboys Nation draft analyst TD examines other need areas for Dallas and looks at the veteran free agent crop.
Cowboys Nation: We have not talked about the wide receiver spot much. The Cowboys are happy that Dwayne Harris stepped up his game late in the year but they need depth, since Kevin Ogletree is probably gone. I seriously doubt this team looks at receiver until at least round 3, but how do the receivers stack up?
TD: I'd say the two guys who are first round locks are Keenan Allen and Cordarrelle Patterson;
When you think fringe 1st/2nd round guys? -- Tavon Austin, DeAndre Hopkins, Robert Woods
Solid 2nd guys? -- Justin Hunter from Tennessee;
Players in the 2/3rd range -- Terrance Wiliams from Baylor, Da'Rick Rodgers from Tennessee Tech, Qinton Patton from Louisiana Tech.
Guys who could sneak into 3rd, are in that 3rd/4th area -- Marquis Goodwin from Texas, and Dennard Robinson from Michigan.
CN: Where does Texas A&M's Ryan Swope go after his strong Combine?
TD: Right now, I think somewhere in 3rd
CN: Play the same game with running back. This position seems harder to call because running back has become so devalued recently. Start in the 2nd round and work your way through the 4th.
TD: Okay, right now, I'd put Eddie Lacy in the 1st, Giovani Bernard as a fringe 1st/2nd. He's the only other running back I could see slipping into the 1st.
In the 2nd -- Stepfan Taylor, Andre Ellington,
ln the 2nd/3rd fringe, Marcus Lattimore
Kenyon Barner, I'd rate as a solid 3rd
Johnathan Franklin, I'd say is a mid round
Here's what's hard about these guys, and I'm not saying they'll be drafted in these slots. These are the levels where I rate them. Once you get past the 2nd round guys, there's not a lot of difference. It all comes down to, what are you looking for? Are you looking for an every-down back? Are you looking for a change-of-space speed guy in the Darren Sproles range? Some of these guys who have similar grades have very different styles, and it will all come down to matching up the teams that are looking for a back to the back's game. I find it very hard to just stack them up and say they'll go in a certain order.
CN: Say more about Stepfan Taylor, since he's a guy who gets some love from the readers.
TD: Stepfan Taylor times around 4.6. On tape he looks like a 4.5 guy. He plays faster. With Giovani Bernard, people think Ray Rice. I'd have a tough time arguing. I think Taylor could be a Matt Forte-type player.
CN: Stack up the quarterbacks now.
TD: 1st round -- Geno Smith, Matt Barkley and then it depends on who you talk to. Who's the next guy? I've heard rumors that this year's Brandon Weeden could be E.J. Manuel. You remember Weeden hit the Combine as a likely 2nd/3rd rounder, and then on draft day he goes 22nd. Some think it's Mike Glennon. Some think it's Tyler Bray. It all depends on who you talk to. Personally, the QBs I like best are Bray and Glennon, but they have to go to the right team. Those two need to be protected.
If you put a gun to my head I'd say Ryan Nassib would be the 3rd QB taken. But I'm getting the feeling it could be Manuel. Some coach will look at Manuel's skill set and think he can coach him up.
CN: Do the same with safeties.
TD: If you're Tony Jefferson and run 4.75, you fall. You can't play him in deep half. Now, I think he's a 5th round guy. You can't draft a safety high who runs slower than a lot of D-linemen. Robert Lester and Zeke Motta are now late round players.
Terry Hawthorne from Illinois ran 4.4. Dwayne Grant from UConn ran 4.47. Sharmko Thomas from Syracuse ran a 4.42. They're underrated prospects. They've jumped up into mid-round range.
CN: Talk about two guys from Florida who get a lot of attention here. Matt Elam from the University of Florida and Johnathan Cyprien from Florida International.
TD: Matt Elam is 5'10" 208, had a good workout, ran decently, in the 4.5s at 210 lbs. He looked balanced. He had a good workout. I think he's the 3rd or 4th safety off the board in 2nd round range. Kenny Vaccaro was a bit disappointing. On tape he plays a lot faster.
On Cyprien, I know a lot of people really like him. He had a great Senior Bowl. He's also older. He red-shirted, started 4 years. He plays fast enough. He plays like a 4.55 guy. He can change directions and thump. I think he's got good but not elite athleticism. I think 2nd round is very possible for him. In a weak safety class you want a guy who can hit and run and he can play a role in the secondary, no doubt.
There could be a slight backlash to Vaccaro where he falls a bit, after the workouts.
CN: Let's go back to offensive line and D.J. Fluker. He rates as a pure right tackle. Is there the possibility he could slide a bit and be a trade down option in the late 1st or a trade-up option in the early 2nd, because he's not projected as a two-side player?
TD: I don't think so. Once we get to Lane Johnson at offensive tackle who's after him? It's Fluker. Kyle Long from Oregon would be interesting.
CN: You mentioned Oday Aboushi as a possible 2nd-3rd round value right tackle pick. Dallas may cut Doug Free and if they do, then right tackle becomes a priority. It would be very risky to enter 2013 with Jermey Parnell as the starter and no known backup on the roster.
.TD: Aboushi is 6'6", 315. He's not as balanced as you would like right now. Has some natural power. The tools are there, but he needs to clean up his game. He's still putting it together.
Overall,the draft is not sexy at the top but it's deep. Last year we saw a good top 10 with depth at guard. This year good meat throughout the draft, especially at interior D-line. Tight end is a very deep class. It's a decent corner crop. Not elite besides Dee Milliner but there are a lot of good cover-2 corner options.
CN: What have you heard from your sources about NFL free agency? That starts in just over a week.
TD: I've heard overall this is one of the best years for free agency in some time. A lot of people are saying players are not going to be franchised like they have in the past, so the Paul Krugers and William Moores are hitting the market this year.
The question will come down to which teams are going to jump right in and over-pay? There's good talent but not elite talent out there. Who will over-pay? That's what you have to determine. There's a lot of depth in this class. You mentioned right tackle. Sebastian Vollmer will be there. So will Andre Smith. The best teams in this game will be the ones that don't get sucked into overpaying.
It's a younger class for a change. You often see a lot of 30 year olds near the top of this list. This year, you'll see a lot of 25-26 year olds -- there are a lot of guys who we thought were going to be great players who didn't pan out. Guys like Louis Delmas, Jason Jones, good young players at the back end.
An interesting offensive lineman is guard Andy Levitre. He will be highly sought after and you won't have to break bank on him; but you will probably have to pay a lot
