Post by prossman on May 22, 2012 18:11:25 GMT -7
Back to the Draft Well in 2013?
Posted by Rafael at Monday, May 21, 2012
A DT named Star. A
natural Cowboy, right?
Wes Bunting and I had a final 2012 sprint chat late last week. He's got his first shipments of senior game tape and is settling in to start his 2013 guide. He'll be back in the late summer to help set up the 2012 college season and take us through the 2013 draft.
In his recap, I asked him to put some fresh names on our radar. Looking at this year's crop, I'm convinced the Cowboys will go back to the well in 2013. They didn't take a Fletcher Cox or Michael Brockers high, but DE still remains a priority position, even with Tyrone Crawford's addition. The team will also likely go after another safety and look for interior linemen.
Put the Mark Barrons and David DeCastros aside and prepare for some new names. I'll roll out some this week. Today, Wes starts with some versatile defensive linemen who will enter next year high on prospect lists.
* * * *
Cowboys Nation: From the Cowboys' perspective, I looked over what they got and what they were looking for going into the draft and what I see is more of the same. I think their needs were so great at the positions they targeted that even though they got a guy like Tyrone Crawford in the 3rd round, I would not have been surprised, had they stayed at 14, if they drafted a Michael Brockers and still took Crawford two rounds later.
They still need another defensive end. They're still looking for safeties and interior offensive linemen. And with age creeping up on DeMarcus Ware and Jason Witten, they may be looking for guys to groom behind them as well.
This is still so preliminary, but give us some names to look for when the new season rolls around. Let's start at the 5-technique.
Wes Bunting: There are some unique guys. I don't have the list in front of me, but Kewann Short, from Purdue is one. You're always talking about the Cowboys wanting guys who can play some nose and some 5-technique. He's one guy that I would highlight. He goes about 6'4", about 315-320. He's got a big anchor. He can overpower versus the run. He's not the athlete that a Fletcher Cox was. He's a thicker, strong guy, and he can anchor. If you want a guy who can do a number in the run game as a potential 5-technique, he reminds me a bit of Red Bryant, from Seattle.
Now, if you want a ''pure" nose, the real big person, there's a guy at Utah. His name is Star Lotulelei. This guy would have been in the mix to be an early 1st rounder this year. He's big, he's powerful (6'3", 325). People have made the Haloti Ngata comparison.
Jonathan Jenkins from Georgia is another interesting player. Big, thick, tough to move. He's got some athleticism. He can make plays off his frame. Now, we're talking for a big guy (351 lbs.). We're not talking an elite athlete, but he can move some.
Bennie Logan from LSU is another name to watch. He's got some girth. He played in that rotation with Michael Brockers last year.
Jessie Williams from Alabama is another one to watch. I think he's from Australia. He played some nose and he played the 5-technique. (6'4", 320 lbs.) He's another guy who's a better physical presence than athlete right now, but he's figuring it out.
CN: The "true nose tackle" label doesn't interest me as much. We're seeing an evolution of sorts where all NFL defenses are mixing fronts and using 3 and 4-man lines. Even New England has Vince Wilfork playing DT in a 4-3 and on the nose when they go 3-4. In Dallas, Jay Ratliff plays on the 1, he'll play the 0, he'll play the 3. Jason Hatcher played as the 5, but when Dallas played nickel, and and Ratliff were the two inside tackles in the 4-man line.
You have two guys who are lining up all over the place. I think the Cowboys want more strong, athletic people who have quickness. I think power and quickness are more important to them than pure girth, than being 335-345 lbs.
With so much more spread, I think teams want three-down players, not just huge guys who have to come off on 3rd down.
WB: A lot of these guys, Short, Williams, Star Lotulelei, these are guys who can get off the ball. They're not just I'm-gonna-sit-in-my-stance-and-anchor type guys. They're not all sudden laterally, but they've got some quicks and they can push the pocket.
CN: I don't want to go too far in the other direction and rule guys out just because they're big. Nothing wrong with being big, but if they're big, they have to move too.
Next: the 2013 safety crop, which should be better than this year's bunch. .