2021 - NFL Draft Prospects Thread

[plan9misfit]

16 hours ago, CT Cowboy Fan said:

I have to say that secretly I was against us taking Sewell or Slater at 10 untill tonight. The Chiefs losing their tackles might be the deciding factor of tonight’s game. Mahomes hasn’t been able to set his feet, has been uncomfortable, and this juggernaut of an offense came to a screeching hault because of all the pressure. If Dak is our guy, we need to protect him.

I’ve said this 1000 times, but I’ll say it again:

Offensive line. Defensive line. Early. Often. Annually.

[Northland]

15 hours ago, Nextyearfordaboyz said:

If we are taking a true stud (like Sewell or Slater), I am definitely open to the OL plan. those guys can make life a lot easier for your QB for a decade.

I definitely hate the idea of drafting a 2nd or 3rd tier OL in the top-75, though. Not enough short term upside to justify for anything short of all-timer potential.

I have no issue with taking Sewell should he somehow fall to us or Slater.  This would not mean that we are moving on from Smith or Collins.  It would mean that when either of them moves on, or is unable to play due to injury, we would have a quality player ready to step in to a key position.

[Nextyearfordaboyz]

3 hours ago, Northland said:

I have no issue with taking Sewell should he somehow fall to us or Slater.  This would not mean that we are moving on from Smith or Collins.  It would mean that when either of them moves on, or is unable to play due to injury, we would have a quality player ready to step in to a key position.

I think Sewell is good enough that you can throw the rest of your plans out the window and say, “this is worth it”.

But if they feel good about Tyron and La’El next season, I don’t think I can justify Slater. Cheap quality snaps are major currency in the NFL. You’re going to get 1,000 out of Farley or Surtain as rookies, so if you are passing on players like that for a “future” LT, they better be truly special. Sewell is, in my book. Slater is not quite.

[CT Cowboy Fan]

58 minutes ago, Nextyearfordaboyz said:

I think Sewell is good enough that you can throw the rest of your plans out the window and say, “this is worth it”.

But if they feel good about Tyron and La’El next season, I don’t think I can justify Slater. Cheap quality snaps are major currency in the NFL. You’re going to get 1,000 out of Farley or Surtain as rookies, so if you are passing on players like that for a “future” LT, they better be truly special. Sewell is, in my book. Slater is not quite.

I think that Sewell/Slater would get 1,000 snaps at LG as rookies if Smith and Collins are healthy. Cuz I think both would easily beat out Williams for the job

[WizardHawk]

20 minutes ago, CT Cowboy Fan said:

I think that Sewell/Slater would get 1,000 snaps at LG as rookies if Smith and Collins are healthy. Cuz I think both would easily beat out Williams for the job

Have to agree. If you’re taking one of them in rd 1, Williams is likely on his way out.

[Nextyearfordaboyz]

3 hours ago, CT Cowboy Fan said:

I think that Sewell/Slater would get 1,000 snaps at LG as rookies if Smith and Collins are healthy. Cuz I think both would easily beat out Williams for the job

Yeah, I mean, I get that. But you have solid, cheap production out of your LG spot already. Would Slater be an upgrade as a rookie? Probably. But it's really not the same as adding a impactful cheap snaps at, say, cornerback. 

I'm all aboard the Sewell train. If he's there, he's special enough that it makes everything else irrelevant. 

Slater, on the other hand, is a rock solid #10-15 prospect, in my opinion. If OT is a legitimate need because Tyron and/or La'El's recoveries are not copacetic, then he should absolutely be in consideration with the likes of Farley, Surtain, etc.

But to me, you are really not making your team better in the near-term if the plan is to add one of them and play him at LG. So the long-term better be worth it. For Sewell it is. For Slater, I don't think so. He's on a same tier of prospect as other guys who improve our roster construction by a much larger degree. 

[buddy_z34]

If you take Sewell then the team is pretty much forcing Tyron into retirement in a year or two. 

[matt79511]

10 hours ago, buddy_z34 said:

If you take Sewell then the team is pretty much forcing Tyron into retirement in a year or two. 

Or acknowledging that they got 2 out of a possible 32 starts from their two Pro Bowl-level OTs last year and their season was doomed as a result. 

Forget Tyron for a second (whose time here will likely end soon in any scenario)- how can we be sure that Collins will bounce back to 2019 form when we don’t even know what led to him missing the whole season? Did he really just show up out of shape and develop a hip issue or was it complications from a car crash he was involved in? I find his situation distressingly vague. And either way, it’s worth noting that (1) he wasn’t nearly as good his first two years at RT as he was in ‘19 and (2) his contract is structured similarly to Jaylon’s with a deferred guarantee structure, meaning we can move on at any time so long as he’s not injured.

Just things to consider. Can never have enough quality offensive linemen- that was the difference in the blowout two days ago. I think Sewell and Slater would both be high floor/high ceiling picks in the immediate and long-term.

Edited February 9, 2021 by matt79511
Typo

[buddy_z34]

I think they'll easily return to form. 

[Nextyearfordaboyz]

Mel Kiper just released his position rankings. Not that Kiper is gospel, but it's definitely worth taking note of items that are outliers to the rest of the draft community, since he is pretty plugged into what teams are looking at.

Some nuggets that might be of interest to Cowboys draft twitter:

-Rashawn Slater is listed as a guard
-Daviyon Nixon is DT#1, Barmore is DT#2. But neither is in the top-25 overall
-LB Tony Fields is his #5 true off-ball linebacker. Fields isn't currently on Dane's top-100, but I've heard his name several times recently. First glance, he looks like he might fit the mold of a Quinn WLB very nicely. I'm excited to watch him.
-Hufanga is S#3, Richie Grant is only S#5
-Kelvin Joseph is CB#4 and #25 overall... Who?! He's not on Dane's top-100 of PFF's top-200. This is going to require some investigation
-Ifeatu Melifonwu and Tyson Campbell are not in his top-10 CBs at all

Edited February 10, 2021 by Nextyearfordaboyz

[plan9misfit]

49 minutes ago, Nextyearfordaboyz said:

Mel Kiper just released his position rankings. Not that Kiper is gospel, but it's definitely worth taking note of items that are outliers to the rest of the draft community, since he is pretty plugged into what teams are looking at.

Some nuggets that might be of interest to Cowboys draft twitter:

-Rashawn Slater is listed as a guard
-Daviyon Nixon is DT#1, Barmore is DT#2. But neither is in the top-25 overall
-LB Tony Fields is his #5 true off-ball linebacker. Fields isn't currently on Dane's top-100, but I've heard his name several times recently. First glance, he looks like he might fit the mold of a Quinn WLB very nicely. I'm excited to watch him.
-Hufanga is S#3, Richie Grant is only S#5
-Kelvin Joseph is CB#4 and #25 overall... Who?! He's not on Dane's top-100 of PFF's top-200. This is going to require some investigation
-Ifeatu Melifonwu and Tyson Campbell are not in his top-10 CBs at all

That’s interesting. Kiper usually has some weird rankings on guys, but the DBs seem weirder than usual. And, apparently, Kiper is able to see past USC’s dreadful coaching to evaluate Hufanga. I really think his stock will be negatively affected because of Clay Helton’s incompetence.

[Nextyearfordaboyz]

1 hour ago, plan9misfit said:

That’s interesting. Kiper usually has some weird rankings on guys, but the DBs seem weirder than usual. And, apparently, Kiper is able to see past USC’s dreadful coaching to evaluate Hufanga. I really think his stock will be negatively affected because of Clay Helton’s incompetence.

We know that February-April is more about the media catching up to how the team views players, rather than all of these players actually experiencing massive swings in their value. So I really appreciate the outliers from the people who are actually plugged in. It gives you some hints about the direction things could be heading.

[Nextyearfordaboyz]

10 hours ago, Nextyearfordaboyz said:

-Kelvin Joseph is CB#4 and #25 overall... Who?! He's not on Dane's top-100 of PFF's top-200. This is going to require some investigation

Starting to research, and...

603 career snaps, yet decided to opt out of the final 2 games anyway, and Mark Stoops doesn’t exactly speak glowingly about him.

He’s a ballhawk, and is a smooth athlete. I mean, I can see how you could squint and think Marcus Peters, both in coverage style and personality. But man, at least Peters was able to play a bunch of high-level ball in college, and I think he was a lot more refined. Joseph has barely even stepped on the field.

My initial reaction is that drafting him in the top-50 would make me super nervous. If I had to guess, you are likely developing him for someone else to eventually reap some benefits. Gun to my head, let me see what Reggie Robinson has if the alternative is spending a premium pick on this guy.

[Texas_OutLaw7]

Who can tell me about Horn?

[Nextyearfordaboyz]

2 hours ago, Texas_OutLaw7 said:

Who can tell me about Horn?

Cornerback version of his dad.

Cocky, alpha, PIA for every opponent. Physical and can make plays on the ball. Versatile and can play in just about any scheme. He's the type of guy that you love to hate if he's not on your team. Tons of fun to watch, though. Very grabby, with potential to be a guy who never gets the benefit of doubt from refs. He's smooth, but doesn't have elite speed or quickness.

To me, he's kind of on his own tier compared to recent prospects. He's not quite on the level of Okudah, Henderson, Surtain, or Farley as a prospect. But I think he's a clear step up from any other CB prospect of the last 2 years.