24th Overall Pick, Cowboys Select Tyler Smith OT, Tulsa

[Scoundrel]

3 minutes ago, DaBoys said:

We don’t need you this year. I’ve been beating the drum for this guy for awhile in here. I’m the Scoundrel now!

You can never be me. You’re too accepting of mediocre play clearly.

[DaBoys]

3 minutes ago, Scoundrel said:

You can never be me. You’re too accepting of mediocre play clearly.

He’ll be a pro bowl guard

[Dallas94Ware]

Hey guys - YES I am still here, still reading weekly just took a big step back from posting while I convalesced after my 2 year hiatus for personal stuff (in which some of you at one point thought I died, but heres reassurance again it'll take more than surgeries and treatments to bring down this ol stubborn, know-it-all, hard headed former ND RT and HS HC)

But on to the real reason I am posting - 

Offensive line is, as you long timers may remember, my specialty, having been a starter in d1 in the trenches. I take pride in that, and in my ability to eye talent at those positions.

I am pretty ticked they passed on Linderbaum. NOT because I do not like Smith, who they did select, but rather, because of my lack of trust in Biadasz. The biggest anchor a solid OL can have is from a nimble footed, quick witted, finisher of a center. And Biadasz has shown a lack of that. The traits he showed even at college that made him a decent selection at his pick (quick to settle in his stance, works to get full arm extension, clean but not perfect footwork, drives with low hips on the run) bode well more for the kind of player who can fill in short term, and make a lenghty NFL career bouncing around the league as a backup, stop gap starter, and next man up on the depth chart due to injury, than it does for a longterm quality starter. And we had a shot at that with Linderbaum today, who looks every bit homerun day 1 starter who can anchor an OL and lead the charge inside, make the right calls, and earn himself at least a few pro bowl if not all pro selections.

Missing on that, to continue working with what we have, stings. And stinks.

Now, that said, Ive also said for years - even before I left for those 20ish months - on this forum, that the team has lacked that killer instinct on the offensive line since losing Ron Leary, or perhaps more after moving Collins from LG to RT. They finesse well. They will out work you, out jump you, and play to every whistle with great technique all across the board. But they have lacked that nasty, mauling, gritty, dont-care-if-im-fined-cause-i-made-my-point kind of player that helped make that unit perform, argubaly, to the point of having one of the best single season performances  I have seen in my many decades of watching the sport back in Murrays final year in Dallas.

That IS the kind of player they landed in Tyler Smith. Now, value wise? The broadcast team on dc dot com reported, and Jerry confirmed, that a team offering a trade for Dallas to move back had planned to take Smith and called back to say good thing you didnt make the deal with us, that was our guy--so perhaps value is more in the eye of the beholder. Plus, a fifth year option on a young, raw guy more looking as a possible replacement for Tyron Smith 2 or 3 years down the road, makes a ton of sense.

As for the player though, they got that mean streak, nasty Street Fighter Zangieff type which I really do believe they needed.

But I still cant justify missing out on Linderbaum, who would be a day 1 improvement with a very, very likely all pro career ahead of him, for a guy I have noted down more as a high upside project with a high potential to flake out/be a bust, as well. Here are the main points of my personal notes on Smith:

-Plays bigger and stronger than his size, which says a lot because he is on the larger side for a tackle. Out worked and out muscled much higher graded players on much better football teams.

-Feet get trapped when setting his anchor against a rusher with a fast inside move, causing him to either lose balance or hold the rusher too often.

-Loves firing off the ball on run plays, initiating first contact and driving through that contact without any problems. 

-Something about his overall style - shabby hip play, questionable yet somehow still effective at times footwork, body type, power, drive, desire to finish off every block, and high ceiling with a, sadly, decent chance to bust reminds me a lot of when I studied Gurode after he was picked almost 20 years ago now.

-Problems with letting his hips aid him in the final moments of a pass protection when his protection has broken, even after doing a solid job, which has led to holds or hits on the QB. If he could swing his hips, he is powerful enough to get that last ditch effort for that extra heartbeat that makes the difference between a solid QB hit and drawing a roughing penalty.

-Sometimes surprises me with how terrible his hand placement gets. This has led to holds, but more often, leads to broken protection or long-arm tackles on the runner by his man. If he placed better more consistently, it would clean up a lot of messes he shouldnt be causing.

-Nasty, warrior type who never stops working and when given a chance by play situation, doesnt just block at the second level but looks to hit and hurt that linebacker. Specifically, 1 play vs Ohio state where the DE was able to fight back to his feet and Smith, long after the play had past his area, still crushed him (legally) to the ground again, despite no chance the DE could get in a position to make a play on the runner.

-More of a head on blocking G than OT. Floor likely higher at G, chance to be exceptional at either spot with time and coaching, will depend more on breaking bad habits than developing his abilities. Fair chance he doesnt make a good jump to NFL and never gets a second contract. 

-Definitely needs a team that wants to run the ball and doesnt get stuck in a lot of long third downs. Struggles with stunts and other techniques commonly used on 3rd and long. A pass heavy team planning to play him at tackle is going to have a long afternoon on Sundays if cant smarten up his pass offs and clean up balance issues caused by the standard pass rush schemes.

I have lots more notes, but that breaks him down well enough for here. Overall, he is a good prospect, who could be really good, given a chance to clean up the things that had people like Broaddus peg him.as a 3rd round talent. They are coachable problems, but coachable problems doesnt always mean easily solved. Which is again why Ive said, 3 times here now, he could be exceptional down the road...or a total wash. Can he break bad habits, work hard and almost as important, study hard? If so, worth it.

But....none of this complication would exist if they rolled with Linderbaum. 

Still stings.

 

Edited April 29, 2022 by Dallas94Ware

[Scoundrel]

6 minutes ago, DaBoys said:

He’ll be a pro bowl guard

[The_Slamman]

It’s nice that Will McClay understands that the team will only go as far as the RUN GAME will carry it.  While I didn’t love the pick and would have gone with Jermaine Johnson here, I love the commitment to the run game… and make no mistake Smith is coming here to improve the run blocking.  The only way the Cowboys will be able to win against elite teams is to dominate TOP and physically dominate the LOS. Dak is not an elite QB who can beat good teams but he can be a damn good bus driver to a dominant run game.  
 

that being said, Smith better play inside until he gets his technique worked out.  It’s clear that he struggles to keep his hands inside.  And he also seems to have issues with blitzes and stunts.  Playing inside will simplify some of that and will be harder for refs to see his hand placement.

[WheatieMan]

Shocked they passed on Johnson, but OL was the biggest need IMO. Dak needs time, and a run game. This is the last year we got with Zeke and Pollard together, assuming they both stay healthy. 

They need to trade up and get a 4-3 edge rusher and run stuffer later in the draft. Then the typical WR/S late round picks.

[matt79511]

Has anyone noted the excellent commitment to the bit of Tyler Smith starting next to, and someday kicking out to replace, Tyron Smith?

[BigD88]

Totally fine with passing on Johnson there.

The only thing I don't trust about this pick is Joe Philbin.

[textaz03]

7 minutes ago, BigD88 said:

Totally fine with passing on Johnson there.

The only thing I don't trust about this pick is Joe Philbin.

Yup, for all the accolades that Philbin has, he failed miserably with correcting Williams technique and penalty issues. And was unable to coach McGovern up in place of Williams when he was benched. 

Edited April 29, 2022 by textaz03

[resilient part 2]

Passing on the BPA, perhaps. But the need and potential upside make it reasonable IMO. Only time will tell. At minimum there is enough evidence to give real hope that it may turn out to be a real good pick.

[Dallas94Ware]

10 hours ago, DaBoys said:

We don’t need you this year. I’ve been beating the drum for this guy for awhile in here. I’m the Scoundrel now!

I am not questioning what you see in Smith, because obviously he has the potential to be exceptionally good. 

My question more is, with a need for an immediate improvement on the OL and Biadasz, on his best day, being no where near good, how do you feel on Smith over Lindenbaum?

[WizardHawk]

1 hour ago, textaz03 said:

Yup, for all the accolades that Philbin has, he failed miserably with correcting Williams technique and penalty issues. And was unable to coach McGovern up in place of Williams when he was benched. 

Maybe some people just can’t be taught or simply aren’t that good. Steele has done well. Martin and Smith are still fine and Biadasz, may not be strong but he still preformed adequately.

I don’t think this is a Philbin issue alone.

[textaz03]

6 minutes ago, WizardHawk said:

Maybe some people just can’t be taught or simply aren’t that good. Steele has done well. Martin and Smith are still fine and Biadasz, may not be strong but he still preformed adequately.

I don’t think this is a Philbin issue alone.

2 of the 3 you mentioned are all All Pro’s and where All Pros long before Philbin got here. While Biadasz is not a huge issue, he has indeed reached his ceiling IMHO. I don’t think Philbin has helped him much on raising his ceiling. 

[textaz03]

 

[Matts4313]

There is a certain quality that OL have to play with. There is not enough Martins and Smiths, those people are rare. Sometimes you have to go with a Colombo. A dude who is just aggressive and mean. Larry was that way, he just also happened to be a freak athlete. This guy wont be that impressive, but he does have a shot to make our OL mean again.