**2023 NFL Draft Prospects**

[Dallas94Ware]

22 hours ago, Tony7188 said:

In a dream scenario, Nolan Smith falls to us at 26. Him, Micah and Sam Williams would be nice for the future. I think the Cowboys are out on Kancey and Washington doesn't seem like a fit here either. I think they go with Forbes. 

Nolan Smith..mmmh. he is one of the few "next set" of pass rush guys I could get behind them selecting. He and Foksey(sp?) Are pretty much the only two next tier rush guys who I think have a multi tier set of skills and can be more than a situational rush guy. That's what I am most afraid of with this year's crop of edge prospects after the top two/three guys. They are talented yes, but if I'm picking a guy in round one he needs to bring more to the table than some athletic ability off the edge. I need a guy who can set that edge, hold his ground, and disengage as well as fire through the inside shoulder just as well as he can spin or twist off of the outside shoulder. Nolan Smith is indeed one of the guys whos game translates into doing just that.

I'd not hate it man, not at all. If he fell, and he could, and that's the direction the team went ... I'd give it my meaningless and worthless stamp of approval.

[Dallas94Ware]

19 hours ago, Nextyearfordaboyz said:

If you’re betting on a mid-round QB, I’d place my bet on Clayton Tune. They aren’t the same player, but I have a lot of similar feelings about him as I did Dak coming out.

Not a perfect player. But a definite gamer with a lot of tools. Has put a lot on tape that makes you say “If he’s done it once, I know he can do it again”.

If the work ethic is there, I won’t be surprised if he starts games in the NFL.

 

You know it's ironic you posted this today. My former boss at the vision center I retired from reached out to me today and asked about him, as he knew my background in football and happens to have a son on that Houston team as a sophomore yet to take the field. I admittedly had seen very little so I fired up what few videos I could (I despise highlight reels and it's getting somehow more difficult to find full games or film from smaller schools when it should be getting easier....)

I got to say, the kid looks like he deserved to be at a much bigger football school and market. The poise seems to be there, not getting skittish under fire from what I saw. Mechanics, while not perfect, are established enough where a good coach would have a good foundation upon which to build. Was sometimes really hard with the videos I've found to tell what route combinations he had working down the field, but it certainly LOOKED like he was making solid reads.

But it did also look like he was making those reads based on a one read and throw it kind of play design. That isnt necessarily a bad thing, it just doesn't typically translate to early success at the next level. It can sometimes be really hard for a kid like that to simultaneously get up to the speed of the next level while learning to make multiple reads both pre snap and post snap. There are a lot more offenses in the NFL now where the whole thing is based on a single read concept (Sean McVay has a championship ring with an offense that predominantly runs single read play designs). So again, this isn't totally a bad thing.

Overall I'd say, good eye, dude. For a fifth round pick, maybe a fourth, I'd say he would've been well worth the pick. I've seen worse college prospects than he become 30+ TD throwing starters with a winning record get drafted in that range(cough Dak Prescott cough). So...yeah. this would be another pick that I'd give my meaningless and worthless stamp of approval to 😂

[Nextyearfordaboyz]

2 hours ago, Texas_OutLaw7 said:

The issue around age is true of Dalton as it was of McDonald IV. 
 

Could I understand it? In the first? Yes. For both. But I’m a little more forgiving for an Edge player than I would be of a TE. Especially one with back injuries. But let’s punt on the back and assume that’s a-okay for argument sake. Dalton would be 24 years old his rookie season. Blah. 
 

I am much more compelled in a trade down situation. 

TE1 is up for grabs in 2024.

McDonald is going to have to be quite good just to earn Edge4.

[Texas_OutLaw7]

8 minutes ago, Nextyearfordaboyz said:

TE1 is up for grabs in 2024.

McDonald is going to have to be quite good just to earn Edge4.

No argument on this front. 
 

The team has a great record with 1st round picks. So if he’s the guy I’ll understand. Just hard for me to get too excited based on age. On the field he’s super talented. 

[Texas_OutLaw7]

 

[Nextyearfordaboyz]

A little nightmare fuel wipeout scenario. There’s no reason these couldn’t be the first 25 players off the board:

QB -4 (Young, Richardson, Stroud, Levis)   
RB -1 (Bijan)   
WR -1 (JSN)   
TE -2 (Mayer, Kincaid)   
OL -6 (Johnson, Skoronski, Wright, Jones, Avila, Torrence)   
DL -6 (Anderson, Carter, Wilson, Nolan Smith, Van Ness, Cancey)   
LB -0   
CB -5 (JPJ, Witherspoon, Gonzales, Forbes, Banks)   
S -0

Who are you picking?

McDonald, Sanders, Flowers, QJ, Addison, JMS, Darnell Washington, Branch, Anton Harrison, Murphy probably the top options on the board.

I’d roll Washington or Flowers.

[Texas_OutLaw7]

15 minutes ago, Nextyearfordaboyz said:

A little nightmare fuel wipeout scenario. There’s no reason these couldn’t be the first 25 players off the board:

QB -4 (Young, Richardson, Stroud, Levis)   
RB -1 (Bijan)   
WR -1 (JSN)   
TE -2 (Mayer, Kincaid)   
OL -6 (Johnson, Skoronski, Wright, Jones, Avila, Torrence)   
DL -6 (Anderson, Carter, Wilson, Nolan Smith, Van Ness, Cancey)   
LB -0   
CB -5 (JPJ, Witherspoon, Gonzales, Forbes, Banks)   
S -0

Who are you picking?

McDonald, Sanders, Flowers, QJ, Addison, JMS, Darnell Washington, Branch, Anton Harrison, Murphy probably the top options on the board.

I’d roll Washington or Flowers.

Flowers by a pretty wide margin for me. 

[Texas_OutLaw7]

 

 

[DaBoys]

48 minutes ago, Texas_OutLaw7 said:

 

 

I don’t like the idea of spending a 1st on a guy who will be 24 in June, but it’s pretty obvious this guy can get after the passer. I do wonder why his numbers weren’t great this last year after 2 elite college seasons. 
 

He still didn't start a game in 2020 but grabbed first-team All-Big 12 Conference honors by tying for the FBS lead with 10.5 sacks among his team-high 13.5 tackles for loss and 33 total stops in 12 games. McDonald beat his own school record with 11.5 sacks in 2021 (tying for seventh in the FBS) and tied for fourth in the FBS with a school-record-tying five forced fumbles. 

[matt79511]

58 minutes ago, DaBoys said:

I don’t like the idea of spending a 1st on a guy who will be 24 in June, but it’s pretty obvious this guy can get after the passer. I do wonder why his numbers weren’t great this last year after 2 elite college seasons. 
 

He still didn't start a game in 2020 but grabbed first-team All-Big 12 Conference honors by tying for the FBS lead with 10.5 sacks among his team-high 13.5 tackles for loss and 33 total stops in 12 games. McDonald beat his own school record with 11.5 sacks in 2021 (tying for seventh in the FBS) and tied for fourth in the FBS with a school-record-tying five forced fumbles. 

Based on those numbers, maybe the drop off in his production last year is the only reason he’ll be available at 26

Also with regards to him and Kincaid- the last 24-year-old rookie to go on to be a successful player (or at least one of the last)? He plays right guard for Dallas

[Texas_OutLaw7]

This may be a byproduct of me not paying attention, but is this the first year we haven’t see. “Dallas loves x” for day 3 players? We typically know 1-3 guys each yeah that come hell or high water we will draft. 

[Nextyearfordaboyz]

1 minute ago, Texas_OutLaw7 said:

This may be a byproduct of me not paying attention, but is this the first year we haven’t see. “Dallas loves x” for day 3 players? We typically know 1-3 guys each yeah that come hell or high water we will draft. 

Like who in previous years?

Guys like Daron Bland feel obvious in hindsight, but I don’t think he was more connected to us than guys like Keandre Miller, Clayton Tune, Tyler Lacy, Antonio Mafi, etc. this year.

[Nextyearfordaboyz]

9 hours ago, DaBoys said:

I don’t like the idea of spending a 1st on a guy who will be 24 in June, but it’s pretty obvious this guy can get after the passer. I do wonder why his numbers weren’t great this last year after 2 elite college seasons. 
 

He still didn't start a game in 2020 but grabbed first-team All-Big 12 Conference honors by tying for the FBS lead with 10.5 sacks among his team-high 13.5 tackles for loss and 33 total stops in 12 games. McDonald beat his own school record with 11.5 sacks in 2021 (tying for seventh in the FBS) and tied for fourth in the FBS with a school-record-tying five forced fumbles. 

He wasn’t exactly being coached by Dan Quinn, the ISU staff didn’t play to his strengths. From what I saw, they spent a lot of time playing him at 5T alignment. When he did get on the edge, he smoked OTs with his speed.

[Texas_OutLaw7]

24 minutes ago, Nextyearfordaboyz said:

Like who in previous years?

Guys like Daron Bland feel obvious in hindsight, but I don’t think he was more connected to us than guys like Keandre Miller, Clayton Tune, Tyler Lacy, Antonio Mafi, etc. this year.

Damone Clark I recall. Trysten Hill was high on our radar. Donovan Wilson. Cedrick Wilson (although this could have been the whole Boise State thing). 

[Nextyearfordaboyz]

26 minutes ago, Texas_OutLaw7 said:

Damone Clark I recall. Trysten Hill was high on our radar. Donovan Wilson. Cedrick Wilson (although this could have been the whole Boise State thing). 

I would strongly disagree that Clark and the Wilson’s were “hell or high water” draftees.

Trysten Hill, sure, but that’s not day 3, and that draft, we didn’t have a first round pick, so we were able to zero in on who we wanted in the second.