Tag: Dallas Cowboys

2020 NFL Draft Recap: NFC East

Dallas Cowboys

Favorite Pick: Round 1, Pick 17 Overall – CeeDee Lamb, WR, Oklahoma – With Amari Cooper resigning this was not really a position of need, but the value was just too good to pass up for Jerry Jones and the Cowboys. He is a player who is always a threat to make the big play and could easily become a number one receiver. Going into an offense with Cooper and Michael Gallup already ahead of him, Lamb will get plenty of favorable matchups and be a force to be reckoned with from day one.

Least Favorite Pick: None – The Cowboys got value at every pick filling both needs and just going after the best player available. They took a corner in round two that could have gone in round one and a defensive tackle in round three that could have gone in round two. On day three they added a corner with the skillset of a day two draft pick, a seventh-round flyer at QB, and the two guys I am highlighting as sleepers.

Day Three Sleeper: Round 4, Pick 146 Overall & Round 5, Pick 179 Overall – Tyler Biadasz, C, Wisconsin & Bradlee Anae, Edge, Utah – Both these picks I expected to go on day two of the draft but fall right into to Cowboys’ laps. Biadasz will have a chance to start right away with the retirement of fellow Wisconsin center Travis Frederick and, while he will never be the same quality, he can certainly be a league average to better center early on. Anae it a technical wizard in the pas rush and may need the least amount of coaching to have success in the NFL. This gives him a rather high floor although the length and strength could limit his upside.

Undrafted Free Agent to Watch: Rico Dowdle, RB, South Carolina – The Cowboys were busy in UDFA as well, signing two TEs that have a shot to make the team in Charlie Taumpoepeau and Sean McKeon, two WRs who will likely battle for the final spot at the position in Kendrick Rogers and Stephen Guidry, and Terence Steele is a player who has a shot to stick as the swing tackle. Instead I pick Dowdle although he will have competition from two TCU running backs also headed to Cowboys camp. He is a determined RB who can catch the ball well but struggles in pass protection. With Zeke Elliot and Tony Pollard the only sure fire RBs on the Cowboys roster, Dowdle will have plenty of opportunities to make the team.

New York Giants

Favorite Pick: Round 2, Pick 36 Overall – Xavier McKinney, S, Alabama – I was certain McKinney would be a first round pick with fits for him in Dallas, Atlanta, Miami, and so many others. He was productive as a tackler to go along with the ability to blitz and turn the ball over. Had he gone in the top half of the first round it would not have been a pick I disliked, sliding to the second round makes it an absolute steal.

Least Favorite Pick: Round 1, Pick 4 Overall – Andrew Thomas, OT, Georgia – I have said it before and I will say it again, I don’t dislike Thomas the player, but Wirfs was still on the board and he was easily my top tackle. He has plenty of experience at the college level after starting three seasons in the SEC, he is polished. He may be the best run blocking tackle in the draft, so lining him up in front of Saquon Barkley does make a lot of sense.

Day Three Sleeper: Round 6, Pick 183 Overall – Cameron Brown, LB, Penn State – Brown ran a better 40 than his play would suggest, but it is hard to dislike a LB coming out of LB U. Brown does not have the flare of linebackers past at Penn State, but he should be able to allow that speed he showed at the combine translate to quality special teams play until he is ready to see consistent snaps on D.

Undrafted Free Agent to Watch:  Case Cookus, QB, Northern Arizona – The current backup QBs behind Daniel Jones are Colt McCoy and Alex Tanney, both over 30. McCoy is exactly the kind of guy you want as a backup, but I could see Cookus beating out Tanney if the Giants decide to keep three QBs. He has a good arm and is decisive with the ball, although there is an injury history that is concerning.

Philadelphia Eagles

Favorite Pick: Round 2, Pick 53 Overall – Jalen Hurts, QB, Oklahoma – One of the most important positions on the Eagles is backup QB given Carson Wentz injury history so, unlike most, I actually really like this pick for the Eagles. Hurts should slide right in as the primary backup behind Wentz, and with a style that translates better than existing backups on the roster Nate Sudfeld and Kyle Lauletta. There is plenty of talk of Hurts being a Taysom Hill style player as well, and the Eagles could use all the playmaking help they can get.

Least Favorite Pick: Round 1, Pick 21 Overall – Jalen Reagor, WR, TCU – One site liked Reagor better as a position change back to corner where he once played, not exactly a ringing endorsement. He is a shorter receiver and has relatively short arms for the position. That said, he battles with the ball in his hand and breaks plenty of tackles and wins on contested balls more often than not. It was a glaring position of need, I am just not sure he was the right guy for the job.

Day Three Sleeper: Round 6, Pick 210 Overall – Prince Tega Wanogho, OT, Auburn – I had Prince as a day two guy and was quite surprised to see him fall all the way to the end of round six. He is a touch smaller than a traditional NFL tackle and his shorter arms for his size allow rushers to get into his body too often. He has had some injury concerns but, if he stays healthy and gets coached up just a little, he could be a top end swing tackle or quality starter in time.

Undrafted Free Agent to Watch: Khalil Tate, QB/WR/RB, Arizona – Yes, multiple positions listed because I don’t know where the Eagles see him, but he may be the most intriguing UDFA this season. Tate was a blast to watch down in Tucson and oozes athleticism, but he does not have the arm or pocket presence to be a QB. He has the frame and ability with the ball in his hands to play RB, but the Eagles saw some success with QB turned WR Greg Ward Jr. a season ago and could find lightning in a bottle here as well.

Washington Redskins

Favorite Pick: Round 1, Pick 2 Overall – Chase Young, DE, Ohio State – Best player in the draft, a pass rusher with hall of fame potential, it is a no brainer to sit at pick two and take him. His production the second half of last season was not all that impressive, but blitzing with Ryan Kerrigan, Jonathan Allen, Da’Ron Payne, and Montez Sweat ahead of him will make it hard for opponents to shift the entire protection scheme his way. The Redskins could feature a defensive line of four consecutive first round picks, there is a lot of pressure on that group and I think Young has what it takes to push them over the top.

Least Favorite Pick: Round 3, Pick 66 Overall – Antonio Gibson, WR/RB, Memphis – What position is he going to play? He was a running back for the most part at Memphis but saw a lot of time at receiver. He is raw at both positions and not sure he projects as a starter at either. Guys who can do multiple things are gold in today’s NFL, I am just not sure he is good enough at any one thing to translate.

Day Three Sleeper: Round 4, Pick 142 Overall – Antonio Gandy-Golden, WR, Liberty – I admit, I knew very little about Gandy-Golden until after the first round, but then I saw his highlights and he immediately became a name I was watching for. He is long, athletic, good hands, and smart, all you want from a receiver. He dominated against lower level competition and did not have measurables that blow you away, but I think he works his way into a starting role this season.

Undrafted Free Agent to Watch: Steven Montez, QB, Colorado & Thaddeus Moss, TE, LSU – The ‘Skins brought in Kyle Allen and then go sign arguably the best QB available in UDFA, not a great sign for Dwayne Haskins. Montez has ideal QB size and three years as a starter under his belt. Add that to solid athleticism, accuracy, and touch and you have yourself the makings of a quality backup QB. Meanwhile Moss, the son of Randy Moss, was one of three tight ends I was stunned to see go undrafted. He is not flashy like his father, instead he seems to enjoy blocking and can make the big grab when needed.

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The Good, Bad, and Confusing of NFL Moves

We aren’t even a week into the new league year, but already there have been a ton of moves that will help shape the 2018 NFL season. Here is a quick take on the teams I feel have gotten better, worse, and completely confused.

Better

Chicago Bears – They have parted ways with Mike Glennon after giving the reigns over to Mitch Trubisky and brought in two solid backups. I feel like the idea of Chase Daniel is better than the quarterback Chase Daniel, but he is now in Chicago to be the primary backup and will land high on many people’s lists of top backups in the league. Time will tell if Tyler Bray will make the team, but he is another backup with experience.  The Bears are where highly thought of college receivers go to die, so it is about time they sign a big time receiver, and Allen Robinson gives Trubisky a real number one target. Add Prince Amukamara, Aaron Lyncch, Sam Acho,  and resign Kyle Fuller, and the defense gets a boost as well.

Green Bay Packers – Getting DeShone Kizer as the new backup to Aaron Rodgers is an upgrade, Muhammad Wilkerson for just $5M is all upside, and Jimmy Graham gives Rodgers a scary weapon at tight end. Will be interesting to see how the loss of Jody Nelson will impact the team.

Kansas City Chiefs – They dealt away Alex Smith to make room for Patrick Mahomes and brought in a stud receiver for him in Sammy Watkins. Kendall Fuller will take the place of the departed headache in Marcus Peters, while they also add linebacker Anthony Hitchens to an already solid defense.

Los Angeles Rams – Speaking of Marcus Peters, he is now in LA with the Rams, along with new acquisition Aqib Talib improve the Rams secondary, although they did lose talent up front.

Oakland Raiders – Goodbye Michael Crabtree, make room for Jordy Nelson. In addition to adding a reliable receiver, they are taking their chances on former Pro Bowl running back Doug Martin.

San Francisco 49ers – There won’t be a move that goes further under the radar than the 49ers signing Weston Richburg. He takes over as center along side two underperforming first round guards in Laken Tomlinson and Josh Garnett, making the raw talent in front of Jimmy Garappolo something that could become elite. They replace the departed Carlos Hyde with Jerick McKinnon and were the winners in the rush to get Richard Sherman after he was released.

Tennessee Titans – The Titans had DeMarco Murray and Derrick Henry, two backs that run very similarly, but now part ways with Murray and bring in Dion Lewis who will serve as an excellent change of pace back and easy underneath target for Marcus Mariota. They also spend the money get Malcolm Butler as corner, and word is they will allow him to play.

Worse

Dallas Cowboys – Ready for the list of new players the Cowboys have brought in this season? Ok, here it goes:

 

Did you miss it? Yeah, they haven’t brought in anyone of note, their big signing has been the re-signing of their long snapper. Meanwhile they have said goodbye to Anthony Hitchens, Keith Smith will no longer be in at fullback, and Orland Scandrick has been released. Not a good sign for the Cowboys.

New England Patriots – Ok, maybe my fandom is getting in the way here, but I am not one to say “they always lose talent and somehow win the division”. I am one to say “you just traded Jimmy G for practically nothing after sending off Jacoby Brissett in the preseason, who is gonna be the QB of the future?” Add to that the departure of Julian Edelman (I don’t care if he didn’t play last year, he is still the best receiver the team had) and replace him with the always underwhelming Cordarrelle Patterson? Oh, and we already touched on the fact that Dion Lewis and Malcom Butler are gone.

Confused

Arizona Cardinals – Let’s face it, this tweet perfectly sums up the signing of Sam Braford.

 

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But they also sign Mike Glennon, one who we at The Stain have long been fans of. You also bring back Larry Fitzgerald but lose the Brown brothers, John and Jaron (not really brothers).

Cleveland Browns – Ok, you have picks one and four in the draft and seem to be debating between quarterback and running back…so you trade for Tyrod Taylor and sign Carlos Hyde? I am confused. You trade for Jarvis Landry, a very good WR, but you are going to have to give him a very large contract as he is currently under the franchise tag.

New York Jets – The Jets resigned Josh McCown and went out and brought in Teddy Bridgewater, which would be a solid QB room for a team who just might be a few good pieces away from being respectable…so they go out and trade away their 6th overall pick along with picks 37 and 49 and a second next year to jump up to three where they will no doubt add a QB? What a mess.