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News: BTB: Which prospect at 19 is “slam dunk” for Cowboys & which would have you “shaking your head
We polled the front page writers to gauge their best and worst picks for the Cowboys at 19th overall.
Every year, we seem to have a pretty good consensus working when it comes to the Cowboys first-round pick but this year has been tricky. No two opinions are the same as the Cowboys could pick at so many positions from receiver to defensive tackle to guard to linebacker, and what about edge rusher? All of these different options got us thinking about where everyone’s head is on pick 19. We decided to poll the front page writers and...SURPRISE...nobody is on the same page:
Tom Ryle
My slam dunk pick is actually three names: Isaiah Wynn, Will Hernandez, or James Daniels, because all would solve the left guard issue. I still think that is the one issue the Cowboys have to fix first and with as close to a sure fire starter as possible. All other current needs can be met in round two and later. Give me that stud guard prospect and I will do my happy dance.
Shaking my head: WR Calvin Ridley. You can plug any other wide receiver in there, as well. Dallas is moving away from the traditional model for the passing game (I think, and don’t need to sink a major pick into the position). So many mocks and analyses now say that receiver is the top need, and I just don’t agree, especially with what looks like a lot of second round and on talent at the position. Plus, I am not convinced there is a legit Top-20 wide receiver in the 2018 class right now. I really think there are a bunch of great second round talents but not anyone that just screams at us that they will dominate from day one. It’s like the quarterback group. None of the top four or five candidates are really Top-5 or even Top-10 talents but the scarcity in the league is going to make teams overpay for them.
DannyPhantom
Slam Dunk pick - DT Vita Vea. There is a short list of blue-chip players that are likely to be available at 19 and the Huskies defensive tackle is one of them. And when you combine that with the fact that he plays the position of the Cowboys current weakest starting player, it makes good sense. The front office has shown they aren’t interested in one-tech defenive tackles that cannot rush the quarterback but Vea doesn’t fall into that category. The addition of Vea makes Maliek Collins better, he makes DeMarcus Lawrence better, and he makes Sean Lee better. Bring him to Dallas and the boys in blue are on their way to having a fierce front line.
Shaking my head pick - WR Courtland Sutton. When you look at the ghosts of Jerry’s past, one of his more memorable snafu’s was passing on Randy Moss 20 years ago. At 6’4 215 pounds, SMU’s Courtland Sutton not only has Moss’ exact measurements but his pass catching ability teases you with that Mossy star potential. And he doesn’t come with the character issues. I certainly like Sutton, but I also like a plethora of other receivers that will be available on day two. Not only is Sutton not the best player available at 19, he won’t even be the best receiver available at that spot. I know this team loves him, but I hope they don’t love him enough to make a huge reach in the first round.
One.Cool.Customer
Slam Dunk pick: DE Harold Landry. Has any NFL team ever complained about having too many pass rushers? No pass rusher had better tape in 2016 than Landry and that’s including this year’s consensus Top-3 pick defensive end, Bradley Chubb. Landry was hampered by injuries in 2017; had he remained healthy, we would be talking about whether Landry or Chubb were going to be drafted first overall. What a steal Landry could turn out to be at No. 19.
Shaking my head: DT Vita Vea (or any other one-technique in the first round). If I were advising Jerry Jones, I’d tell him to forget about investing a high draft pick or wasting precious cap space on stopping the run. Focus your resources instead on players who can stop the pass and leave Vea to a sucker team that thinks a guy with 3.5 sacks in his last collegiate season will suddenly emerge as a pass-rushing threat in the NFL.
Michael Sisemore
Slam Dunk pick: WR D.J. Moore. I hear the laments about no receiver in the first round but Moore, in this offense, could be the exact player they are looking for as a great pair with Dak Prescott. The Cowboys currently have zero receivers that threaten any defense in this league. If Allen Hurns is your number one receiver, you have problems at receiver as he’s missed 11 games in the past two seasons. Moore has 4.4 speed and has played with eight different quarterbacks. He’s used to scrambling with and working back to his quarterback to make things happen. He’ll need to do so too in Dallas as Dak Prescott is not the most proficient passer early into his career nor is he good enough to make his receivers at this point. There may be other receivers available in rounds two through four but none of the same caliber as D.J. Moore.
Shaking my head: LB Leighton Vander Esch. I just don’t get the love the Cowboys have for this prospect. Sure, he’s hyper-athletic but if you’re going linebacker in the first, go with a more physical player like Rashaan Evans. Vander Esch gets washed away by blocks constantly and has an unfinished frame. He also over pursues the tackle with his shoulders so much that he ends up erasing himself from the picture. He’s a one-year starter that you can argue is ascending but he doesn’t have the play strength to be a starter right now and that’s what you want at pick 19.
Cole Patterson
Slam Dunk pick: OG Isaiah Wynn. Wynn anchored an offensive line that allowed Nick Chubb and Sony Michel to run roughshod on SEC defenses week in and week out. He’s a strong run blocker, which is exactly what a team with Ezekiel Elliott needs. I believe he’s the second best guard in the draft and would have a chance to start from week one.
Shaking my head: DT Taven Bryan. For one, he plays defensive tackle and we’ve seen that this organization doesn’t really value that position. The draft is deep with them, and the only two worth the 19th pick are Vita Vea and Daron Payne. Bryan only had one year of production and lacks the instincts needed to warrant a day one pick in my opinion.
Ryan Ratty
Slam Dunk pick: I second the Harold Landry at 19 (O.C.C. shoutout)... I don’t think he is getting enough attention. I have yet to put out my final big board (still working on it), but he’s a Top-10 player in my eyes. He can really do it all and I see him fitting perfectly with the Dallas Cowboys across from DeMarcus Lawrence. He has long arms. He’s unbelievably quick off the football. His hands are strong and his technique is refined, which works for a dominant combination of his long arms/strong hands/technique. He fits in Dallas’ criteria for what they look for in edge rushers at 6-foot-3, 255 pounds. I think he’d be an awesome fit here.
Shaking my head: DT Vita Vea. I think people are overrating this guy based on athletic measurables. On tape, I see a guy who won in the PAC 12 due to his size. I’m not sure how well that will translate in the NFL. On top of that, what is his role in Dallas? I really do not know. I see him more in a 3-4 scheme as a five-technique. I do not see this powerful, immovable object that some are pandering him to be.
Our Fearless Leader, Dave Halprin
Slam Dunk pick: WR Calvin Ridley. I don’t care about his size or his production numbers in a run-heavy Alabama offense with shaky quarterback play in the passing game. He’s got the three things this offense needs in a receiver. He is the best route-runner in this group; he’s silky smooth. He has speed, not off-the-charts speed, but enough speed to threaten cornerbacks so they have to respect it, opening up his underneath routes. Those first two qualities lead to something the Cowboys desperately need, a receiver that can create his own separation. And he has good hands. A high-quality route-runner with speed and hands? Sign me up.
Shaking my head: DT Taven Bryan. I get that he’s a great athlete for the position, but the Cowboys do not need another 3-tech tackle. If they are going to go with a defensive tackle, they need to go with a 1-tech to solidify a poor run defense. They don’t need a blob who can’t move, but they also don’t need another undersized DT that is going to get pushed around in the middle. They were soft in the middle last year, if they are going to try and fix that, they need someone like Daron Payne or Vita Vea.
We polled the front page writers to gauge their best and worst picks for the Cowboys at 19th overall.
Every year, we seem to have a pretty good consensus working when it comes to the Cowboys first-round pick but this year has been tricky. No two opinions are the same as the Cowboys could pick at so many positions from receiver to defensive tackle to guard to linebacker, and what about edge rusher? All of these different options got us thinking about where everyone’s head is on pick 19. We decided to poll the front page writers and...SURPRISE...nobody is on the same page:
Tom Ryle
My slam dunk pick is actually three names: Isaiah Wynn, Will Hernandez, or James Daniels, because all would solve the left guard issue. I still think that is the one issue the Cowboys have to fix first and with as close to a sure fire starter as possible. All other current needs can be met in round two and later. Give me that stud guard prospect and I will do my happy dance.
Shaking my head: WR Calvin Ridley. You can plug any other wide receiver in there, as well. Dallas is moving away from the traditional model for the passing game (I think, and don’t need to sink a major pick into the position). So many mocks and analyses now say that receiver is the top need, and I just don’t agree, especially with what looks like a lot of second round and on talent at the position. Plus, I am not convinced there is a legit Top-20 wide receiver in the 2018 class right now. I really think there are a bunch of great second round talents but not anyone that just screams at us that they will dominate from day one. It’s like the quarterback group. None of the top four or five candidates are really Top-5 or even Top-10 talents but the scarcity in the league is going to make teams overpay for them.
DannyPhantom
Slam Dunk pick - DT Vita Vea. There is a short list of blue-chip players that are likely to be available at 19 and the Huskies defensive tackle is one of them. And when you combine that with the fact that he plays the position of the Cowboys current weakest starting player, it makes good sense. The front office has shown they aren’t interested in one-tech defenive tackles that cannot rush the quarterback but Vea doesn’t fall into that category. The addition of Vea makes Maliek Collins better, he makes DeMarcus Lawrence better, and he makes Sean Lee better. Bring him to Dallas and the boys in blue are on their way to having a fierce front line.
Shaking my head pick - WR Courtland Sutton. When you look at the ghosts of Jerry’s past, one of his more memorable snafu’s was passing on Randy Moss 20 years ago. At 6’4 215 pounds, SMU’s Courtland Sutton not only has Moss’ exact measurements but his pass catching ability teases you with that Mossy star potential. And he doesn’t come with the character issues. I certainly like Sutton, but I also like a plethora of other receivers that will be available on day two. Not only is Sutton not the best player available at 19, he won’t even be the best receiver available at that spot. I know this team loves him, but I hope they don’t love him enough to make a huge reach in the first round.
One.Cool.Customer
Slam Dunk pick: DE Harold Landry. Has any NFL team ever complained about having too many pass rushers? No pass rusher had better tape in 2016 than Landry and that’s including this year’s consensus Top-3 pick defensive end, Bradley Chubb. Landry was hampered by injuries in 2017; had he remained healthy, we would be talking about whether Landry or Chubb were going to be drafted first overall. What a steal Landry could turn out to be at No. 19.
Shaking my head: DT Vita Vea (or any other one-technique in the first round). If I were advising Jerry Jones, I’d tell him to forget about investing a high draft pick or wasting precious cap space on stopping the run. Focus your resources instead on players who can stop the pass and leave Vea to a sucker team that thinks a guy with 3.5 sacks in his last collegiate season will suddenly emerge as a pass-rushing threat in the NFL.
Michael Sisemore
Slam Dunk pick: WR D.J. Moore. I hear the laments about no receiver in the first round but Moore, in this offense, could be the exact player they are looking for as a great pair with Dak Prescott. The Cowboys currently have zero receivers that threaten any defense in this league. If Allen Hurns is your number one receiver, you have problems at receiver as he’s missed 11 games in the past two seasons. Moore has 4.4 speed and has played with eight different quarterbacks. He’s used to scrambling with and working back to his quarterback to make things happen. He’ll need to do so too in Dallas as Dak Prescott is not the most proficient passer early into his career nor is he good enough to make his receivers at this point. There may be other receivers available in rounds two through four but none of the same caliber as D.J. Moore.
Shaking my head: LB Leighton Vander Esch. I just don’t get the love the Cowboys have for this prospect. Sure, he’s hyper-athletic but if you’re going linebacker in the first, go with a more physical player like Rashaan Evans. Vander Esch gets washed away by blocks constantly and has an unfinished frame. He also over pursues the tackle with his shoulders so much that he ends up erasing himself from the picture. He’s a one-year starter that you can argue is ascending but he doesn’t have the play strength to be a starter right now and that’s what you want at pick 19.
Cole Patterson
Slam Dunk pick: OG Isaiah Wynn. Wynn anchored an offensive line that allowed Nick Chubb and Sony Michel to run roughshod on SEC defenses week in and week out. He’s a strong run blocker, which is exactly what a team with Ezekiel Elliott needs. I believe he’s the second best guard in the draft and would have a chance to start from week one.
Shaking my head: DT Taven Bryan. For one, he plays defensive tackle and we’ve seen that this organization doesn’t really value that position. The draft is deep with them, and the only two worth the 19th pick are Vita Vea and Daron Payne. Bryan only had one year of production and lacks the instincts needed to warrant a day one pick in my opinion.
Ryan Ratty
Slam Dunk pick: I second the Harold Landry at 19 (O.C.C. shoutout)... I don’t think he is getting enough attention. I have yet to put out my final big board (still working on it), but he’s a Top-10 player in my eyes. He can really do it all and I see him fitting perfectly with the Dallas Cowboys across from DeMarcus Lawrence. He has long arms. He’s unbelievably quick off the football. His hands are strong and his technique is refined, which works for a dominant combination of his long arms/strong hands/technique. He fits in Dallas’ criteria for what they look for in edge rushers at 6-foot-3, 255 pounds. I think he’d be an awesome fit here.
Shaking my head: DT Vita Vea. I think people are overrating this guy based on athletic measurables. On tape, I see a guy who won in the PAC 12 due to his size. I’m not sure how well that will translate in the NFL. On top of that, what is his role in Dallas? I really do not know. I see him more in a 3-4 scheme as a five-technique. I do not see this powerful, immovable object that some are pandering him to be.
Our Fearless Leader, Dave Halprin
Slam Dunk pick: WR Calvin Ridley. I don’t care about his size or his production numbers in a run-heavy Alabama offense with shaky quarterback play in the passing game. He’s got the three things this offense needs in a receiver. He is the best route-runner in this group; he’s silky smooth. He has speed, not off-the-charts speed, but enough speed to threaten cornerbacks so they have to respect it, opening up his underneath routes. Those first two qualities lead to something the Cowboys desperately need, a receiver that can create his own separation. And he has good hands. A high-quality route-runner with speed and hands? Sign me up.
Shaking my head: DT Taven Bryan. I get that he’s a great athlete for the position, but the Cowboys do not need another 3-tech tackle. If they are going to go with a defensive tackle, they need to go with a 1-tech to solidify a poor run defense. They don’t need a blob who can’t move, but they also don’t need another undersized DT that is going to get pushed around in the middle. They were soft in the middle last year, if they are going to try and fix that, they need someone like Daron Payne or Vita Vea.
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2018 NFL Draft: Dallas Cowboys on the clock at No. 19
April 19, 2018 NFL Draft, On the Clock
—NFLDraftScout.com—
When the NFL Draft begins selections in Arlington, Tex., April 26, the Dallas Cowboys have the No. 19 pick in the first round.
Here is an in-depth look at the team’s needs, offseason changes, potential best fit and the selections by NFLDraftScout.com’s experts.
Who would you pick and why?
TOP 5 NEEDS
1. Linebacker: Sean Lee’s injury and Jaylon Smith’s uncertainty has the Cowboys hunting for an every-down linebacker, preferably one that can play in the middle.
2. Safety: The Cowboys are looking for a true free safety, one that can play centerfield. They passed on a number in free agency because they were considered box safeties.
3. Wide receiver: The Cowboys signed Allen Hurns and Deonte Thompson before releasing Dez Bryant, but they will still target a receiver in the first three rounds.
4. Guard: The signing of Cameron Fleming has them considering moving La’el Collins back to guard from tackle. But they could still take a guard in the draft. Upgrading the left guard position is important and that could mean keeping Collins at right tackle and using Fleming as a swing tackle.
5. Tight end: Jason Witten is still on the roster. He will be back for a 16th and likely final season. It’s time the Cowboys found Witten’s replacement.
THE PICKS
–BEST FIT: Calvin Ridley, WR, Alabama. The Cowboys spent the offseason upgrading the receiver corps and deciding to move on from No. 1 receiver Dez Bryant. Ridley would be the final piece to the puzzle and give quarterback Dak Prescott a young receiver to grow with.
–Rob Rang: Leighton Vander Esch, LB, Boise State. While adding an explosive receiver to replace Dez Bryant would probably bring the loudest cheers from the thousands of Cowboys fans attending this year’s draft, the smarter move might be first addressing its injury-prone linebacker corps with Vander Esch, an ascending prospect and one of the few remaining three-down ‘backers in this draft.
–Dane Brugler: Calvin Ridley, WR, Alabama. At some point in the first two rounds, the Cowboys are expected to address the wide receiver position and there is a chance that no receivers are drafted in the first 18 picks. Although not a traditional “X” receiver, Ridley is this draft’s top pass-catcher.
FANS ON THE CLOCK, ON THE RECORD
OK, it’s your turn. Tell us in the comments section who you would pick and why. Check out top 1,000 players rated by NFLDraftScout.com, including combine and pro day workouts, biographies, scouting reports.
April 19, 2018 NFL Draft, On the Clock
—NFLDraftScout.com—
When the NFL Draft begins selections in Arlington, Tex., April 26, the Dallas Cowboys have the No. 19 pick in the first round.
Here is an in-depth look at the team’s needs, offseason changes, potential best fit and the selections by NFLDraftScout.com’s experts.
Who would you pick and why?
TOP 5 NEEDS
1. Linebacker: Sean Lee’s injury and Jaylon Smith’s uncertainty has the Cowboys hunting for an every-down linebacker, preferably one that can play in the middle.
2. Safety: The Cowboys are looking for a true free safety, one that can play centerfield. They passed on a number in free agency because they were considered box safeties.
3. Wide receiver: The Cowboys signed Allen Hurns and Deonte Thompson before releasing Dez Bryant, but they will still target a receiver in the first three rounds.
4. Guard: The signing of Cameron Fleming has them considering moving La’el Collins back to guard from tackle. But they could still take a guard in the draft. Upgrading the left guard position is important and that could mean keeping Collins at right tackle and using Fleming as a swing tackle.
5. Tight end: Jason Witten is still on the roster. He will be back for a 16th and likely final season. It’s time the Cowboys found Witten’s replacement.
THE PICKS
–BEST FIT: Calvin Ridley, WR, Alabama. The Cowboys spent the offseason upgrading the receiver corps and deciding to move on from No. 1 receiver Dez Bryant. Ridley would be the final piece to the puzzle and give quarterback Dak Prescott a young receiver to grow with.
–Rob Rang: Leighton Vander Esch, LB, Boise State. While adding an explosive receiver to replace Dez Bryant would probably bring the loudest cheers from the thousands of Cowboys fans attending this year’s draft, the smarter move might be first addressing its injury-prone linebacker corps with Vander Esch, an ascending prospect and one of the few remaining three-down ‘backers in this draft.
–Dane Brugler: Calvin Ridley, WR, Alabama. At some point in the first two rounds, the Cowboys are expected to address the wide receiver position and there is a chance that no receivers are drafted in the first 18 picks. Although not a traditional “X” receiver, Ridley is this draft’s top pass-catcher.
FANS ON THE CLOCK, ON THE RECORD
OK, it’s your turn. Tell us in the comments section who you would pick and why. Check out top 1,000 players rated by NFLDraftScout.com, including combine and pro day workouts, biographies, scouting reports.
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2018 NFL Draft: Four talented prospects under heavy scrutiny
By Tom Pelissero
NFL.com reporter
Published: April 20, 2018 at 11:03 a.m.
Updated: April 20, 2018 at 05:42 p.m.
One year ago, Reuben Foster's draft stock was tumbling, and not just because of a banged-up shoulder and a failed drug test at the NFL Scouting Combine, from which Foster was sent home after a confrontation with a hospital worker. Foster's reputation coming out of Alabama was concerning enough to NFL teams that one scout who'd done extensive work on him told me prior to the 2017 NFL Draft that in order for the linebacker to keep his life on track as a pro, he would need a "Dez Bryant-like infrastructure" -- a reference to how the Cowboys coddled the receiver early in his Dallas days.
The San Francisco 49ers stopped Foster's draft slide at No. 31 overall, betting they could give him those resources, unlock the potential that the uber-talented linebacker flashed in 10 games as a rookie and end up with a bargain. Instead, Foster's future is in doubt as he faces three felony charges stemming from an alleged attack on his girlfriend in February (not to mention a separate arrest for marijuana possession a month before) at a time attention has turned to figuring out if there's a Reuben Foster this year: a first-round talent who will be drafted much later than expected next week because of concerns outside the lines.
The consensus among NFL coaches, scouts and executives I've spoken to in recent weeks is that there's no case as extreme as Foster's in the elite class of this prospect pool -- those top 12 to 15 talents are considered mostly clean. And when it comes to the players who do have red flags, it's worth mentioning that it only takes one team to stop a guy's fall. Sometimes that bet backfires, as it may have for the 49ers with Foster. Sometimes it pays off -- just ask the Minnesota Vikings, who surely feel they got a steal when they nabbed running back Dalvin Cook in the second round last year.
In every draft, there are prospects who require extra homework, whether that's on past legal issues, drug use, etc., or less grave subjects, such as a player's work habits, coachability, reliability, reputation as a teammate and other factors that could negatively affect the team. It's all part of the puzzle NFL scouts crisscross the country year-round to put together. And even now, in the final days before the 2018 NFL Draft, pieces of that puzzle remain unassembled.
Much has been written on teams' deep examination of quarterback prospects Josh Rosen and Baker Mayfield. I explored the questions surrounding all of the top signal-callers in this year's draft prior to the combine, and I'll write on that position again in full next week. For now, though, here are four talented prospects at other positions who are being scrutinized heavily:
Arden Key, Edge, LSU
There's no doubt about Key's ability. But his diminished play last season -- a drop-off that followed offseason shoulder surgery and a "leave of absence" that Key has revealed to NFL teams was a voluntary stint in rehab to get a handle on his marijuana use -- has left him as a long shot to go in Round 1.
"He was a shell of what he was," an AFC scout said. "His actions have proven to be habitual, and I don't know that he can kick it."
Generally speaking, marijuana use isn't much of a red flag for teams. "For him, it is a big deal because it's affected his playing career at LSU," an NFC personnel director said. "The kid needs a lot of support and a lot of help. He needs to not smoke."
Several team sources brought up the name Randy Gregory -- considered one of the top pass rushers in the 2015 draft class before a positive test for marijuana at the combine set the stage for a slide to No. 60 overall and three ensuing suspensions, including a ban for all of 2017 -- in discussing their projections for Key. Key's supporters strongly reject the comparison, for a variety of reasons, and say the LSU product has made great progress on his wellness. Speaking to reporters at the combine, Key wouldn't get into specifics on his leave of absence, but said: "I tell [teams] the real. I tell them that was my biggest adversity. I went through it and I passed it, and I'm looking forward."
That Key was upwards of 270 pounds at times last season is another reason he looked nothing like the player who had 12 sacks in a breakout sophomore year, which he finished at around 235.
"This guy was the best player they had on defense," an NFC executive said, "and then this year, God, he looked slow and sluggish, and then they explained why -- he couldn't train."
Key is off at least two draft boards, but a run of recent visits shows many are continuing to do their due diligence. Going in the second round wouldn't surprise NFL people.
"He's definitely played himself out of the first round," a college scouting director said. "But in a year where there's not many pass rushers available, someone's going to make a pretty decent investment into this guy and cross their fingers and hope he can keep it together."
Mike Hughes, CB, UCF
Hughes' interviews with NFL teams have brought to light the reason he left the North Carolina football program two years ago: a sexual assault allegation that did not yield criminal charges.
Scouts who have dug deep into the matter roundly say they believe Hughes' version of events. But NFL teams understand the seriousness of such an allegation, particularly given the increased sensitivity to the issue of violence against women across society, and Hughes has told teams he wouldn't be surprised if his accuser speaks publicly or files a civil lawsuit after he is drafted.
Speaking to me by phone Thursday during his stop at NFL Network, Hughes confirmed what NFL teams say he has told them: He has text messages and a female witness to corroborate his story, the district attorney declined to file charges because of insufficient evidence, and he decided to move on from UNC after an initial hearing in a Title IX proceeding made him feel he wouldn't get a fair opportunity to defend himself there.
Asked what he has tried to convey to teams about the allegation, Hughes told me: "Obviously, I have to tell them everything that happened and everything that went into why I left and also what I've learned from it. What I tell teams is that they won't have any issues with me if they draft me. I haven't had any problems with the law or anything since I was at North Carolina."
Hughes had a prior, one-game suspension in 2015 for an incident at a frat party that yielded a misdemeanor assault charge, which was dropped after Hughes completed community service. But one college scouting director pointed to an effort to get Hughes to return to UNC after he'd begun the process of transferring (to Garden City Community College, then to UCF) as evidence that even at the school, there was belief in his innocence on the sexual assault allegation. Hughes confirmed Tar Heels head coach Larry Fedora "tried to do some things to get me back, and my mind was already made up and my family thought it was best for me to move on and try to do something new."
Said an AFC scout: "Everyone at UNC and everyone at UCF, everyone vouches for the kid."
Oakland selected Gareon Conley 24th overall last year in spite of an open sexual assault investigation that surfaced days before the draft. The Raiders believed, based on their research, he was innocent -- and Conley was ultimately cleared.
The consensus among executives I've spoken to is that Hughes will still be drafted right about where he would've anyway: late in the first round or high in the second.
"I don't have a concern about the kid, about the person. But [the allegation] is definitely going to come up," a college scouting director said. "He's one of the guys you have to go to the owner with before the draft and say, 'Hey, this is the issue, this is what we believe, are you OK with this?' "
Derrius Guice, RB, LSU
Some have Guice ranked as the draft's No. 2 back despite an injury-plagued junior season in 2017. He never has had legal trouble and isn't known as a partier -- unlike other prospects in this story, no one thinks he's a significant risk in those ways. But officials from six teams who have researched and spent time with Guice say there are concerns about immaturity, how he handles his emotions and how well he'll adapt, conform and fit into an NFL program.
As one NFC executive put it: "He's a high-maintenance kid." An executive with another team that has done a lot of work on Guice made clear "he's not a bad kid at heart, at all," but will need structure and mentorship to help him grow up and learn how to be a pro.
"There's a lot of personality stuff there that I'll be interested to see if somebody takes a shot on him in the first round," an AFC scout said.
The pre-draft process hasn't been entirely smooth for Guice, who has switched agents. One issue teams had to dig into: Guice seemed to claim in a SiriusXM NFL Radio interview that teams asked him in combine interviews "do I like men" and whether his mom was a prostitute, sparking controversy and an NFL investigation that is still ongoing, per a league spokesman. But Guice has since indicated privately and to teams those questions weren't really asked by NFL teams.
"His explanation was that it was taken out of context," one executive said. "There's just a lot going on with him."
Guice's hard upbringing is an important piece of understanding him. His father was murdered when Guice was a child. His mother raised him in an impoverished area of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He has earned everything and runs with passion. I bumped into Guice at the combine and found him friendly, engaging, chatty. He came across the same way during his appearance on NFL Network's "Good Morning Football" on Wednesday.
"Is he talented? Yep. Do you have to have a handle on how to deal with him? Absolutely," an offensive coordinator said. "He's not a bad person -- he's just immature, silly. If he wasn't all that other stuff, he'd be drafted in the top 20 picks. And he still might be in the top 20 picks."
Guice already issued a warning to the 31 teams that don't end up with him, telling reporters at the combine with a smile: "If you don't draft me, I'm going to give your defense hell."
Antonio Callaway, WR, Florida
One scout who has done a lot of work on Callaway predicted he would've been a top-20 pick if he were clean off the field. But his various legal entanglements -- a sexual assault allegation he was cleared of after a Title IX hearing in which Callaway said he was "so stoned" on marijuana he didn't want to have sex with anyone, a misdemeanor marijuana citation, a credit card scam for which he was charged with two third-degree felonies and suspended all of last season -- are well-documented.
Some teams didn't even bother interviewing Callaway; he's off at least three draft boards and probably a lot more. Whoever selects Callaway, even on Day 3, will be rolling the dice.
"He is super talented. The tape from his sophomore season's really good," the scout said of Callaway, who had 89 catches for 1,399 yards and scored eight touchdowns over two years with the Gators. "But he is a train wreck when it comes to some of that off-field stuff. Poor decision-making at every turn."
Said an NFC scout: "Honestly, I think the credit card thing is the least of his transgressions. The drug issues that he's had are higher on the list." An AFC scout said Callaway admitted in a combine interview to smoking marijuana about six weeks earlier -- which wouldn't be a big deal except that it follows the pattern that has taken him here.
"He's not a bad kid, either. He's just been around a lot of trouble," the AFC scout said. "And he admits to the fact that trouble finds him. He just hangs with the wrong people. It's a shame, because he's ridiculously talented."
After his suspension last year, Callaway went home to Miami, rather than sticking around with other implicated teammates to fulfill his end of an agreement about what it would take to return to the team. He did return to campus for pro day, but "didn't look like he was in shape or ready," said one NFL team official who attended. "He's not a player I would trust long-term."
School officials privately have told southeastern teams not to draft Callaway because he needs to get as far from the South Florida area as possible -- similar to what teams heard about fellow Miami native Dalvin Cook a year ago. Last month, Callaway fired his initial agents, including one who'd moved in with him, and hired the agents who represent Reuben Foster. In terms of the legal fallout from the credit card scam, Callaway agreed to a pre-trial intervention that could result in the eventual dismissal of the felony charges.
"I was young (and) made a mistake that cost me my season," Callaway told reporters at the combine. "But I learned from it. I grew. I matured. I'm past it."
By Tom Pelissero
NFL.com reporter
Published: April 20, 2018 at 11:03 a.m.
Updated: April 20, 2018 at 05:42 p.m.
One year ago, Reuben Foster's draft stock was tumbling, and not just because of a banged-up shoulder and a failed drug test at the NFL Scouting Combine, from which Foster was sent home after a confrontation with a hospital worker. Foster's reputation coming out of Alabama was concerning enough to NFL teams that one scout who'd done extensive work on him told me prior to the 2017 NFL Draft that in order for the linebacker to keep his life on track as a pro, he would need a "Dez Bryant-like infrastructure" -- a reference to how the Cowboys coddled the receiver early in his Dallas days.
The San Francisco 49ers stopped Foster's draft slide at No. 31 overall, betting they could give him those resources, unlock the potential that the uber-talented linebacker flashed in 10 games as a rookie and end up with a bargain. Instead, Foster's future is in doubt as he faces three felony charges stemming from an alleged attack on his girlfriend in February (not to mention a separate arrest for marijuana possession a month before) at a time attention has turned to figuring out if there's a Reuben Foster this year: a first-round talent who will be drafted much later than expected next week because of concerns outside the lines.
The consensus among NFL coaches, scouts and executives I've spoken to in recent weeks is that there's no case as extreme as Foster's in the elite class of this prospect pool -- those top 12 to 15 talents are considered mostly clean. And when it comes to the players who do have red flags, it's worth mentioning that it only takes one team to stop a guy's fall. Sometimes that bet backfires, as it may have for the 49ers with Foster. Sometimes it pays off -- just ask the Minnesota Vikings, who surely feel they got a steal when they nabbed running back Dalvin Cook in the second round last year.
In every draft, there are prospects who require extra homework, whether that's on past legal issues, drug use, etc., or less grave subjects, such as a player's work habits, coachability, reliability, reputation as a teammate and other factors that could negatively affect the team. It's all part of the puzzle NFL scouts crisscross the country year-round to put together. And even now, in the final days before the 2018 NFL Draft, pieces of that puzzle remain unassembled.
Much has been written on teams' deep examination of quarterback prospects Josh Rosen and Baker Mayfield. I explored the questions surrounding all of the top signal-callers in this year's draft prior to the combine, and I'll write on that position again in full next week. For now, though, here are four talented prospects at other positions who are being scrutinized heavily:
Arden Key, Edge, LSU
There's no doubt about Key's ability. But his diminished play last season -- a drop-off that followed offseason shoulder surgery and a "leave of absence" that Key has revealed to NFL teams was a voluntary stint in rehab to get a handle on his marijuana use -- has left him as a long shot to go in Round 1.
"He was a shell of what he was," an AFC scout said. "His actions have proven to be habitual, and I don't know that he can kick it."
Generally speaking, marijuana use isn't much of a red flag for teams. "For him, it is a big deal because it's affected his playing career at LSU," an NFC personnel director said. "The kid needs a lot of support and a lot of help. He needs to not smoke."
Several team sources brought up the name Randy Gregory -- considered one of the top pass rushers in the 2015 draft class before a positive test for marijuana at the combine set the stage for a slide to No. 60 overall and three ensuing suspensions, including a ban for all of 2017 -- in discussing their projections for Key. Key's supporters strongly reject the comparison, for a variety of reasons, and say the LSU product has made great progress on his wellness. Speaking to reporters at the combine, Key wouldn't get into specifics on his leave of absence, but said: "I tell [teams] the real. I tell them that was my biggest adversity. I went through it and I passed it, and I'm looking forward."
That Key was upwards of 270 pounds at times last season is another reason he looked nothing like the player who had 12 sacks in a breakout sophomore year, which he finished at around 235.
"This guy was the best player they had on defense," an NFC executive said, "and then this year, God, he looked slow and sluggish, and then they explained why -- he couldn't train."
Key is off at least two draft boards, but a run of recent visits shows many are continuing to do their due diligence. Going in the second round wouldn't surprise NFL people.
"He's definitely played himself out of the first round," a college scouting director said. "But in a year where there's not many pass rushers available, someone's going to make a pretty decent investment into this guy and cross their fingers and hope he can keep it together."
Mike Hughes, CB, UCF
Hughes' interviews with NFL teams have brought to light the reason he left the North Carolina football program two years ago: a sexual assault allegation that did not yield criminal charges.
Scouts who have dug deep into the matter roundly say they believe Hughes' version of events. But NFL teams understand the seriousness of such an allegation, particularly given the increased sensitivity to the issue of violence against women across society, and Hughes has told teams he wouldn't be surprised if his accuser speaks publicly or files a civil lawsuit after he is drafted.
Speaking to me by phone Thursday during his stop at NFL Network, Hughes confirmed what NFL teams say he has told them: He has text messages and a female witness to corroborate his story, the district attorney declined to file charges because of insufficient evidence, and he decided to move on from UNC after an initial hearing in a Title IX proceeding made him feel he wouldn't get a fair opportunity to defend himself there.
Asked what he has tried to convey to teams about the allegation, Hughes told me: "Obviously, I have to tell them everything that happened and everything that went into why I left and also what I've learned from it. What I tell teams is that they won't have any issues with me if they draft me. I haven't had any problems with the law or anything since I was at North Carolina."
Hughes had a prior, one-game suspension in 2015 for an incident at a frat party that yielded a misdemeanor assault charge, which was dropped after Hughes completed community service. But one college scouting director pointed to an effort to get Hughes to return to UNC after he'd begun the process of transferring (to Garden City Community College, then to UCF) as evidence that even at the school, there was belief in his innocence on the sexual assault allegation. Hughes confirmed Tar Heels head coach Larry Fedora "tried to do some things to get me back, and my mind was already made up and my family thought it was best for me to move on and try to do something new."
Said an AFC scout: "Everyone at UNC and everyone at UCF, everyone vouches for the kid."
Oakland selected Gareon Conley 24th overall last year in spite of an open sexual assault investigation that surfaced days before the draft. The Raiders believed, based on their research, he was innocent -- and Conley was ultimately cleared.
The consensus among executives I've spoken to is that Hughes will still be drafted right about where he would've anyway: late in the first round or high in the second.
"I don't have a concern about the kid, about the person. But [the allegation] is definitely going to come up," a college scouting director said. "He's one of the guys you have to go to the owner with before the draft and say, 'Hey, this is the issue, this is what we believe, are you OK with this?' "
Derrius Guice, RB, LSU
Some have Guice ranked as the draft's No. 2 back despite an injury-plagued junior season in 2017. He never has had legal trouble and isn't known as a partier -- unlike other prospects in this story, no one thinks he's a significant risk in those ways. But officials from six teams who have researched and spent time with Guice say there are concerns about immaturity, how he handles his emotions and how well he'll adapt, conform and fit into an NFL program.
As one NFC executive put it: "He's a high-maintenance kid." An executive with another team that has done a lot of work on Guice made clear "he's not a bad kid at heart, at all," but will need structure and mentorship to help him grow up and learn how to be a pro.
"There's a lot of personality stuff there that I'll be interested to see if somebody takes a shot on him in the first round," an AFC scout said.
The pre-draft process hasn't been entirely smooth for Guice, who has switched agents. One issue teams had to dig into: Guice seemed to claim in a SiriusXM NFL Radio interview that teams asked him in combine interviews "do I like men" and whether his mom was a prostitute, sparking controversy and an NFL investigation that is still ongoing, per a league spokesman. But Guice has since indicated privately and to teams those questions weren't really asked by NFL teams.
"His explanation was that it was taken out of context," one executive said. "There's just a lot going on with him."
Guice's hard upbringing is an important piece of understanding him. His father was murdered when Guice was a child. His mother raised him in an impoverished area of Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He has earned everything and runs with passion. I bumped into Guice at the combine and found him friendly, engaging, chatty. He came across the same way during his appearance on NFL Network's "Good Morning Football" on Wednesday.
"Is he talented? Yep. Do you have to have a handle on how to deal with him? Absolutely," an offensive coordinator said. "He's not a bad person -- he's just immature, silly. If he wasn't all that other stuff, he'd be drafted in the top 20 picks. And he still might be in the top 20 picks."
Guice already issued a warning to the 31 teams that don't end up with him, telling reporters at the combine with a smile: "If you don't draft me, I'm going to give your defense hell."
Antonio Callaway, WR, Florida
One scout who has done a lot of work on Callaway predicted he would've been a top-20 pick if he were clean off the field. But his various legal entanglements -- a sexual assault allegation he was cleared of after a Title IX hearing in which Callaway said he was "so stoned" on marijuana he didn't want to have sex with anyone, a misdemeanor marijuana citation, a credit card scam for which he was charged with two third-degree felonies and suspended all of last season -- are well-documented.
Some teams didn't even bother interviewing Callaway; he's off at least three draft boards and probably a lot more. Whoever selects Callaway, even on Day 3, will be rolling the dice.
"He is super talented. The tape from his sophomore season's really good," the scout said of Callaway, who had 89 catches for 1,399 yards and scored eight touchdowns over two years with the Gators. "But he is a train wreck when it comes to some of that off-field stuff. Poor decision-making at every turn."
Said an NFC scout: "Honestly, I think the credit card thing is the least of his transgressions. The drug issues that he's had are higher on the list." An AFC scout said Callaway admitted in a combine interview to smoking marijuana about six weeks earlier -- which wouldn't be a big deal except that it follows the pattern that has taken him here.
"He's not a bad kid, either. He's just been around a lot of trouble," the AFC scout said. "And he admits to the fact that trouble finds him. He just hangs with the wrong people. It's a shame, because he's ridiculously talented."
After his suspension last year, Callaway went home to Miami, rather than sticking around with other implicated teammates to fulfill his end of an agreement about what it would take to return to the team. He did return to campus for pro day, but "didn't look like he was in shape or ready," said one NFL team official who attended. "He's not a player I would trust long-term."
School officials privately have told southeastern teams not to draft Callaway because he needs to get as far from the South Florida area as possible -- similar to what teams heard about fellow Miami native Dalvin Cook a year ago. Last month, Callaway fired his initial agents, including one who'd moved in with him, and hired the agents who represent Reuben Foster. In terms of the legal fallout from the credit card scam, Callaway agreed to a pre-trial intervention that could result in the eventual dismissal of the felony charges.
"I was young (and) made a mistake that cost me my season," Callaway told reporters at the combine. "But I learned from it. I grew. I matured. I'm past it."
theoneandonly
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Say hello to our number two draft pick, a fat out of shape dope fiend who had to go to rehab for it.
And this guy has neck issues? No way in hell I touch him, he looks like he has a huge chance to bust to begin with. Another workout warrior. Probably our number one pick.
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The idiots at Blogging the boys, all in on a WR at 19 but dont see it in Vea? These guys dont know their ass from their elbow.
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Yeah no way should be even be considering this guy unless its extremely late on day three or as a UDFA. You'd think we'd learn.
First, there isn't much evidence that the neck thing is true. It's been debunked by numerous people covering the draft and he was not on the NFL re-check list.
Second, his stats from last year show he clearly isn't a workout warrior. He had a monster year and then backed up the big year with an impressive combine. I'd have zero issue if we took this guy to be our MLB for the next decade.
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I'm on the fence about Vea myself. I don't think he's a sure thing and I don't get the idea he'll ever be much of a pass rusher.
He played the same position as Danny Shelton before him, another very large man that people went gaga about who was a mammoth bust for Cleveland as a high draft pick. And Shelton's pass rush numbers and TFL stats were both better than Vea's in college.
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I cant figure out how to make this one embed, but this is the 2018 trade value chart.
2018 NFL draft trade value chart | The Draft Wire
2018 NFL draft trade value chart | The Draft Wire
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@BryanBroaddus @HelmanDC @JC1053 @dpbrugler which player in the entire draft, regardless of rd or UDFA, are you most confident will be a Dallas Cowboy when the draft is complete?
QB Matt Linehan, UDFA Twitter / ?
QB Matt Linehan, UDFA Twitter / ?
theoneandonly
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Walter Football 6 rd Mock. I actually would be fairly pleased with this. Like the first two picks a lot, and the day three picks are high quality too IMO. Madison would be a nice fallback option at G and even though he's a day three guy, he could legitimately win the starting LG job as a rookie.
19. Leighton Vander Esch, LB
50. Anthony Miller, WR
81. DeShon Elliott, S
116. Deadrin Senat, DT
137. Cole Madison, G
171. Taron Johnson, CB
192. Phillip Lindsay, RB
193. Daurice Fountain, WR
208. Chris Herndon, TE
19. Leighton Vander Esch, LB
50. Anthony Miller, WR
81. DeShon Elliott, S
116. Deadrin Senat, DT
137. Cole Madison, G
171. Taron Johnson, CB
192. Phillip Lindsay, RB
193. Daurice Fountain, WR
208. Chris Herndon, TE
theoneandonly
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Herndon is coming off a knee injury so he has to be the pick. Has big play/ field stretching ability and I see a big need at TE. I wouldnt be upset at all if they took him anytime after round 4. Love to get Miller at pick 50, would be a great pick. Have seen Antonio Brown comps. Still HIGHLY skeptical on LVE though.
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