2018 NFL Draft Thread

[dbair1967]

Vince just might be Lamar Jackon's real dad

[video=youtube;RQ028w6SAVg]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQ028w6SAVg[/video]

He wasn't nicknamed "Radio" for nothing

 

[dbair1967]

Just read a few scouting reports on him. Each one said he projects as a 3-4 OLB. Looks like we've found our replacement for Kyle Wilbur.

Had a really dominant season as a JR with 10+ sacks and 20+ TFL's.

Teams really paid attention to him this year though, as Kansas literally had nothing else on defense.

 

[dbair1967]

He’s converting to RB

Welcome our Lance Dunbar replacement

This is actually the best part of the trade, because Lance Dunbar WAS at the Cowboys offices working out for the team this week and they were apparently considering bringing this ultra scrub back. They talked about it on Cowboys radio today.

 

[dbair1967]

QB alert! Mike White, Western Kentucky.

Really liked this pick. Has some real upside as a passer.

 

[dbair1967]

I was just reading the Rams fans comments on the trade alert that popped up on my local feed. It seems that it’s about 50/50.

The majority of LA fans that were happy he was gone were strictly happy because they felt his contract was too expensive. The rest that were happy he was gone were happy because they see him as the last of the Jeff Fisher experiments

The 50% that weren’t happy they traded him away were unhappy because they think he was worth way more than just a sixth round pic

There was very little talk from the fans about being unhappy with his play. Not a single mention of his fumbles

He was never worth a top-10 pick (which is what they used on him) and IIRC they even traded up to get him, of course Rams fans will be happy he was gone.

If they had used a 6th rd pick on him, nobody would care.

 

[dbair1967]

Luke Falk goes to Tennessee. I liked this kid. Can't say I know a darn thing about Mike White but I do like the fact that we took a flyer on a QB. We should do that every year and I think that's what good programs do. I wonder how long it takes Falk to beat out Mariota?

We are all going to like Mike White. Big kid with a really nice arm and ability to stretch the field. Smart kid too and is described as a kid who engulfs himself in the film room.

 

[dbair1967]

I was interested to see what Switzer could do this year. I was hoping with the new WR coach that we might see him get more reps

Oh well

I’ll see him on the Raiders since I get a lot of Raiders games on my local stations here

I think the coaches didn't like him after getting him here, and he did have multiple gaffes last yr as a returner.

I would have liked to have kept him another year but we got a DT we really liked in the draft two years or so ago and DT was a major need. Jihad Ward has some real ability and he was coached by Lovie Smith at Illinois, so he has experience playing in essentially the same DL scheme as he will be playing in now.

 

[Scot]

I think the coaches didn't like him after getting him here, and he did have multiple gaffes last yr as a returner.

I would have liked to have kept him another year but we got a DT we really liked in the draft two years or so ago and DT was a major need. Jihad Ward has some real ability and he was coached by Lovie Smith at Illinois, so he has experience playing in essentially the same DL scheme as he will be playing in now.

The only problem with Switzer that I remember from last season was the fumble/muffed punt in the Rams game (which turned the tide of the game that we eventually lost)

 

[Scot]

He was never worth a top-10 pick (which is what they used on him) and IIRC they even traded up to get him, of course Rams fans will be happy he was gone.

If they had used a 6th rd pick on him, nobody would care.

The consensus was that he wasn’t worth his contract or his draft status

So that sounds about right

 

[dbair1967]

The only problem with Switzer that I remember from last season was the fumble/muffed punt in the Rams game (which turned the tide of the game that we eventually lost)

You need to go back and so some more remembering then.

He had several bad decisions on returns, and that was the main reason he was drafted. He also had the one late in the season where he gave himself up with nobody within 15 or 20 yds of him, and he got berated by players and coaches alike for it.

 

[Dodger12]

We are all going to like Mike White. Big kid with a really nice arm and ability to stretch the field. Smart kid too and is described as a kid who engulfs himself in the film room.

I hope so. Either way, I'm glad they took a QB. Unfortunately, we don't have the staff to develop a QB....

 

[dbair1967]

I don't think all these are confirmed UDFA signings yet and there will be many more added, but here's what I see so far:


WR Marchie Murdock Iowa State
QB Dalton Sturm UTSA
WR Malik Earl Missouri State
TE David Wells San Diego State
OL Jake Campos Iowa State
RB Jordan Chunn Troy
OL Bryce Johnson SCSU
CB Donovan Olumba Portland State
S Kameron Kelly SDSU
LB Joel Lanning Iowa State

 

[Doomsday]

We are all going to like Mike White. Big kid with a really nice arm and ability to stretch the field. Smart kid too and is described as a kid who engulfs himself in the film room.

Maybe they will have the sense of humor to put #11 on him.

 

[dbair1967]

I think its readily apparent that new WR Sanjay Lal had a lot of input into the WR position.

Got rid of Dez and Switzer, made no effort to keep Butler. Beasley is in last yr of deal and could still be cut or traded. TW might end up cut once he can pass a physical.

Signed two guys via free agency, traded for a former top-10 pick (but will convert him to RB) and then drafted two more guys this week, both guys with good overall WR skill and route running ability, both guys hands catchers with RAC skills.

 

[Scot]

You need to go back and so some more remembering then.

He had several bad decisions on returns, and that was the main reason he was drafted. He also had the one late in the season where he gave himself up with nobody within 15 or 20 yds of him, and he got berated by players and coaches alike for it.

I never claimed to have a good memory

Quite the opposite actually. Too many drugs, fights, accidents and other shit in my 20’s for me to be able to remember much nowadays

 

[Doomsday]

UDFAs signed:

Marchie Murdock, WR, Iowa State
Dalton Sturm, QB, UTSA
David Wells, TE, San Diego State
Malik Earl, WR, Missouri State
Jake Campos, OL, Iowa State
Bryce Johnson, OL, SCSU
Jordan Chunn, RB, Troy
Donovan Olumba, CB, Portland State
Kameron Kelly, S, SDSU
Joel Lanning, LB, Iowa State
Kyle Queiro, S/LB, Northwestern
Jashon Robertson, OL, Tennessee
Charvarius Ward, CB, Middle Tennessee State
DeQuinton Osborne, DT, Oklahoma State

 

[English Cowboy]

Overall a very unsexy draft. But it's usually the unsexy ones that end up being the better ones. Like with all drafts though we won't know for sure how successful it was until a couple of years down the line. So let's wish them all the best and hope the coaches don't screw them up.

Notice they didn't draft a safety, which was an area of need going in. And any trade for Earl Thomas looks dead in the water for the time being. I read an article on Pro Football Rumors that said they will probably turn their attention back to the free agent safeties, guys like Eric Reid, Tre Boston and Kenny Vaccaro.

 

[Scot]

The NFL APP just posted its overall draft grades for each team.

They gave the Cowboys an A-

 

[bbgun]

CNNSI

Dallas Cowboys

Dallas’s biggest need was wide receiver—even before Dez Bryant’s release—but even with every WR still on the board, the team drafted Leighton Vander Esch with the No. 19 pick. He doesn’t fill an immediate need, as today’s nickel-package-driven NFL demands you have only two quality linebackers, so the Cowboys must really love him. Jaylon Smith wasn’t quite as dynamic last season as hoped, but if there’s still optimism for him in 2018 and beyond (and there should be), it reasons that Vander Esch is here to supplant Sean Lee. Though still elite, Lee is nearly 32 and has a long history of injuries.

The day after Vander Esch arrived, future Hall-of-Famer Jason Witten retired, leaving a hole at tight end. The Cowboys may have been geared up to draft Dallas Goedert at Round 2, pick 17, but they got leapfrogged by division rival Philadelphia. Ouch. The “consolation prize” was tackle Connor Williams, a late-first or early-second-round prospect who may have been their target anyway. Instead of fixing weaknesses, the Cowboys will augment a super strength into a super, SUPER strength, adding Williams to what was already by far the NFL’s best offensive line. This could eventually move La’el Collins back to left guard, where he has shown a lot more promise. That would make one pick upgrading two positions.

Third-rounder Michael Gallup has a chance to start right away, mostly due to the paucity of quality Cowboys receivers. Overall, this draft gave Dallas a lot of talent, but it did little to immediately improve a team that is ready to compete for an NFC East title right now.

Grade: C+

 

[dbair1967]

Cowboys, Jets, and Packers got Elite grades

All 32 NFL team's 2018 NFL Draft grades | NFL Analysis | Pro Football Focus

1 (19) Leighton Vander Esch, LB, Boise State, 89.8
2 (50) Connor Williams, T/G, Texas, 85.7
3 (81) Michael Gallup, WR, Colorado State, 92.1
4 (116) Dorance Armstrong Jr., Edge, Kansas, 78.5
4 (137) Dalton Schultz, TE, Stanford, 82.1
5 (171) Mike White, QB, WKU, 84.2
6 (193) Chris Covington, LB, Indiana, 85.5
6 (208) Cedrick Wilson, WR, Boise State, 89.2
7 (236) Bo Scarbrough, RB, Alabama, 75.6

Day 1: Dallas made some interesting picks in the draft, and none more than their top pick of Boise State LB Leighton Vander Esch. Despite being older than the other top linebackers in this class, Vander Esch is actually younger than all of them in terms of playing time experience, with just one season of significant playing time in college. That season though was spectacular, seeing him lead the nation with 76 defensive stops and showing the kind of flow to the football that teams love. His potential remains high because of that lack of experience, and if he can develop his coverage skills to match his run defense he could quickly become one of the game’s best linebackers.

Day 2: When the Cowboys were at their best, they had the league’s most dominant offensive line, and they’re trying to get back there with the offseason hire of offensive line coach Paul Alexander and now selecting Connor Williams in the second round. Williams was the No. 2 tackle on our draft board and allowed just one sack across three seasons of play for Texas. He has shown excellent pass-blocking and run-blocking skills and looked to have the ability to stay outside at tackle but was seen as a candidate to move in to guard by many. Dallas could use an upgrade at either right tackle or left guard, and they will need to decide how they are going to deploy Williams and La’el Collins to best improve those two positions.

The Cowboys also added a PFF favorite, Michael Gallup, the highest-graded wide receiver in the nation in 2017 and one of the most productive players in college football. Gallup faced press coverage on 64 of his targets in 2017, catching 30 of those passes for 568 yards, and showed well at the Senior Bowl against improved competition.

Day 3: Dallas grabbed QB Mike White in the fifth round to back up Dak Prescott. He posted the sixth-highest grade in the draft class on deep throws. Cedrick Wilson adds nice receiver depth to this group and at 6-foot-3, he gained 4.6 yards per route against Power-5 competition in 2017, leading the FBS. With their last pick, they grabbed Alabama RB Bo Scarbrough, who never quite lived up to his huge frame, breaking 62 tackles on 267 college carries.

Overall grade: Elite