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Posted by nickeatman at 5/27/2011 9:44 AM CDT on truebluefanclub.com
I know it’s been about a month since this event should’ve occurred, and with the NFL Lockout in place, it was just another annual thing that has been cancelled, but the rookie mini-camp is always a valuable evaluation tool when you’re trying to find out about these new players.
If you remember back to last year and all the hype that surrounded Dez Bryant’s first practices with the team, the first-round pick was up to the challenge. Other than some occassional moments of exhaustion, Bryant was spectacular out there with shorts and a shirt on. And he led all of us to say something like “looks good so far, let’s see if it translates to the games” . . . which it certainly did.
And positions such as wide receiver, quarterback and defensive back can really stand out in those types of practices. You see velocity and accuracy on the throws, you see speed in the route-running and the consistency to catch the ball and you can ball skills and awareness from the defensive backs.
That being said, it’s not like we wouldn’t want to see Tyron Smith and David Arkin out here in the mini-camps this year. No, they might not have been able to show off their skills, but it’d be nice to see them out with the team and seeing how they compare to other rookies – presumably the undrafted free agents and some first-year players from last year’s squad.
Now, guys like DeMarco Murray, Dwayne Harris and Josh Thomas, it’d be a different story. Personally, I wouldn’t mind seeing Thomas out here. He’s a smaller guy – listed at 5-11, 198 but I think that might be debatable – who played against lesser competition. I’d like to see what the Cowboys’ scouts and coaches saw in this guy to take him in the fifth round. He seems like he could be another version of Orlando Scandrick, which would be a pretty good find if they could do that again in the fifth.
If Murray has that “wow factor” that he showed in college, then it would be evident out in practice, even in helmets and shells with no contact. I remember watching Terence Newman field a punt one time in the rookie mini-camp and he basically ran up the middle of the field against air. Still, the quickness that he showed with no other players around was enough to drop the jaws of about 10-20 spectators, including coaches, media, and other personnel staff.
Now I’m not suggesting you can tell a whole lot from a few light practices in May and June, but there are always a few things that catch your eye. And at this point, in this offseason, it’d be better than nothing.
I know it’s been about a month since this event should’ve occurred, and with the NFL Lockout in place, it was just another annual thing that has been cancelled, but the rookie mini-camp is always a valuable evaluation tool when you’re trying to find out about these new players.
If you remember back to last year and all the hype that surrounded Dez Bryant’s first practices with the team, the first-round pick was up to the challenge. Other than some occassional moments of exhaustion, Bryant was spectacular out there with shorts and a shirt on. And he led all of us to say something like “looks good so far, let’s see if it translates to the games” . . . which it certainly did.
And positions such as wide receiver, quarterback and defensive back can really stand out in those types of practices. You see velocity and accuracy on the throws, you see speed in the route-running and the consistency to catch the ball and you can ball skills and awareness from the defensive backs.
That being said, it’s not like we wouldn’t want to see Tyron Smith and David Arkin out here in the mini-camps this year. No, they might not have been able to show off their skills, but it’d be nice to see them out with the team and seeing how they compare to other rookies – presumably the undrafted free agents and some first-year players from last year’s squad.
Now, guys like DeMarco Murray, Dwayne Harris and Josh Thomas, it’d be a different story. Personally, I wouldn’t mind seeing Thomas out here. He’s a smaller guy – listed at 5-11, 198 but I think that might be debatable – who played against lesser competition. I’d like to see what the Cowboys’ scouts and coaches saw in this guy to take him in the fifth round. He seems like he could be another version of Orlando Scandrick, which would be a pretty good find if they could do that again in the fifth.
If Murray has that “wow factor” that he showed in college, then it would be evident out in practice, even in helmets and shells with no contact. I remember watching Terence Newman field a punt one time in the rookie mini-camp and he basically ran up the middle of the field against air. Still, the quickness that he showed with no other players around was enough to drop the jaws of about 10-20 spectators, including coaches, media, and other personnel staff.
Now I’m not suggesting you can tell a whole lot from a few light practices in May and June, but there are always a few things that catch your eye. And at this point, in this offseason, it’d be better than nothing.
