Beyond the fact that a healthy Eric Dickerson/Adrian Peterson (a.k.a. Todd Gurley) is the best running back since his namesake Adrian Peterson came out, I loved the fact that he is a good pass blocker. I was totally blown away with how polished he was in that regard though.
Draft Academy covered EDAP's knowledge of the game. His post season coach Fred McCrary said he was the most knowledgeable running back about coverage responsibilities he had worked with since DeMarco Murray.
All of the other top runners in this class are suspect in that regard --- not what you need with Tony Romo as your starting QB. (For the record, I don't love the RBs, CBs, or the OLs in this draft. Lots of busts there. I do like the LBs and to a degree the WRs.)
My desire to see EDAP under a star helmet is pretty high right now. I don't know if there is anyone else that really jazzes me as a great value. My feeling is that both OL Brandon Scherff (a very solid looking pick) and NT Danny Shelton (a guy who has top talent but is a little more risky after a misleading signature season) will be gone in the early teens and Phillip Dorsett is way too risky in the 16-22 area in that he was not as productive as his skills suggest he should have been in college.
I am worried that the exposure EDAP is getting may push him out of Dallas's reach ---I consider that to be what the first, third, and fourth round picks will get the team --- maybe the 17-20th pick.
I think the team you have to get ahead of is Arizona. Getting to that late teen range would probably make moving up ahead of Dallas too cost prohibitive for the Cardinals.
There is an article suggesting EDAP may have climbed into the top 10. He is an elite talent. All it takes is one team to fall in love with him and it is done. Elite talents usually have a few teams that fall for them.
If you can't land one of those top talent guys, I wouldn't mind WR Devin Smith at 27 for the next 5 years. He is fast but not Phillip Dorsett fast, but being a deep threat is a skill in itself and he has that skill in spades. Additionally he looks very dangerous as a return man. That would be a very good value for Dallas.
Bud Dupree is a guy Dallas brought in so he is on the list. He would be a decent value there and I could totally see him getting taken at 27. He doesn't finish as much as you'd hope, but he is disruptive. Dallas has long looked just as favorably on guys who are disruptive vs. guys who finish. You would think with the Hardy signing they would be out on DEs, but Dallas's defensive staff runs a rush at all costs scheme.
Plus maybe they see something else there?
I wonder if they think he could play a little strong side LB for now and bring a rush. Who knows. Dallas's defensive staff loves the idea of bringing in a LB who can rush the passer out of a 4-3. That's why they were ready to take Shazier last year. Dupree clocked a pretty amazing 40 time for his size. Normally consistent multi-year production, decent size, and a borderline freakish 40 time goes around 10-15 in the draft. In that, there seems to be some value there. I don't love him as a prospect, but I could warm to him if he can fill in at SLB this year.
I think a solid strategy might be trading down to 31 or 32 or even the 2nd round.
I am worried about that current spot though as I could see Dallas "reaching" at least IMO for guys like RB Tevin Coleman or LB Bernardrick McKinney. Coleman is no doubt a burner capable of breaking long runs even in the NFL, but to me I don't see a great back there. I think he will get stopped too frequently on short yardage runs and I don't trust him pass blocking. He's a great RB for a 9 win team, but maybe not for a team that wants to win the superbowl. I think he will be a guy good defenses control.
He is a second round back to me, but his speed has caught some teams' attention and he could go late first. (That isn't a bad spot to take a RB as you get 5 years on that contract. Why get a RB in the 33-40 range when you can pick him at 31 or 32 at a trivial cost and get an extra year on his rookie contract? NFL GMs weirdly haven't figured that out.) I just hope it isn't to Dallas that picks him.
I think we may have a similar player in Darren McFadden, but one who is a better blocker.
While I don't love the McKinney idea, I would be ok with that at 32. He does look like a starter. He would solve the vitally important MLB spot for the next 10 years with a guy who seems stable.
No comments:
Post a Comment