Draft Philosophy

[TheCardFan]

Mike Williams from Clemson reminds me of a less athletic Dez Bryant (Cowboys version). Dez was much more dominant in college (fast, athletic, explosive) than Wiliams. My concern with Williams is his lack of speed and difficulty getting separation. He will win most jump balls or back shoulder fades but physical corners like Norman will shut him down completely. In addition, he drops a lot of passes (easy ones) for a high profile WR. I wouldn't be surprised if he ran a 4.6 at the combine.

Clemson Pro Day is Thursday, March 16th. Williams did not run in Indy, so my suspicion that he will be as slow as he looks on tape may be warranted. Dez Bryant looked way more explosive in college but has difficulty getting open/gaining separation in the NFL. Here is info on his Pro Day results from Gil Brandt:

"Oklahoma State WR Dez Bryant is still going through position drills at his private workout for NFL teams, but I do have his 40-yard dash times to pass along.

Bryant began the workouts Tuesday in his hometown of Lufkin, Texas, with the 40, posting times of 4.52, 4.68 and 4.52 seconds. He was asked to run the third time because of the discrepancy between the first two times, the second of which was into the wind."

LaQuan Treadwell is another big WR that ran a slow 40 (4.65) but got drafted in rd 1. He hasn't made an impact in the NFL yet (nothing as a rookie) and here is what his coach said:

"Back in September, Zimmer commented that Treadwell wouldn’t play until he started practicing better. All indications were Treadwell needed more work on his route-running, specifically generating better separation. Lack of separation was the big knock on Treadwell coming out of college. We’ve seen a couple plays this year that show there’s still work to be done."

 

[Ohcrap75]

Elflein will play in the NFL longer than Cam Robinson. Mark it down. Elflein is the best offensive lineman in this draft. Guy can play all three interior positions, and has the strength and work ethic to last. 10 year NFL C.

It's Jamal Adams btw.

Chopper, are you still high on Elflein? I think this guy would be a perfect fit for the Cards. He is strong, smart and versatile. Most projections have him in the 3rd, but that seems pretty risky to wait that long for him.

 

[Bodha]

Clemson Pro Day is Thursday, March 16th. Williams did not run in Indy, so my suspicion that he will be as slow as he looks on tape may be warranted. Dez Bryant looked way more explosive in college but has difficulty getting open/gaining separation in the NFL. Here is info on his Pro Day results from Gil Brandt:

"Oklahoma State WR Dez Bryant is still going through position drills at his private workout for NFL teams, but I do have his 40-yard dash times to pass along.

Bryant began the workouts Tuesday in his hometown of Lufkin, Texas, with the 40, posting times of 4.52, 4.68 and 4.52 seconds. He was asked to run the third time because of the discrepancy between the first two times, the second of which was into the wind."

LaQuan Treadwell is another big WR that ran a slow 40 (4.65) but got drafted in rd 1. He hasn't made an impact in the NFL yet (nothing as a rookie) and here is what his coach said:

"Back in September, Zimmer commented that Treadwell wouldn’t play until he started practicing better. All indications were Treadwell needed more work on his route-running, specifically generating better separation. Lack of separation was the big knock on Treadwell coming out of college. We’ve seen a couple plays this year that show there’s still work to be done."

He is slow. The majority of his catches are highly-contested jump ball circus catches because hes not athletic enough to create separation from the CB. I hate that. The best WRs in history are not guys who cant get open, and therefore have to battle for every catch.

The best WRs are those who get open and make it easy on the QB. Randy Moss. Megatron. Julio Jones. Antonio Brown. etc. Can they catch highly-contested balls? Yes. But they arent dependent on them.

Give me the WR who has the best combination of speed and route running (both together are essential).

 

[Chopper0080]

Chopper, are you still high on Elflein? I think this guy would be a perfect fit for the Cards. He is strong, smart and versatile. Most projections have him in the 3rd, but that seems pretty risky to wait that long for him.

I wonder about his size. I have read in places that his playing weight was around 290 which can be tough for an interior OL. The nature of this draft could push him down. I think I like him more in general vs a fit for AZ. Right now the Cards have either Shipley or Boehm at the C spot, which makes it tough to spend a 3rd on Elflein. If he falls to the 4th or 5th, he is a better option for AZ. The defensive talent in this draft as well as the TE talent makes it tough to get a guy like Elflein in the mid rounds when you have two C's on the roster.