This pick will upset the draft purest who will argue the Giants reached in the draft to take him ala Justin Pugh. They will say he is too short to play tackle at 6' 3 7/8" they will say a tackle needs to be at least 6' 5" They will ignore his snake like 35" arms or his great footwork and generally good form and punch. They will say Temple is low-level competition
Those defending him will point to the fact that he plays offensive line the way it's supposed to be played so he will be on the field sooner rather than later. They will say he is very versatile being able to play 4 out of 5 of the offensive line position. They will point to scouts saying he is the closest thing to a sure thing in the draft offensive line class with no serious dings.
I will point to what Greg Gabriel (former Giants and Bears scout and head of Bears scouting and my teacher) said about him in his pre-Combine draft guide (Dawkins did very well in the combine and will only push his draft stock higher)
Strong Points: Good size and strength. Plays with a nasty streak and likes to be physical. Has some snap in his hips and on contact. Able to get movement with run blocks. Shows he can get to the second level. Gas a strong punch is pass protection. Has good lateral agility, can mirror opponent and anchor.
Weak Points: Can get lazy with his technique and make some mental mistakes (a number of false starts against Penn State). Will drop his hands at times. Has good lateral agility but doesn't always play with it.
The way we see it: Dawkins has the talent to become a winning left tackle in the NFL. Has some mental and technique errors but all are correctable with coaching and alertness. He is a big strong guy with good athleticism, strength and power. Has a lot of upside, just has to get rid of the mental mistakes and play to his ability. Is a classic example of a young man who needs to land with the right coaching staff. How he played at the Senior Bowl (note: he played well and was praised) and how he interviews will be important. A solid second-round pick if everything checks out.
Now I scouted him and I see a guy with quick enough feet and ability to play LT. I can see some saying he is second round talent, but I don't see him lasting to the Giants pick in the second round. Heck, I doubt in this O-line starved league he makes it out of round one. I see him as the one offensive tackle without a question mark or issue as the other top OTs all seem to have.
The Giants take him in round one and put him in right away at either LT, RT or RG. A starter from day one and a guy that instantly upgrades the Giants offensive line. Some will be bitter and say over drafted but this will fill a HUGE need for the Giants and go a long way toward fixing the Giants broken offense.
Besides, the only OTs I see on par with Dawkins are Ramczyk and Bolles and I see both of them gone when the Giants draft 23 an the Giants need a solid OT prospect who can start this season and Dawkins is the only other starter as a rookie OT I see in this draft class.
Rich: Nice report; the ideal move would be trade down a few spots then take him, but we both know that's not likely to happen.
Nevertheless, the Giants should not pass up Christian McCaffrey if he is there at pick 23.
I really don't care who else is available.
Passing on McCaffrey IMO would be equivalent to the teams who passed on Zeke Elliott last year.
Bob
Quote from: Bob In PA on March 11, 2017, 09:59:04 AM
Rich: Nice report; the ideal move would be trade down a few spots then take him, but we both know that's not likely to happen.
Nevertheless, the Giants should not pass up Christian McCaffrey if he is there at pick 23.
I really don't care who else is available.
Passing on McCaffrey IMO would be equivalent to the teams who passed on Zeke Elliott last year.
Bob
Bob I have never been someone who went along with the BPA theory since it might allow you to pass on someone you need to take someone you don't need, if that makes sense..For this reason I think it would be dumb to pass on a talent like McCaffrey if he's there when we pick..
I too am on board with McCaffrey, but expect the unexpected from the Giants. I was a lone prognosticator last year when I actually predicted that we would go with Apple in the first....and I did so just because the Giants always do what isn't expected. I took a lot of heat and ridicule for making my prediction known.
With that said, I would be happy if the Giants took Dawkins as I have a lot of faith in Reese's picks in the first couple of rounds. He seems to be zeroed in on rounds 1 and 2...as good as anyone in the league. It's afterwards that he scares me even though I think he hit on all rounds last year.
The one guy who would play on the O-line that I have my eye on is Pat Elflein. He might fall through the cracks because he's listed as the top center on most analysts' boards rather than a guard, even though he is better suited as a guard and backup center. Unless a team is desperate for a center, he's likely to fall to the 2nd round. I think he'd be a very safe pick with little risk of him washing out. He wouldn't become an OT though, but with a draft filled with great players in all defensive positions and heavy in TE's and RB's, the pickins is slight in the offensive line area and the top rated seem to come with a significant amount of risk.
Anyway, here's his write up on NFL.com:
Pat Elflein (6'3", 303 lbs, 33 1/4" arms, 9 3/4" hands)
Overview
Elflein (pronounced ELF-line) naturally wanted to be a Buckeye after growing up in Pickerington, Ohio, a suburb of Columbus. The all-state pick (and four-year wrestler) was certainly coveted by Ohio State, as well. He didn't get on the field much in his first two years (redshirted in 2012, reserve with one start in 2013), but then met his promise starting as a sophomore. Elflein earned the first of his three first-team All-Big Ten seasons that year, starting three times at left guard and 12 on the right side. In 2015, he received second-team Associated Press All-American status while dominating at right guard in every game. The team needed him to move to center as a senior, and his play resulted in first-team All-American recognition from various media outlets.
Analysis
Strengths Thick lower body. Team captain renown for his outrageous work ethic. Strong leadership characteristics both verbally and by example. Looks for work when uncovered. Smartly alters assignment based on flow of the defense. Always under control in his movements. Patient pull blocker who stalks his target rather than rushing the block. Plus play strength and wrestling background gives him a leg up in hand-to-hand combat against big dogs inside. Quick to roll hips into block after first contact. Drives feet through contact and uses strong hands to stick like glue to the block. Reliable and effective in down blocks. Finisher looking to make a statement at the end of the play. Has mental part down. Recognizes twisting defensive tackles and greets them with aggressiveness. Hand placement is excellent. Strikes with upward blows squarely into the strike zone as run blocker. Pass-pro punch is compact with some heat behind it. Can anchor against bull rush. Winning history on high-caliber team. Versatile; proficient and successful at both center and guard.
Weaknesses
Not a ballerina with his feet. Footwork can be a little labored at times for the center position. Marginal twitch with short-area reaction time that is just average. A bit of a straight-line player in space. Struggles to come off initial block and body up against delayed, A-gap blitzers. Understands leverage but hip stiffness causes pad level to rise as play rolls along. Anticipates early bull rush and will drop an early anchor. Feet become heavy and limited, allowing athletic opponents to work around his edge and into backfield. Not always first with his hands. Gives away his chest to interior defenders with good hand quickness.
Sources Tell Us "You are getting a guy who will be great for your locker room and will get the rest of the offensive line on board. I think he could have the same fast impact on a team's running game that Zach Martin had in Dallas. Safe draft pick to me." -- NFC West scout
NFL Comparison Travis Frederick
Bottom Line
Elflein is a smart, tireless worker with a winning background and experience at all three interior offensive line spots. While his feet are just average, his core strength and wrestling background could make him a favorite of teams looking for more strength at the center position. Elflein will have occasional issues in pass protection, but his strength as a run blocker and ability to play with excellent hands and plus body control should make him one of the first interior linemen to come off the draft board.
Guys,
I can understand and appreciate the assertion that McCaffrey would be a better player. However, I subscribe to the school of thought that you need to build your line before you add skill players (with the exception of franchise QB). The team can realistically get a starting caliber RG in round 2 and maybe three, they are not going to find any starting caliber OTs after they pick at 23.
Drafting McCaffrey would be too similar to drafting David Wilson to run behind a poor line. Zeke looked like such a great pick for the Cowboys because they had a great line to block for him.
Quote from: Jolly Blue Giant on March 11, 2017, 10:22:49 AM
Bottom Line
Elflein is a smart, tireless worker with a winning background and experience at all three interior offensive line spots. While his feet are just average, his core strength and wrestling background could make him a favorite of teams looking for more strength at the center position. Elflein will have occasional issues in pass protection, but his strength as a run blocker and ability to play with excellent hands and plus body control should make him one of the first interior linemen to come off the draft board.
Jolly: Great post. You make an outstanding case for Elflein. Now I'm going to feel bad if the Giants take McCaffrey. LOL
Before I got to your final paragraph (reproduced above), I did note your earlier remark about his wrestling experience and was already on-board.
Wrestling experience is an outstanding quality to possess for good interior offensive line play, because the officials now uniformly allow holding by interior linemen.
Bob
An important consideration of scouting is scheme fit. The report on Elflein is very good and I think he's a good gem (nice find JBG). However, based on the scouting report, he is a power blocking C/G rather than a zone scheme. The Giants use a stretch zone with lots of pulling by the guards and center. The negatives about his lack of foot speed would be a killer in that system.
Unfortunately, the position the Giants are in is that they need O-Line help in my my opinion. If they agree and the rest of the teams in the draft believe so too then they tipped their hand. The first round pick really needs to be BPA. Not BPA at two positions. Two because if Hankins walks they need two. Before Newhouse was lost the #1 was DT. Now, it looks like a tie to me.
Quote from: Vette on March 11, 2017, 10:51:47 AM
Unfortunately, the position the Giants are in is that they need O-Line help in my my opinion. If they agree and the rest of the teams in the draft believe so too then they tipped their hand. The first round pick really needs to be BPA. Not BPA at two positions. Two because if Hankins walks they need two. Before Newhouse was lost the #1 was DT. Now, it looks like a tie to me.
Ed: Just guessing (from the circumstantial evidence) but I now believe the Giants intend to "compete" strongly to retain Big Hank.
If they felt he was a goner (due to other teams overpaying) they probably would have signed at least one free-agent OL they lost (to the Raiders/Broncos) or allowed to walk (Newhouse).
Bob
Quote from: Bob In PA on March 11, 2017, 10:57:15 AM
Ed: Just guessing (from the circumstantial evidence) but I now believe the Giants intend to "compete" strongly to retain Big Hank.
If they felt he was a goner (due to other teams overpaying) they probably would have signed at least one free-agent OL they lost (to the Raiders/Broncos) or allowed to walk (Newhouse).
Bob
That makes sense to me.
Some more comments on Dawkins
An AFC West scout believes Temple OL Dion Dawkins can play guard or tackle in the NFL.
"I don't know if I see him as a guard or a tackle yet, but I think he can play both," he said. "I like him because I think he could upgrade our pass protection inside if we did bump him to guard, but he's athletic enough to play right tackle, too." NFL.com's Lance Zierlein compares Dawkins to Joe Barksdale. "Shows some good initial quickness and a smooth kick-slide out of his stance, but might be better in short areas as a guard rather than in open space as a tackle," Zierlein wrote. "He's athletic enough to operate in space, but power appears to be his calling card." The analyst thinks Dawkins, a three-year starter, could be an early NFL starter. Mar 8 - 5:08 PM
Source: NFL.com
Dion Dawkins - T - Owls
NFL.com's Chad Reuter believes Temple OL Dion Dawkins is a first-round talent.
Reuter made the statement after re-watching the Senior Bowl, where Dawkins practiced at both tackle and guard. Many project Dawkins to the inside, displaying athleticism and power as a guard. Forrest Lamp and Dan Feeney are other interior prospects drawing first round love.
Source: Chad Reuter on Twitter Feb 8 - 10:46 AM
Dion Dawkins - T - Owls
Temple senior T Dion Dawkins accepted an invitation to the Resse's Senior Bowl.
Per ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr., Dawkins is a "dominant run blocker from his left tackle spot." The longtime Worldwide Leader scouting mouthpiece believes the 6-foot-5, 315-pounder could rise as high as the first round depending on how he tests out athletically come February's NFL Scouting Combine. Draft insider Tony Pauline was particularly impressed with his work in a September loss to Penn State, noting that Dawkins "looked terrific in pass protection." Pauline sees him as a Day 2 selection.
Source: Senior Bowl Wed, Dec 21, 2016 05:24:00 PM
Dion Dawkins - T - Owls
ESPN's Mel Kiper says Temple senior T Dion Dawkins is now his new No. 1 senior offensive tackle and further states that the prospect "could make my new Big Board in a couple weeks."
"He's a dominant run blocker from his left tackle spot, which is a rare sight these days," Kiper wrote. "You don't see many throwback run blockers who can explode at the snap and lock onto defenders in the current NFL." Dawkins did so in Temple's win at UCF on Saturday. "Dawkins (6-foot-5, 315 pounds) showed good leg drive and footwork and the ability to get to the second level with ease," Kiper wrote. "He uses his hands well to engage defenders and drive them off the ball. I don't see an issue with him sticking at left tackle in the NFL, and I think he has a chance to be a first-round pick depending on how he works out at the combine.
Source: ESPN Thu, Oct 20, 2016 07:15:00 PM
Dion Dawkins - T - Owls
In Saturday's loss to Penn State, Temple senior T Dion Dawkins "displayed a lot of athleticism, footwork and next level skill," writes TFY Draft Insider's Tony Pauline.
"He looked terrific in pass protection, easily sliding off the edge to shut down pass rushers," Pauline wrote. "While Dawkins needs to improve his run blocking strength he looked like the second day pick most scouts stamped him to be." The analyst has long been high on Dawkins.
Source: TFY Draft Insider Thu, Sep 22, 2016 04:34:00 PM
Dion Dawkins - T - Owls
Temple junior T Dion Dawkins is "a terrific pass protector with a nice degree of athleticism and foot quickness," notes TFY Draft Insider's Tony Pauline.
Pauline grades the third-year Dawkins as a Rd. 4 prospect. That's the highest preseason grade that he gave to any American Athletic Conference prospect. "My grade is based as much on Dawkins potential as his present playing skill," Pauline wrote.
Source: TFY Draft Insider Sun, Jun 28, 2015 04:47:00 PM
http://www.rotoworld.com/recent/cfb/134490/dion-dawkins (http://www.rotoworld.com/recent/cfb/134490/dion-dawkins)
I would love to have Dawkins on the Giants' team. I have to believe that the front office and scouts are doing their due diligence on him and have him on their board somewhere.
This is going to be an interesting draft this year as so many quality players are going to sift through the cracks. There will be damn good players on the board on day 3 as well. And I have to believe the Giants are looking at offensive players in the first half of the draft. Dawkins could very well end up in blue.
Quote from: Jolly Blue Giant on March 11, 2017, 11:52:19 AM
I would love to have Dawkins on the Giants' team. I have to believe that the front office and scouts are doing their due diligence on him and have him on their board somewhere.
This is going to be an interesting draft this year as so many quality players are going to sift through the cracks. There will be damn good players on the board on day 3 as well. And I have to believe the Giants are looking at offensive players in the first half of the draft. Dawkins could very well end up in blue.
JBG,
I have a feeling the Giants (along with most of the teams in the league) have Dawkins ranked higher than the draftnik community. There are two types of draftniks out there. Those that do their own scouting and those that glean information from NFL scouting staffs. In this case coming from Temple I would expect that those doing their own scouting are overwhelmed and haven't given him their fullest consideration. Plus, as I mentioned earlier, some will see the 6' 5" -6' 4" will automatically put him at guard and not consider his long arms and great wingspan.
Those that glean their information from NFL offices I suspect will be hearing nothing. I think scouts are going to want to stay quiet about Dawkins and they hope he will fall into their laps in the second round.
However, if I am right and Dawkins can play LT.... how many LT prospects make it out of the first round of the draft?
I'm high on Dawkins too, as well as Moton.
Never figured out the "overdrafted" thing. The rap on Pugh was that he should have gone in the late 20's instead of 19?. Well we didn't have a pick in the late 20's. We picked him at 19 or waited to see if he would be around at 51 - which even the critics didn't think would happen. So, if you liked him, the choice was 19 or nothing.
Same with Dawkins this year. If you don't think he'll be around at 55 you take a potential left tackle at 23.
Quote from: 4thand17 on March 11, 2017, 12:20:45 PM
I'm high on Dawkins too, as well as Moton.
Never figured out the "overdrafted" thing. The rap on Pugh was that he should have gone in the late 20's instead of 19?. Well we didn't have a pick in the late 20's. We picked him at 19 or waited to see if he would be around at 51 - which even the critics didn't think would happen. So, if you liked him, the choice was 19 or nothing.
Same with Dawkins this year. If you don't think he'll be around at 55 you take a potential left tackle at 23.
Exactly!
Some will argue you trade down. Former front office guy and coach Pat Kirwan is very fond of reminding fans that you trade down when you have multiple targets and you don't if you are targeting one player. It takes only one team that feels like you do, for the trade down to turn into a disaster
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If Dawkins is the highest rated player on your Board - and it is time to make your selection- and you have spent considerable time scouting, interviewing and working out Dawkins- then why would you give up the selection?
Moving down is always embraced by fans. But there is a reason why the Giants have not moved down in 10 years and aren't likely to do it this year.
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Quote from: MightyGiants on March 11, 2017, 12:27:55 PM
Exactly!
Some will argue you trade down. Former front office guy and coach is very fond of reminding fans that you trade down when you multiple targets and you don't if you are targeting one player. It takes only one team that feels like you do, for the trade down to turn into a disaster
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On the money Rich
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I think we're taking a DL in round one. Just my gut feel that they will value interior pass rush or a hybrid DE/DT option higher than a top TE or the late first round tackle options (as all have issues). Despite our relative depth WR or CB is always a possibility with Reese.
It's funny, I just got back from my walk. 2 things, it's fricken cold outside here in NJ, especially for March. The second thing is that I was listening to the Big Blue Kickoff Live podcast and they were talking about Forest Lamp being the Giants first round pick.
My thought is this: Why take a small school G/C prospect who's arms are too short to play tackle (and he is slighly smaller with much shorter arms) when you can draft a small school G/T prospect who you can put at LT?
Lamp may have a slightly higher floor but Dawkins has a much higher ceiling.
Quote from: MightyGiants on March 11, 2017, 10:28:17 AM
Guys,
I can understand and appreciate the assertion that McCaffrey would be a better player. However, I subscribe to the school of thought that you need to build your line before you add skill players (with the exception of franchise QB). The team can realistically get a starting caliber RG in round 2 and maybe three, they are not going to find any starting caliber OTs after they pick at 23.
Drafting McCaffrey would be too similar to drafting David Wilson to run behind a poor line. Zeke looked like such a great pick for the Cowboys because they had a great line to block for him.
if we really draft by BPA then McCaffrey has to be a better choice talent wise than a bottom of the barrel lineman
Great thread Mighty, thanks. On draft day I'll be watching the three tackkes, Bolles, Ramcyzk, Robinson, and now Dawkins. I also have Lamp on my list as well. Mcaffry and the 2 tight ends would be tempting too. But we have to fix the line.
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Quote from: MightyGiants on March 11, 2017, 10:28:17 AM
Guys,
I can understand and appreciate the assertion that McCaffrey would be a better player. However, I subscribe to the school of thought that you need to build your line before you add skill players (with the exception of franchise QB). The team can realistically get a starting caliber RG in round 2 and maybe three, they are not going to find any starting caliber OTs after they pick at 23.
Drafting McCaffrey would be too similar to drafting David Wilson to run behind a poor line. Zeke looked like such a great pick for the Cowboys because they had a great line to block for him.
Wait...you mean picking David Wilson no o-line in front of him was a bad idea?
Quote from: MightyGiants on March 11, 2017, 10:28:17 AM
Guys,
I can understand and appreciate the assertion that McCaffrey would be a better player. However, I subscribe to the school of thought that you need to build your line before you add skill players (with the exception of franchise QB). The team can realistically get a starting caliber RG in round 2 and maybe three, they are not going to find any starting caliber OTs after they pick at 23.
Drafting McCaffrey would be too similar to drafting David Wilson to run behind a poor line. Zeke looked like such a great pick for the Cowboys because they had a great line to block for him.
nobody would disagree with you about building the line first but my reason for taking McCaffrey in round one is adding more talent to the offense because of time constraints with Eli's window starting to close...
I guess I won't be winning a prize for guessing who Rich's draft crush is this year!! ;)
If we take Dawkins hopefully it works out better than the last time a Rich favourite was tabbed. That was DE Owamagbe Odighizuwa and right now we should be drafting to replace him :P
FWIW I wouldn't rule out Lamp as our 1st round pick. He proved capable of handling Alabama's best players one on one, is very strong, super athletic and his arms are longer than those of perennial Pro Bowler Joe Thomas. Will he pass the Giants filters at Tackle? Possibly not but I get the feeling someone will give him a shot to play there.
Here is an example of quick athletic "LT Feet". Against Penn State Dakins takes on and successfully blocks a corner blitzer (they show it in slow motion after the play). I doubt Flowers could have done that even today.
https://youtu.be/EDVU7XeJSSU?t=431
Quote from: UKGiantsFan on March 12, 2017, 06:45:25 AM
I guess I won't be winning a prize for guessing who Rich's draft crush is this year!! ;)
If we take Dawkins hopefully it works out better than the last time a Rich favourite was tabbed. That was DE Owamagbe Odighizuwa and right now we should be drafting to replace him :P
FWIW I wouldn't rule out Lamp as our 1st round pick. He proved capable of handling Alabama's best players one on one, is very strong, super athletic and his arms are longer than those of perennial Pro Bowler Joe Thomas. Will he pass the Giants filters at Tackle? Possibly not but I get the feeling someone will give him a shot to play there.
I've thought the same thing about Lamp. There aren't a ton of gems to be had in this draft for the offensive line - Lamp is one of them IMO.
Not a sleeper by any means, but probably a guy who could be had at the back end of the draft is offensive tackle Dan Skipper. He's friggin huge! 6'10" 310 lbs and has potential. He would need to be coached up to play at the NFL level, but that pretty much defines every OT prospect. He would not be a huge risk and possibly end up being a steal in the 5th or 6th round. Like every prospect - no one knows for sure if they will pan out and after the first two or three picks, you take risks and hope they pan out.
Regardless, I kinda like the thought of Skipper on the team.
Quote from: Jolly Blue Giant on March 12, 2017, 08:51:32 AM
I've thought the same thing about Lamp. There aren't a ton of gems to be had in this draft for the offensive line - Lamp is one of them IMO.
Not a sleeper by any means, but probably a guy who could be had at the back end of the draft is offensive tackle Dan Skipper. He's friggin huge! 6'10" 310 lbs and has potential. He would need to be coached up to play at the NFL level, but that pretty much defines every OT prospect. He would not be a huge risk and possibly end up being a steal in the 5th or 6th round. Like every prospect - no one knows for sure if they will pan out and after the first two or three picks, you take risks and hope they pan out.
Regardless, I kinda like the thought of Skipper on the team.
JBG,
Greg Gabriel taught me there is such a thing as too tall when it comes to OTs. They get that tall and they simply are unable to get their pads low enough to win the leverage battles.
I agree with being "too tall" and that is the reason he will be on the board later in the draft, but I also think it has a lot to do with a player's frame. A player built like the "Hulk" is better than a player built like Kareem Abdul Jabar. It's all about proportional distribution in both frame and mass. Staying low with good knee bend is essential whether a person is 6' or 6'10". It might be easier for short guys to stay low, but they bring other issues to the table. If Skipper was 3 inches shorter, he'd be in the talks for going in the front half of the draft. Basically, the length of an average pinky finger.
Regardless, some analysts are very high on him and as we all know, there are no "sure things" in the draft except for a handful of studs that will be off the board on day one - and even many of those will not pan out to be what the team that drafted them hoped for. At the end of the draft, you reach....and if lucky, a few good ones fall through the cracks. I like Skipper, but would not want to see a high draft pick burned on him.
Quote from: jerseyguy on March 11, 2017, 05:25:49 PM
nobody would disagree with you about building the line first but my reason for taking McCaffrey in round one is adding more talent to the offense because of time constraints with Eli's window starting to close...
The idea of drafting a RB to fix the offensive line problems was tried when the drafted David Wilson and it did not work. Granted Wilson's career was cut short but prior to that Wilson struggled trying to rush behind an aging inadequate line.
I dont want the word "lazy" associated with our pick at 23. Had too much of that
Great thread. I would love McCaffrey's versatility..he will be a star..a Frank Gifford type...do anything. Dawkins is very intriguing but I want juice added to Eli's arsenal.
this year's mocks are all over the place and I see no way to predict who'll be there for us at #23. however, it does seem that some [and an increasing number] of the potential draftees are already situational players [read alabama's ER named williams] making it even harder to judge where they will fit in an nfl style O or esp. on the D. As for the O linemen, that often means a ? as to whether he's G or T, pass or run blocker or both. For the TE, blocker, receiver, both?? And for the RB's, for whom I'd not want to use a first round pick - except once in a decade when a zeke elliott comes along if I had the chance - ???'s about can he pass block, catch the ball, etc. All these IMO result from the changes in the college game, incl. the spread O and the rise of situational players. These college rosters are 95 strong so it's easy to see how college coaches can move to the situational format [rotate and rest with your situational guys]. So if we take a D. Dawkins, it may be because he is the BPA left to us at 23 , when most of the "sure things" are gone and some of the remaining players are situational guys [like williams] or simply untried at some of the nfl skills we want to see.
As far as Reach picks goes Lamp is not only a better prospect in my opinion, he is rated much higher than Dawkins... he looks much better on tape. I also like Robinson's aggressive and quickness on tape.
If we dont go Oline in the 1st then Feeney in the 2nd followed by Dawkins are not bad picks.
Quote from: XNYrnLA on March 13, 2017, 12:56:36 PM
As far as Reach picks goes Lamp is not only a better prospect in my opinion, he is rated much higher than Dawkins... he looks much better on tape. I also like Robinson's aggressive and quickness on tape.
If we dont go Oline in the 1st then Feeney in the 2nd followed by Dawkins are not bad picks.
Lamp does look like a very solid prospect, but I just don't see that there is any way he stays out OT. He is a G/C prospect and a good one at that. What I like about Dawkins is that with his extra height (compared to Lamp) and his 3 inch longer arms he has the ability to stay outside at OT. As for Cam Robinson when I looked at the tape I thought I was watching some old Ereck Flowers film. Robinson is another big man with zero technique.
Quote from: President Rick on March 13, 2017, 10:33:19 AM
this year's mocks are all over the place and I see no way to predict who'll be there for us at #23. however, it does seem that some [and an increasing number] of the potential draftees are already situational players [read alabama's ER named williams] making it even harder to judge where they will fit in an nfl style O or esp. on the D. As for the O linemen, that often means a ? as to whether he's G or T, pass or run blocker or both. For the TE, blocker, receiver, both?? And for the RB's, for whom I'd not want to use a first round pick - except once in a decade when a zeke elliott comes along if I had the chance - ???'s about can he pass block, catch the ball, etc. All these IMO result from the changes in the college game, incl. the spread O and the rise of situational players. These college rosters are 95 strong so it's easy to see how college coaches can move to the situational format [rotate and rest with your situational guys]. So if we take a D. Dawkins, it may be because he is the BPA left to us at 23 , when most of the "sure things" are gone and some of the remaining players are situational guys [like williams] or simply untried at some of the nfl skills we want to see.
this is just a question because I don't know but what kind of a blocker is Ezekiel Elliot or is he just a very good runner..