Assuming the mock draft by Ryle comes to fruition and all
the defensive lineman with first round grades have been taken the Cowboys will
be in a difficult situation. How do they
proceed in the draft? Do they draft a
reach or another position without such a great need?
Many people are advocating trade up, trade back, draft a free
safety, anything but a tight end or take anything you can get at defensive line. I think OCC brought up an interesting point
last week on playmaking linebackers. I
have a new option, sort of out of the box so to speak, moving Bruce Carter to
blindside defensive end and draft Ryan Shazier to play weak side outside
linebacker.
Marinelli’s defense is predicated on “fast twitch”
guys. He values explosiveness over
power. Bruce Carter is an explosive
athlete. He has athletic gifts unlike
most players on the Cowboy’s roster.
Most of the public complaints on Carter this past season were his lapses
in coverage. As a defensive end,
coverage is not an issue and as a rushman, your primary job is to get to the
quarterback.
Carter would likely have to add 10 to 15 pounds of muscle to
his frame, but with his first step and speed, he could be a nightmare for
opposing tackles. This would also allow
for the Cowboys to employ some creative Dick Lebeau type zone blitzing schemes
where Carter falls back and Shazier blitz the hole. Assuming Ware will be released due to salary
cap issues; Carter could be the piece to replace Ware and create that edge
pressure.
Shazier would fill the linebacker role vacated by
Carter. Some great film on him here – (Ryan
Shazier v. Wisconsin). He is a
smaller player at 225 lbs, but with a pro contract leading to better meals, a
pro weight room and off season training, he could likely add without losing his
gift of speed and explosiveness. He has strong
instincts; which is a big issue for Carter.
Shazier is the type of player that “makes things happen”,
another calling card of the Marinelli defense is turnovers, flowing the ball
and even more turnovers. I was most impressed
with OCC’s post on Shazier (Finding
Playmaking Linebackers). It clearly
shows Shazier is the cream of the draft crop in linebacker playmakers. Van Noy makes a lot of flashy plays but it is
important to note, Shazier makes almost as many flashy plays but also makes
more than double the number of tackles.
Whatever the Cowboys do this offseason will be predicated on
developing more explosiveness. It seems
the Cowboys are following a plan, bringing in players who fit the physical
attributes of the defense, rather than the dreaded best player available. To continue facilitating a deep roster, players
who are brought in will be quick first step with fast straight line speed.
Remember size matters less when 3 or 4 players are converging
on the ball carrier every play.
