The Cowboys are likely to pass on Bosa. Buckner’s role in the NFL may be limited. Treadwell isn’t a top WR prospect. NFL demands a retraction from the New York Times. Wentz’s comparison to Flacco is fair. Former Ravens’ scout discusses the process for Baltimore.
Zierlein: Dallas Cowboys likely to pass on Joey Bosa
NFL Media draft expert Lance Zierlein, who is plugged into the teams in Texas, doesn’t expect the Cowboys to consider Joey Bosa with the fourth pick. He does, however, think Dallas will highly consider running back Ezekiel Elliott. It would be good for the Ravens if the Cowboys decided to pick him. If Elliott and a quarterback (to the Browns) come off the board before the Ravens, that would likely be able to choose from the two remaining of Jack, Bosa, and Buckner.
Talented DE DeForest Buckner Shows Limited Skill Set
Justis Mosqueda of Bleacher Report isn’t a big fan of DeForest Buckner. His primary concern is his lack of a diverse set of pass rushing moves. If you watch Buckner’s tape, he shows a pretty good spin move and a strong bull rush. Justis is concerned that those two moves are all he will ever have to offer and that he’ll be limited to a 3-4 5-technique defensive end. That position is a role player in today’s pass-happy NFL.
If you keep up with my links, you probably know that I like Buckner a lot, but I always appreciate dissenting opinions. Justis argues that Buckner’s ceiling is Calais Campbell, but prospects rarely reach their ceiling. I’d argue that, because Buckner’s production his last college season was better than Campbell’s, Buckner’s ceiling is higher than Campbell’s.
Why Laquon Treadwell Is Not a Top WR Prospect
Sam Momson of Pro Football Focus doesn’t think Laquon Treadwell is the best receiving prospect in this year’s draft. For a player who needs to be creative in gaining separation because of his lack of speed, he doesn’t run the crispest of routes. This was written at a time when it seemed like Treadwell would go very early in the draft. Now, it seems like he probably won’t even be the first receiver drafted.
This is a fair assessment of Treadwell and one that bodes well for the Ravens’ chances of landing him with a late 1st-, early 2nd-round pick.
NFL Demands Retraction From New York Times
In a letter that implied a lawsuit threat, the NFL has issued a demand for retraction of the New York Times story linking the NFL’s treatment of concussions to Big Tobacco’s treatment of cigarettes’ adverse effects. The connection was flimsy and weakened the entire story, but as Tom Ley of Deadspin points out, the NFL’s case for defamation is even flimsier.
Ley goes on to condemn the NFL’s new tough-talking PR department, but I kind of like their new approach. The league’s response to these types of matters was corporate and robotic. At least the back and forth between publications and Joe Lockhart, the NFL’s new PR guy, will be interesting.
Don’t Believe in Wentz? That’s FCS B.S.
Coming out of the Ivy League in college to play in the NFL, Ross Tucker of Sports on Earth wasn’t as impressed with his Washington Redskins teammates as he thought he would be. He expects Wentz to feel the same way once he gets to the NFL. He uses Steve McNair and Joe Flacco as examples of FCS/1-AA players who have made it in the NFL. Flacco, in particular, has been a popular player comparison for Wentz. We’ll know whether it is an accurate one soon enough. We’ll see him quite often once RG3 is injured in Cleveland.
Move the Sticks with Daniel Jeremiah & Bucky Brooks
Daniel Jeremiah used to be a scout for the Ravens. He left to go to Cleveland when Phil Savage became the GM of the Browns. Still, most of the anecdotes he tells are from his time with the Ravens, and they make for some very interesting listens. He tells about how the scouting process worked when he was in Baltimore and how he still had to do write-ups on players whom the Ravens had no intentions of drafting.
