Jaylon Smith Update

[Godstree]

I would guess that the degree of the drop foot infliction is the issue. I am not an expert but can't imagine that most with drop foot can do this:

WATCH: Cowboys' Jaylon Smith drops new vid, jumping, cutting, awesome

I did not see this one till now and he looks even better than when I saw him the other day.

 

[PDay8810]

time will tell this tale
Ian has become a lesser Skip Bayless

 

[Manster7588]

Talking to a guy at work, his wife had foot drop after knee surgery had to wear a brace to walk, about 6 months post surgery she excitedly called hubby to the room, and showed him that she finally was able to move ONE toe. Not sure if Smith ever fully recovers, but there is hope.

 

[es4m11]

I had drop foot for about a month straight once, and off and on for a couple months after - caused by sciatica from back issues. Couldn't feel my left foot for about a month straight, it was very strange having some muscle control but no feeling. Very little strength in my leg/foot during this time. The potential for injury without a brace is significant, you just have such little control over the foot. It's amazing to me that Jaylon Smith is doing what he is doing with the condition.

My issue was nothing like Smith's, I was able to get past it by working on my posture. Pretty much back pain free now for the past two years, and no symptoms of sciatica at all.

Here's hoping Jaylon makes it all the way back. He's already impressed the hell out of me with the workouts he is putting himself through. I could barely walk up hills dealing with the issue.

 

[Bmurph]

 

[Bmurph]

One thing keeps Cowboys from A-plus in Mel Kiper's draft re-grade
10:00 AM CT

FRISCO, Texas -- ESPN Insider Mel Kiper Jr. offered up his re-grade of the 2016 draft Thursday, and not surprisingly the Dallas Cowboys fared quite well.

Kiper gave the Cowboys a C last spring. As much as he thought Ezekiel Elliott would be a star, Kiper is just not of fan of taking running backs high, which is a fair thought. As much as he liked linebacker Jaylon Smith, he wasn't a fan of taking a player essentially needing a redshirt season.

Maliek Collins and defensive end Charles Tapper, but here's what he wrote of quarterback Dak Prescott: He "is a solid guy to have on the bench, but I question the starting upside, and I had Brandon Allen ranked higher."

Clearly that didn't work out so well, and that's not a shot at Kiper. Nobody thought Prescott would perform so well so early. He also didn't think the Cowboys did enough at cornerback, but sixth rounder Anthony Brownproved to be a lot better than anybody thought.

Knowing what he knew -- and we all knew -- then, a C is a justifiable grade.

Knowing what he knows -- and we all know -- now, Kiper gave the Cowboys an A-minus in the re-grade.

The only thing keeping it from an A-plus is Smith. As expected he didn't play as a rookie but he is expected to be on the field this year. If he comes close to what he was at Notre Dame, then the Cowboys could have an all-time draft.

One quibble with Kiper's comment about the Cowboys' draft is this: He said the Cowboys got "useful contributions" form Collins and Brown. Collins was second on the team in sacks with five and Brown was a starter at times because of injuries to Orlando Scandrick and Morris Claiborne.

So what have been Kiper's then-and-now grades of the Cowboys the last three years since Will McClay has taken ahold of the draft room?

In 2015, he gave the Cowboy a C-plus. In the re-grade he gave them a C. Byron Jones carried his grade but the Cowboys got nothing from Randy Gregory (they still haven't) or Chaz Green. Green could be the starting right tackle this year and the Cowboys found a starter in Damien Wilson, plus a solid No. 2 tight end in Geoff Swaim.

In 2014, Kiper gave the Cowboys a B immediately after the draft. After a 12-4 season, he gave them a B-plus.

Kiper wasn't so much of a fan of taking a guard with the 16th pick, but Zack Martinhas proven to be one of the best -- if not the best -- guards in the NFL in his first three seasons. Questions remain on second rounder DeMarcus Lawrence, who didn't have a sack as a rookie and had eight in his second year only to fall back to just one last season. He is coming off his second back surgery in as many offseasons. The only other pick left on the team from that year is Anthony Hitchens, a fourth-rounder, a steady performer who could lose his job this season if Smith is healthy.

In 2014 and '16 the Cowboys surprised many with their seasons, finishing 12-4 and 13-3 respectively. In 2015, they fell flat with a 4-12 finish.

There's no surprise the draft re-grades are reflective in the success of the season. If the Cowboys perform well again in 2017, look for the draft grade in late April to be lower than Kiper's re-grade.

 

[jarntt]

How he can not give them an A+ is just dopey. I understand penalizing them for Smith and its still deserved and will be until he not only takes the field, but plays at a level high enough to make wasting a year worth the pick. Heck, a different player in round 2 may have led to more playoff success last year. But the Dak pick alone elevates their grade to an A+ and if you throw in Elliott who just looks like the total package and the contribution from all the other guys it's an interesting grade. Heck, I'm ecstatic with that draft. Don't care if Kiper still has others ranked above us.

It's tough to be a writer sometimes and have your misses out there for all to see, but this is pretty funny:
here's what he wrote of quarterback Dak Prescott: He "is a solid guy to have on the bench, but I question the starting upside, and I had Brandon Allen ranked higher."

 

[UK Cowboy]

One thing keeps Cowboys from A-plus in Mel Kiper's draft re-grade
10:00 AM CT

FRISCO, Texas -- ESPN Insider Mel Kiper Jr. offered up his re-grade of the 2016 draft Thursday, and not surprisingly the Dallas Cowboys fared quite well.

Kiper gave the Cowboys a C last spring. As much as he thought Ezekiel Elliott would be a star, Kiper is just not of fan of taking running backs high, which is a fair thought. As much as he liked linebacker Jaylon Smith, he wasn't a fan of taking a player essentially needing a redshirt season.

Maliek Collins and defensive end Charles Tapper, but here's what he wrote of quarterback Dak Prescott: He "is a solid guy to have on the bench, but I question the starting upside, and I had Brandon Allen ranked higher."

Clearly that didn't work out so well, and that's not a shot at Kiper. Nobody thought Prescott would perform so well so early. He also didn't think the Cowboys did enough at cornerback, but sixth rounder Anthony Brownproved to be a lot better than anybody thought.

Knowing what he knew -- and we all knew -- then, a C is a justifiable grade.

Knowing what he knows -- and we all know -- now, Kiper gave the Cowboys an A-minus in the re-grade.

The only thing keeping it from an A-plus is Smith. As expected he didn't play as a rookie but he is expected to be on the field this year. If he comes close to what he was at Notre Dame, then the Cowboys could have an all-time draft.

One quibble with Kiper's comment about the Cowboys' draft is this: He said the Cowboys got "useful contributions" form Collins and Brown. Collins was second on the team in sacks with five and Brown was a starter at times because of injuries to Orlando Scandrick and Morris Claiborne.

So what have been Kiper's then-and-now grades of the Cowboys the last three years since Will McClay has taken ahold of the draft room?

In 2015, he gave the Cowboy a C-plus. In the re-grade he gave them a C. Byron Jones carried his grade but the Cowboys got nothing from Randy Gregory (they still haven't) or Chaz Green. Green could be the starting right tackle this year and the Cowboys found a starter in Damien Wilson, plus a solid No. 2 tight end in Geoff Swaim.

In 2014, Kiper gave the Cowboys a B immediately after the draft. After a 12-4 season, he gave them a B-plus.

Kiper wasn't so much of a fan of taking a guard with the 16th pick, but Zack Martinhas proven to be one of the best -- if not the best -- guards in the NFL in his first three seasons. Questions remain on second rounder DeMarcus Lawrence, who didn't have a sack as a rookie and had eight in his second year only to fall back to just one last season. He is coming off his second back surgery in as many offseasons. The only other pick left on the team from that year is Anthony Hitchens, a fourth-rounder, a steady performer who could lose his job this season if Smith is healthy.

In 2014 and '16 the Cowboys surprised many with their seasons, finishing 12-4 and 13-3 respectively. In 2015, they fell flat with a 4-12 finish.

There's no surprise the draft re-grades are reflective in the success of the season. If the Cowboys perform well again in 2017, look for the draft grade in late April to be lower than Kiper's re-grade.

This just shows what a crapshoot the draft is. Here is Kiper, who has been nothing but draft for 30 years, and on draft day, he doesn't have the first clue, what turns out to be one of the greatest drafts in NFL history...and he gives it a C

 

[es4m11]

This just shows what a crapshoot the draft is. Here is Kiper, who has been nothing but draft for 30 years, and on draft day, he doesn't have the first clue, what turns out to be one of the greatest drafts in NFL history...and he gives it a C

That's because Kiper is more a fan than an analyst, IMO. I'm not saying anyone really knows what is going to happen in the draft, but Kiper is usually further off than most - I'm a fan of Mike Mayock as a draft analyst, I think he knows his stuff.

When Kiper does his mock drafts, he almost never seems to account for team needs. And he is almost always wrong, a great majority of the time. Seems like he just mocks players he likes to whatever team is on the board.

This is all just my opinion.

 

[cowboycolors]

Rick Gosselin used to be the best I had seen then the DMN took him off the NFL and had him cover everything
Sad day that was indeed

Kinda like taking Dale Earnhardt out of a Chevy and having him drive a Ford he would still b good but it would look wrong

 

[Nasty_Magician]

Randomly watching some of his highlights, God damn I hope this guy plays. Not just because he's a Cowboy but because he's an absolute freak, would be too much of a shame to not see this guy at the next level.

 

[es4m11]

Randomly watching some of his highlights, God damn I hope this guy plays. Not just because he's a Cowboy but because he's an absolute freak, would be too much of a shame to not see this guy at the next level.

Hopefully Smith is able to play this year. I don't think it is a forgone conclusion that he does play this year. I have to believe that if his condition were improving that there would be more news about it. Instead, we get a lot of twitter posts from Smith about staying patient.

I won't pretend I know what's going with Jaylon Smith, and I have seen the workout videos, but I am still very concerned about his ability to get on the field this year.

 

[cowboycolors]

I wish Jaylon well I hope he plays but drafting him was like buying a lottery ticket you can hope and dream about being the next mega millionaire but unless you hit the winning numbers it was all just dreams and wishes.

Still Keep training Jaylon you might be the 1 that fully recovers and goes on to football greatness.

All the Best

 

[UK Cowboy]

Randomly watching some of his highlights, God damn I hope this guy plays. Not just because he's a Cowboy but because he's an absolute freak, would be too much of a shame to not see this guy at the next level.

Yeah, that kid played like Junior Seau in college. You never know...

 

[PDay8810]

Yeah, that kid played like Junior Seau in college. You never know...

This guys talent is off the charts. Coupled with his character and strong work ethic is why I had no issue drafting him when they did. If anyone can make the recover and become a player, it's Jaylon Smith

 

[es4m11]

This guys talent is off the charts. Coupled with his character and strong work ethic is why I had no issue drafting him when they did. If anyone can make the recover and become a player, it's Jaylon Smith

I get that if there was a guy and a time to gamble, Jaylon Smith was that guy and that was the time to do it. My only problem is Smith was the latest gamble in a long line of gambles, which have for the most part not paid off.

I'm okay with going to the casino and having some fun every once in a while. If I lose, no big deal, I'm not depending on my gamble to pay off, but I had fun and I had the opportunity to score big. It's the degenerate gamblers who go every weekend, who lose all the time, that end up losing their house. Playing the lottery/gambling all the time isn't a sound strategy for building wealth, nor for building a football team.

 

[UK Cowboy]

I get that if there was a guy and a time to gamble, Jaylon Smith was that guy and that was the time to do it. My only problem is Smith was the latest gamble in a long line of gambles, which have for the most part not paid off.

I'm okay with going to the casino and having some fun every once in a while. If I lose, no big deal, I'm not depending on my gamble to pay off, but I had fun and I had the opportunity to score big. It's the degenerate gamblers who go every weekend, who lose all the time, that end up losing their house. Playing the lottery/gambling all the time isn't a sound strategy for building wealth, nor for building a football team.

I get that, but I don't see him as a huge gamble taken in the second round. From a percentage standpoint, how many first round picks are pro bowlers and how many are busts? Guessing about the same number. How many seconds? I'd bet there are more busts. As things turned out, last year was one of the greatest classes in Cowboys history, even if Smith never plays a down. House money

 

[Nasty_Magician]

I get that if there was a guy and a time to gamble, Jaylon Smith was that guy and that was the time to do it. My only problem is Smith was the latest gamble in a long line of gambles, which have for the most part not paid off.

I'm okay with going to the casino and having some fun every once in a while. If I lose, no big deal, I'm not depending on my gamble to pay off, but I had fun and I had the opportunity to score big. It's the degenerate gamblers who go every weekend, who lose all the time, that end up losing their house. Playing the lottery/gambling all the time isn't a sound strategy for building wealth, nor for building a football team.

I say it was a worthwhile gamble. Now I wouldn't take Sidney Jones and I agree for the most part about the gambling but I think this one has the potential for the biggest payoff.

 

[es4m11]

I say it was a worthwhile gamble. Now I wouldn't take Sidney Jones and I agree for the most part about the gambling but I think this one has the potential for the biggest payoff.

On it's own, I am good with the gamble to draft Smith. That said, I hate the organizational philosophy that has seemed to take hold regarding second round picks - it's like the front office doesn't really value them.

Regarding Sidney Jones, I hope no one takes this as an insult, but I just couldn't understand what some of you guys were thinking wanting him in the 2nd round. Especially considering our success drafting in the 2nd round for the last several years.

 

[Nasty_Magician]

On it's own, I am good with the gamble to draft Smith. That said, I hate the organizational philosophy that has seemed to take hold regarding second round picks - it's like the front office doesn't really value them.

Regarding Sidney Jones, I hope no one takes this as an insult, but I just couldn't understand what some of you guys were thinking wanting him in the 2nd round. Especially considering our success drafting in the 2nd round for the last several years.

This year in particular with such a dire need for day one starters on D.