Ras-I Dowling at 33

[tricktak]

Listen, would be ok with this player, but was the value there at this pick? Unless there was someone else chomping at him soon after(Bunting has him as his 15th rated CB - not that he's gospel), why there? When you had a full night to work a deal. Already at 42 and not another CB has gone. There were QB's that were definitely going to go and went. And other of late first round names. And there is PLENTY of other need.

Dowling was very high on the Bills' board and probably would have taken him.

 

[crowell33]

Dowling was very high on the Bills' board and probably would have taken him.

Thats terrifying.

 

[fxkane]

Apparently there were no decent offers... or else we wd have dropped down several notches and still gotten Dowling.


And/Or, we have our own value chart and Dowling is much higher on it than on most other charts.

 

[Luke Skywelker]

Unless they KNEW Buffalo was taking him(and most mocks had A. Williams ahead of Dowling), they could have even taken the deal that SF gave Denver.

I guess they think that much of him to take on the small risk at a position that wasn't much of a need.

 

[patchick]

Dowling has been my #1 FS prospect for a while, I think he's a terrific fit. Very smart and aware player, covers, tackles, active in run support, much bigger AND more athletic than Meriweather. Yes, he has a bad injury history...but that's why he was available in round 2. Top-15 talent otherwise, easily.

 

[crowell33]

Dowling has been my #1 FS prospect for a while, I think he's a terrific fit. Very smart and aware player, covers, tackles, active in run support, much bigger AND more athletic than Meriweather. Yes, he has a bad injury history...but that's why he was available in round 2. Top-15 talent otherwise, easily.

FWIW, PFW says "soft supporting the run" in their RAS-Ir scouting report.

 

[letekro]

Thats terrifying.

Got it. You don't like the player. BB thought he was the best player available. Kiper had him as a top 20 pick going into the year based on three years of tape. The guy has some injuries this year and all of the sudden he's a terrible pick? Not buying what you're selling.

 

[crowell33]

FWIW, PFW says "soft supporting the run" in their RAS-Ir scouting report.

Mel Kiper draft guide says " average tackler, not ranking as one of the toughest cornerbacks".

RAS-Ir has never played safety and I think its a huge reach to think that this kid is either tough enough or tackles well enough to ever learn the position.

 

[patchick]

FWIW, PFW says "soft supporting the run" in their RAS-Ir scouting report.

Huh...that doesn't jive with either my eyes or most analysts. :confused2: Here's NFLDraftScout with a different opinion:

"Reads run quickly and fights through receiver blocks efficiently through lateral agility and good upper-body strength. Willing to take on bigger ballcarriers with no hesitation. Uses the sideline to help defend the run. Understands his role in keeping contain and pushes the action back inside when he can't make the play. Willing to take on blocks to free up teammates for the easy stop."

 

[b72s]

Dowling has been my #1 FS prospect for a while, I think he's a terrific fit. Very smart and aware player, covers, tackles, active in run support, much bigger AND more athletic than Meriweather. Yes, he has a bad injury history...but that's why he was available in round 2. Top-15 talent otherwise, easily.

Exactly merriweather is gone after this year and here is hs replacement but so much for

this is a deep DL draft and we will get someone

CBs can only cover for so long

 

[crowell33]

Huh...that doesn't jive with either my eyes or most analysts. :confused2: Here's NFLDraftScout with a different opinion:

"Reads run quickly and fights through receiver blocks efficiently through lateral agility and good upper-body strength. Willing to take on bigger ballcarriers with no hesitation. Uses the sideline to help defend the run. Understands his role in keeping contain and pushes the action back inside when he can't make the play. Willing to take on blocks to free up teammates for the easy stop."

That certainly is an improvement on the scouting reports I have. Do you have any kind of link saying that he could ever be moved to safety? I never heard that mentioned before your post, but I would love to see a link if possible.

Its my understanding that this kid is a great kid and a quality person, just very fragile physically.

 

[JoeSixPat]

From Scouts.com


Pros: Plays under control and with confidence. Is disciplined when reading keys and doesn't get caught peeking in backfield very often. Very cautious of getting beat deep when working in man-coverage. Has good size and strength for the DC position. Is diligent about keeping outside contain versus the run. Not afraid to mix it up. Solid tackler; does a better job than most of breaking down and wrapping up in space. Flashes the awareness to go for the strip when possible.

Cons: Can hold up in certain man-to-man matchups but would need deep-safety support versus NFL WRs with upper-echelon quickness. Has some tightness in hips, while top-end speed is very good lack of elite initial quickness can get him in trouble when he takes false steps in man coverage. Will be late reacting to the ball coming out of QBs hands at times in man-coverage but has much better reaction skills in zone.

I see. So you're saying that his scouting report is a lot better than Tom Brady's was coming out of college!

Good point!

 

[patchick]

That certainly is an improvement on the scouting reports I have. Do you have any kind of link saying that he could ever be moved to safety? I never heard that mentioned before your post, but I would love to see a link if possible.

Well, FFtoolbox.com listed him as FS, not CB, and it's listed as an alternate position elsewhere including NFLDraftScout.

I see him as a tweener in a good way -- that he can actually do both, not a "neither fish nor fowl." With McCourty anchoring one side, you now have 2 guys in Bodden and Dowling who stand 6'1" and have well-rounded skill sets. Let Chung stay more in the box and slaughter people. That's shaping up to be a heck of a secondary.

 

[crowell33]

Well, FFtoolbox.com listed him as FS, not CB, and it's listed as an alternate position elsewhere including NFLDraftScout.

I see him as a tweener in a good way -- that he can actually do both, not a "neither fish nor fowl." With McCourty anchoring one side, you now have 2 guys in Bodden and Dowling who stand 6'1" and have well-rounded skill sets. Let Chung stay more in the box and slaughter people. That's shaping up to be a heck of a secondary.

Thank you for the link, much appreciated.

 

[JerseyDevil26]

I'm also on the line of thinking that while I like Dowling, I don't think he was the right value pick there. But I hope I get proved wrong.

 

[crowell33]

FWIW. S.Young of the Globe says that in regards to moving Dowling to safety, " BB doesn't sound like he wants to do that right now".

 

[SONS_OF_BELICHICK]

we are going to play man to man ..and blitz all night :rocker:

 

[serifyn]

i still cant get over Ras-IR Dowling

 

[malenurse2010]

FWIW. S.Young of the Globe says that in regards to moving Dowling to safety, " BB doesn't sound like he wants to do that right now".

S Young has no idea what she is talking about when it comes to football, so I would imagine this is confirmation that Ras is going to safety.

 

[DW Toys]

This guy has elite skills for the Pats defense. A huge upgrade for the problematic 3rd CB slot. Guy has so much experience in the BB defense, he may start outside on day 1 with Bodden sliding inside.

I had him as a Pat in the late second as a Safety in my mochs.
I think that BB saw this Draft kind of sucked. There is not pass rush after the Justin Houston pick.
The sad thing is he will trade out of 2012 as well.

I also mentioned FA is where he is going.


Possible Pass rushers still we might get to. Romeus and Ricky Elmore, Matthews, Beal, Bruce Miller, Keith Darbut
DW Toys