IRVING, Texas – For the last two days, I've been on the road at two different Pro Days, watching the prospects at Texas and then SMU on Wednesday. In the last two weeks, I've seen guys at TCU and Alabama as well.
And not to mention the hours of tape I've watched on these college prospects as we get ready for the NFL Draft in a month.
But I got some time to check out the newest linebacker the Cowboys signed Wednesday. Detroit's Justin Durant is an active player who gets to the ball, evident by his 103 tackles last year.
I studied two games from last year and here's my scouting report on Justin Durant:
Games Studied: San Francisco, Green Bay
Nice take on…used his hands well to handle the wham block….some pop and strength at the point…can hold the point…works hard to beat the cut off block…has the nose to shoot the gap when he reads the play and sees the opportunity to make a play….played with awareness…not fooled on scheme…is a wrap up tackler in the hole…physical player…will work down the line...doesn't stay blocked…not much in coverage…zone drops only…never saw him in man coverage…was off the field in nickel [embedded_ad] situations…when on the field didn't pedal well…too tall and stiff….did not see a burst…worried about that…much better player against the run than what I saw with the pass and the Lions must have felt the same way in which they played him….like him in the fit as a Sam linebacker that can take on blocks, not give up the corner and make plays with awareness when the ball comes at him….had 103 tackles in 2012….believe he will compete with Alex Albright for the job….move allows the front office and coaches to take a look at Kyle Wilber most likely as the weak side defensive end….will be 28 years old in Week 3….physically a nice looking player….good ability against the run.
