TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – With the NFL Combine wrapped up, scouts, coaches and managers around the league will now turn their attention to college Pro Days to see how future draft picks measure out and test.
For athletes who'd like to have performed better at the Combine and for those who didn't go to the Combine at all, these individual Pro Days allow college standouts another opportunity to demonstrate what they can bring to the table for a professional club.
The DallasCowboys.com staff will travel around the Dallas area the next few weeks leading into the NFL Draft to see first-hand how some of the local athletes looked in person.
Today, former scout Bryan Broaddus made his second stop on the Pro Day Tour at Alabama.
Top Pick(s): OL DJ Fluker, RB Eddie Lacy, OL Barrett Jones, DB Dee Milliner, OL Chance Warmack, DL Jesse Williams
Possible Cowboys Fits: With the exception of Milliner, the Cowboys could use any one of these top picks. Fluker could be your right tackle, Lacy would be a solid, dependable backup to Murray, Warmack would be a day one starter at guard, Jones could line up at center and Williams would be a rotation player at the three technique in this 4-3 defense.
Who Stood Out: Warmack didn't do the bench press, which I was hoping he would. But in his workout with the offensive line coaches, you could see the power up close and personal. I was interested in how he would move as a foot athlete but there were no problems in my eyes. He can get to the second level, pull to the outside and seek the defender to make his block. Jonathan Cooper might look prettier moving, but
Warmack is not a heavy footed slug. Fluker is waiting to get his workout numbers on his final date at the end of the month, but he too was quite impressive when it came to the physical side of the drills. You see a guy that is long and it makes him look like he is not moving well, but he really is. At 334 pounds, he is not a sloppy guy. In meeting with the Alabama coaches this morning, the question was asked if he could be played inside at guard. Their answer was to leave him at tackle where he is most comfortable and has a chance of helping you sooner. Jesse Williams worked out by himself with defensive line coaches and really did a nice job. His movement was good and he did not struggle at all with the pace of the workout. His 4.91 40-yard dash was also good and you can see the quickness when he comes off the ball.
What They Said: In talking with the Alabama coaches, they couldn't say enough outstanding things about Barrett Jones and what he could bring to an NFL team. The coach I was speaking with was a long time NFL guy and he said in all his years of coaching he had never been with a player that was as smart as Jones, and that includes some quarterbacks he was with. He said that Jones would come in and learn all the offensive positions and wherever you played him he would excel. Jones did do the same amount of reps at 225 as Luke Joeckel, Eric Fisher and Lane Johnson. Jones still will not be able to work out for scouts because of the Lisfranc injury, which is still a concern.
Nick Saban on Warmack: "Chance has a unique skillset. He's got really good size, he's very powerful, he's athletic, he's got good feet, he can pass block and he can get movement in the run game. I think people that have his kind of balance and body control and the kind of athleticism that he has at his size are rare commodities. Everybody knows those guys play 12, 14, 15 years, and I think [embedded_ad] Chance has a chance to have that kind of career."
Saban on Williams: "That's what people look for, guys that have size but are athletic and have initial quickness and some power and can run and finish on the quarterback and run ball carriers down. I think that's what defensive players need to be."
He played really well for us and he's going to continue to get better, because he has more upside because he doesn't have the same background of growing up as a football player like a lot of players we have in our program."
