Source: guysnfldraftlockerroom.com
I recently finished watching film on all the defensive tackles in this year’s draft. My first two thoughts were Penn State’s Devon Still is the best DT in this year’s class and that Memphis’ Dontari Poe is by far this year’s most overrated overall prospect. Then, like clockwork, 48 hours later it’s reported that Jerry Jones is enamored with Poe. I would love to tell you that I’m surprised. I would really love to tell you that.
I’m not going to talk about Still here. I will do that another time. Let’s focus on Poe and Jones’ continuing to not have a clue. I watch every single player with an open mind and that was easy to do with Poe. Even with all the college football I watch I didn’t see Memphis play last season. That’s saying a lot because I follow Conference USA closely but the Tigers were arguably the worst team in college football.
I was excited to see Poe after his amazing performance at the NFL Combine. Then 10 minutes into his tape I knew I was watching the next Mike Mamula. First, let’s end the argument that Poe played on a bad team and that’s why he had such little production. I’m a firm believer that a great player on an awful team makes more plays, not less. Sure Poe was double-teamed a lot but so was every other top DT in this draft. When you’re talking about a good player, sometimes they beat double-teams and sometimes the double-team beats them. In Poe’s case, he didn’t just get beat, he got wiped out of plays. Plus, I’m guessing double-teams by the Giants offensive line are tougher to fight through than double-teams by Rice’s offensive line.
A big negative about Poe’s game is he has terrible leverage. Blockers were able to stand him straight up and drive him out of the play. And forget about double-teams. Poe had no chance when he was being double-teamed. He looked like me trying to fight through blocks. I mean he was totally and completely dominated. Anyone who has eyes can see what I saw. It’s right there on tape for everyone to see. Everyone except Jerry Jones, who I honestly believe doesn’t watch a second’s worth of valuable tape on prospects.
So Jones was blown away because Poe runs a fast 40-time? Out of all the plays I saw of Poe guess how many times I saw him run 40 yards down the field? Twice and trust me he was nowhere near catching the ball carrier. So tell me where that 40 time really matters? When breaking down a DT you’re looking for explosion, initial burst and quickness, power, good hands and leverage. Poe doesn’t do any of those things well. It’s that simple.
It’s funny because I was on the verge of doing a post called “Devon Still vs. Dontari Poe” where I compare the two prospects. But as is often the case with the laughingstock that is Jerry Jones, he made me change my plans. Now will Poe definitely be a bust? Of course not. I’m just going by what I see but I can tell you this much; based on what he did at Memphis Poe is nowhere near deserving of being the No. 14 pick in the draft.
Keep up the good work Jerry. You’re doing one hell of a job.
Great point about how a truly great player shouldn’t have his impact minimized by his supporting cast. I forget the guy’s name right now, but I saw two Troy games this year (during a stretch of low-risk, yet still indefensible degenerate gambling), and their stud d-lineman, who was basically the sole focus of the offense’s blocking scheme, was able to have monster games for a team that otherwise sucked.
Could you shed some light on the player I’m referring to?
I’m guessing the guy you saw was DE Jonathan Massaquoi. He’s in this draft and is expected to be a third or fourth round draft pick. I like him a lot, especially in a 3-4 scheme. He’s very athletic and quick off the edge. Is that the guy?
Yup, that’s him. I specifically remember one of the broadcasters actually comparing him to Demarcus Ware (which became a little more defensible once I realized Ware is a Troy alum, but still, that’s some pretty high praise!).
Yes, I also head the comparisons to Ware every time I watched Troy play. I think the best say to say it is that Ware was a special player where Massaquoi was a very good player. There just aren’t many people with DeMarcus Ware’s skill set.