[Kiimo]

EDGE / DE

Spoiler!

You certainly couldn’t argue with the company that Boise State’s Curtis Weaver and Utah’s Bradlee Anae keep when it comes to the sack artists in the NFL draft.

Weaver rolled up 34 sacks, Ohio State’s Chase Young recorded 30 ½ and Anae finished with 30. Of the top 30 edge rushers this year, they rank 1-2-3 in career sacks.

Young’s berth atop the position is unchallenged. When 17 personnel people were asked to name the best front-seven player in the draft, Young drew 14 votes compared to three for defensive tackle Derrick Brown of Auburn.

As for Weaver and Anae, they find themselves in a free-for-all for draft positioning with a horde of less productive but generally more gifted players.

“I’m not in love with any of their physical traits,” an AFC executive said. “But they do have production that is undeniable.”

There’s the rub. As invaluable as sacks are in today’s NFL game, no team in their right mind would dismiss Weaver and Anae out of hand. At the same time, every one of the league’s 32 decision-makers must answer this question: do the production numbers for Weaver and Anae translate to pro football?

My poll of 17 personnel men placed them well down in the pecking order. In the poll, scouts were asked to rank the best edge players on a 1-2-3-4-5 basis, with a first-place worth five points, a second-place vote worth four and so on.

A unanimous selection, Young totaled 85 points. Four other players finished in double digits, including K’Lavon Chaisson (59), A.J. Epenesa (34), Yetur Gross-Matos (31) and Julian Okwara (16 ½).

Rounding out the vote were Anae (six), Josh Uche (six), Darrell Taylor (3 ½), Jason Strowbridge (three), Jabari Zuniga (three), Alex Highsmith (two), Alton Robinson (two) and Jonathan Greenard, Terrell Lewis, Delontae Scott and Weaver, each one.

“Chase Young, and you’ve got to take a chance on Chaisson,” an NFC executive said. “Besides that, if you’re looking for somebody to come in, there’s nothing.”

Another more hopeful scout, mindful that the undrafted Shaquil Barrett led the league in sacks last season with 19 ½ for Tampa Bay, said, “there’s always those rushers that come out of nowhere.”

Although Weaver and Anae played out west away from the main media focus, they did major damage in the Mountain West and Pacific-12 conferences. They did it, however, without relying on the physical attributes usually associated with the NFL’s leading rushers.

Each has short arms: 32 3/8 inches for Weaver, 32 1/8 for Anae.

Neither runs fast. Anae clocked a disappointing 4.93 40 at the combine. Weaver postponed his 40 until the Utes’ pro day, which won’t be held due to the COVID-19 pandemic. One scout estimated Weaver’s speed at 4.9; another scout guessed between 4.85 and 4.9.

Their body composition leaves much to be desired as well. At the combine, Weaver’s body fat was measured at 18.4% and Anae’s at 16.2%. Of the 66 players categorized as defensive ends and linebackers in Indianapolis, the only two with higher body-fat percentages than Weaver were Epenesa (21.6%) and LSU linebacker Michael Divinity (18.6%). Over time, statistics show that the average body fat for an All-Pro edge player was 11.8%; of the defensive ends, Young had the lowest this year at 7.8%.

Some teams combine all testing information and measurements, which leads ultimately to a composite athletic score for each player. Players are divided into six color-coded categories. Weaver was in the fifth category, Anae in the sixth.

Even before the combine, an AFC scout wondered how Anae’s modest ability would stack up. “Plays hard, good rush feel, good player,” he said. “You question how well his traits will translate.”

The teams that forecast success for Anae view him as an all-out player who simply will not be denied. “This dude just goes and goes and goes and goes,” said one scout. “The 4.88 (in the 40) is acceptable. Has enough speed to turn the corner. Got a little tightness. Struggles to get off blocks. I got him third round.”

Anae has described himself as an “adrenaline junkie” who grew up in Hawaii idolizing Junior Seau and Troy Polamalu. His family includes a long line of athletes. He has studied the Steelers’ T.J. Watt, trying to pattern his game after him.

Still, doubts persist. One team with a 4-3 defense graded him as a free agent at defensive end.

“Maybe he’d be a little bit higher for 3-4 teams,” said one of the team’s personnel people. “We didn’t think he had any special physical qualities. Kind of just saw him as an effort guy that was playing against a bunch of teams that were throwing 60 times a game so he was getting a lot of chances at sacks.”

Weaver broke the Mountain West Conference record for career sacks. Given the level of play that might not be regarded as a monumental achievement, although it should be noted that top NFL rushers such as Jerry Hughes (28 ½), DeMarcus Lawrence (20) and Barrett (18) were among those that he surpassed.

“He is slippery,” said one scout. “Very good with his hands. More finesse and athleticism as a pass rusher than power. He does have pressure production, which counts, too. If you hit with Weaver he’s a guy that can be a talented pass rusher and a three-down starter.”

At the combine, Weaver said his ability to bend beneath tackles on outside rushes is his forte and exceeds that of any rusher in the draft.

Four years ago, Weaver weighed about 300 pounds. He played between 275 and 280 this season, and after suffering a high-ankle sprain and foot damage Nov. 16 against New Mexico his conditioning suffered as he tried just to get through the final four games.

Weaver’s non-competitive performance in the Las Vegas Bowl damaged his stock with several teams.

“Not a big fan,” one personnel man said. “Really average traits. Really average genetics. Bad body. Just don’t see it.”

NFL draft history is littered with edge pass rushers that flourished in the collegiate game but either failed or had only modest success in the professional game.

The need is never-ending for defensive coordinators. Anae and Weaver will get every opportunity to prove themselves.


“He damn near can do anything he wants,” said one scout about Chase Young. “He can do it all. Just draft him.” (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
RANKING THE EDGE RUSHERS
1. CHASE YOUNG, Ohio State (6-5, 264, no 40, 1): The third-year junior played as a backup in 2017 and started at DE in a 4-3 in 2018-’19. “He damn near can do anything he wants,” said one scout. “He can do it all. Just draft him. I thought Nick (Bosa) was better than Joey (Bosa) with his hands, and I think Nick is better than Chase Young.” Young doesn’t win through use of hands. “He wins down the middle (of blockers) and with inside counters,” said another scout. “He’s not an elite bender. He’s explosive on contact. That’s what makes him who he is. I did Myles Garrett. He was a more gifted bender on the edge than Chase.” Young finished with 99 tackles (42 ½ for loss), 30 ½ sacks, 10 forced fumbles and eight passes defensed. “I love him,” said a third scout. “But I think the (Nick) Bosa kid last year is better because I think he’s tougher.” Scored 19 on the 12-minute, 50-question Wonderlic intelligence test. “I don’t think he’s a really great competitor but he is so big and so talented,” a fourth scout said. “I don’t think he’s as talented as Jadeveon Clowney. Clowney was lazy. Cruise control isn’t a term that I use but that’s exactly what (Young) does. He puts it in cruise control. He was dominant anyway, but he picked his spots. He overpowers guys or just runs around those big, slow tackles in the Big Ten.” Young is from Hyattsville, Md.

2. K’LAVON CHAISSON, LSU (6-3, 254, no 40, 1): One scout remembered Chaisson not doing much in the SEC Championship Game against Georgia but finally solving LT Andrew Thomas at crunch time. “Thomas won the first part of the game but as the game moved on Chaisson won some battles,” one scout said. “He’s the entire package. Explosive pass rusher, plus he can play in space. I’ve seen him pick up backs on wheels (routes) against Mississippi State and Alabama. Can be an excellent pass rusher with enhanced technique. He’s a much better player than Danielle Hunter.” Chaisson finished with 92 tackles (19 for loss) and 9 ½ sacks. “I liked him more than Chase Young,” a second scout said. “This guy knows where the quarterback is. There’s so many guys that just line up and just rush. He has got hand use. He can make that inside move. If he gets pushed inside he’ll go chase the quarterback. Chase Young isn’t that energetic.” Chaisson played off the bench in 2017, was given a redshirt year in 2018 after suffering a torn ACL in the opener, started in ’19 and then renounced his final two years of eligibility. Two scouts insisted there was no way, barring injury, that he could have a better career than Young. “He’s got more glaring deficiencies,” a third scout said. “He’s smaller. He’s got short arms (32 ¼). He has things he’s going to struggle with at times.” He won’t turn 21 until July and his Wonderlic of 27 was the highest among the top 20 at the position. “Not for me,” said a fourth scout. “He’s weak in the upper body. He’s only been a starter for one year. He’s a DPR (designated pass rusher) for us. I think he’s a ‘sam’ backer in a 3-4.” Chaisson is from Houston.

3. A.J. EPENESA, Iowa (6-5, 275, 5.06, 1-2): Third-year junior didn’t become a starter at RE in a 4-3 until 2019. “Most of his success came from knocking tackles back, getting them off balance and running by and through them,” one scout said. “Played with good hands. Doesn’t allow a lineman to get his hands on him. More productive against the pass than the run. Played a little stiff at times.” He finished with 101 tackles (36 ½ for loss) and 26 ½ sacks. “More of a 6-technique, an old school ‘43’ left end,” another scout said. “I don’t think he’s an elite pass rusher. He’s more of a steady guy that can play all three downs. His motor, toughness and competes are all over the place. Every time I watched him I wanted more. He had a good game against USC but you wanted to see that all year. He has a high bust factor. You just don’t know which guy is going to show up.” Won two state track titles in the discus and scored more than 1,000 points as a basketball player in Glen Carbon, Ill. “I just don’t know how much fire there is internally in him to achieve,” a third scout said. “It’s not like he’s a bad kid, by any stretch. I just don’t see that J.J. Watt-type desire and motivation to be great. But he is a solid football player that will play a long time.” Ran a disappointing 40 and managed just 17 reps on the bench. “He worked out like shit,” said a fourth scout. “He hurt himself. Guy played behind a guy that was a free agent in 2018. He’s tall and long (34 ½ arms), but I don’t know how you can justify drafting him in the top 50. He’s one of the most overrated players.”

4. YETUR GROSS-MATOS, Penn State (6-5, 266, no 40, 1-2): Gross-Matos, a third-year junior, is “very talented,” one scout said. “He’s a three-down player. He’s a bigger guy than most of these pass rushers, which I like about him. He’s bigger than Chaisson and Okwara and Uche. But he’s got some off-the-field stuff, maturity and things. (Editor’s note: Gross-Matos was suspended in July of 2019 for a violation of team rules and spent that summer away from the team). I think he’s a first-round talent.” Played in a rotation as a freshman before starting 25 games as a DE in a 4-3 for two seasons. “He’s still pretty raw,” said another scout. “He’s got to learn a little more toughness, a little more finish. Got to get his technique down. He’s got traits that are pretty high end and you’d like to develop.” Arm length (34 7/8) tied for the longest among the top 15 at the position. “His floor is pretty high but his ceiling isn’t as high as Okwara’s,” said a third scout. “But the bust factor isn’t there because he plays his balls off. He can play the run.” He finished with 111 tackles (37 for loss) and 19 sacks. “I think he stinks,” said a fourth scout. “He’s not explosive. He’s leggy. More of a technician than anything else.” Gross-Matos is from Spotsylvania, Va.

5. JULIAN OKWARA, Notre Dame (6-4, 252, no 40, 2-3): A polarizing prospect, to say the least. “Like him,” said one scout. “He can rush the passer. He’s athletic as heck. He can (bend). Second round.” Okwara started in the last two of his four seasons, mainly from a two-point stance in a 3-4 defense. “Sometimes these kids go to Notre Dame and they make them think they’re something really, really special,” said one scout. “That’s not an attitude you want in a defensive lineman. You want a hungry guy, and I didn’t see that. I do think he’s gifted. Not Chase Young gifted. But he’s not an impact player. I wouldn’t bet on him.” Okwara finished with 77 tackles (23 for loss) and 14 ½ sacks. His senior season ended after nine games because of a fractured fibula. “He does have elite pass-rush skill,” said a third scout. “He’s more talented as a rusher than Epenesa. He’s got better bend. He’d have been a low 4.6, maybe even a 4.5 guy. He’s more talented than Anae. It’s not even close.” His brother, Romeo, is an edge rusher for the Lions. “He has high bust potential,” a fourth scout said. “He is freakishly talented but he has never consistently played to his ability. He’ll give you one game where he looks like a top-10 pick and then three games where he looks like a sixth-rounder. Football character is not very good at all. He doesn’t like to gain weight. He has a hard time holding weight. It’s reflected in his game. Somebody could take a swing at the bat in the third or he could slide to Day 3 depending on how he recovers from the injury and what his weight’s like and how much you believe you can get the stuff out of him.” Okwara is from Charlotte, N.C.


“Some guys know how to rush the quarterback and some guys don’t,” said one scout. “Bradlee Anae does.” (Photo: Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports)
6. BRADLEE ANAE, Utah (6-3 ½, 257, 4.93, 2-3): Anae is a three-year starter at LE. “Some guys know how to rush the quarterback and some guys don’t,” said one scout. “Bradlee Anae does. He’s got a great feel for it. Knows how to counter pressure. Can really turn the corner. Really good with his hands. Similar to Nick Bosa that way. He has the right mentality. People were saying he’s a meathead. Do you want a bookworm to play defensive end?” Anae broke the school-record of 29 ½ sacks by Hunter Dimick with 30 and also had 135 tackles (41 ½ for loss) and six forced fumbles. “He’s going to be a pain in the ass (for offenses),” another scout said. “He has talent but there’s not a lot of skill. He can bend a little bit but it’s more just quickness off the ball and he just doesn’t stop. Like the Energizer Bunny. His sacks will come from effort or winning right off the bat as opposed to skill.” Anae ran a slow 40 and his arm length of 32 1/8 was the shortest of the leading edge rushers. “He’s not an elite guy,” said a third scout. “He’s been a big hype guy. He had a good Senior Bowl. He’s not that talented as a rusher in terms of twitch, explosiveness.” Anae is from Laie, Hawaii.

7. JOSH UCHE, Michigan (6-1, 245, no 40, 2-3): Uche gave consideration to transferring after hardly playing from scrimmage in 2016-’17. He posted seven sacks as a third-down rusher in 2018 and added 8 ½ more as a starter on the edge in ’19 before declaring a year early. “He was so underused there,” one scout said. “With his ability to bend the edge it’s ridiculous. He can affect the quarterback from a bunch of different angles. Michigan really did this kid a disservice. For as versatile as this kid is he should never leave the field. He can run. He can cover. I thought he was the best defensive player in Mobile besides (Javon) Kinlaw. He’s super conscientious. He would have run high 4.4s, low 4.5s and jumped close to 40. All that stuff people don’t know.” Uche finished with 56 tackles (20 ½ for loss) and 16 ½ sacks. “He’s a real serious, matter of fact, no bullshit guy,” a second scout said. “You can tell he’s got a little bit of a chip on his shoulder, but in a good way. He had to wait to play. When he got a chance he produced. The more you talk to him the more you like him. You feel like he’ll come in hell-bent to prove to people that he deserves to be there. There won’t be any damn drama with him. I think he’s a 3-4 outside backer. No way, no chance of that (playing stack LB).” He has abnormally long arms (33 5/8) for his height. “Little guy,” said a third scout. “He’s not a very good athlete. Nothing against the run. No burst as a pass rusher.” A fourth scout compared him to Yannick Ngakoue. Uche is from Miami.

8. DARRELL TAYLOR, Tennessee (6-3 ½, 267, no 40, 3-4): Taylor finished second in the SEC both as a junior and senior with 11 and 10 sacks. “Whew, if that guy wasn’t hurt you could hit on him,” one scout said. “He’s a tough guy, I can tell you that. He’s got a little bit of everything (off the field) but I’m going to tell you, if I wanted to take one down the line in the third he might be my guy.” Taylor played with a stress fracture in his fibula for much of the season and underwent surgery after the Senior Bowl in which a rod was inserted into the leg. “He’s coming off an injury with a lot of rehab and nobody’s seen him,” said a second scout. “He had some issues at Tennessee. He was semi on the rise but I bet he ends up as a third or fourth rounder because there’s a lot of question marks.” Taylor wound up kicking a teammate during a practice fight in October 2017 and was suspended for two games. “He is fricking strong,” said a third scout. “He’s tough. He’s mean. His speed is good enough for a left end in a 4-3 and he could play outside in a 3-4.” He finished with 118 tackles (26 ½ for loss) and 19 ½ sacks with a Wonderlic score of 12. He was compared by one personnel man to Frank Clark. “He is an absolute Adonis as a human being,” another scout said. “There’s not one of these guys that looks better than Darrell Taylor. He’s got double-digit sack potential.” Taylor is from Hopewell, Va.

9. CURTIS WEAVER, Boise State (6-2 ½, 265, no 40, 3-4): Weaver was redshirted in 2016, started nine of 27 games from 2017-’18 and all 14 in ’19. “He’s a tough study because he’s not twitchy or explosive,” said one scout. “He’s really, really bendy and he’s got really good body control and savvy. That’s how he gets his sacks. Bad body. He’s got so much sack production but when you put on the tape you go, ‘This is the guy?’ You just don’t see any kind of burst or explosion but when he turns the corner he’s got really good body control.” He amassed 34 sacks, second at Boise State behind Erik Helgeson (54 ½). “He needs to get stronger,” said a second scout. “When people get their hands on him he’s nullified. If he’s able to win early and slip around edges and keep your hands off him, that’s when he causes problems. He could be a boom or bust guy. He had all that production but there were games where he completely disappears. When he plays some of the better tackles, the ones that were able to get their hands on him, he was kind of just a guy. You’re betting on the come. I would think he’s third to five (rounds) but somebody may do it in the second.” Weaver finished with 128 tackles (46 ½ for loss) and eight passes defensed. “Is he Nate Orchard?” said a third scout. “He plays hard. Needs better get-off. Good hands on the rush. Will chase the quarterback. Flashes pressure. Feel rusher. He doesn’t have enough length. I like guys that are longer. Probably somewhere in the third round.” Weaver is from Long Beach, Calif.


“When he’s healthy, he’s been a really good player,” a scout says of Jabari Zuniga. (Photo: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports)
10. JABARI ZUNIGA, Florida (6-3 ½, 264, 4.61, 3-4): Zuniga led the position in the broad jump (10-7) and bench press (29 reps). “His weight has been all over the place,” said one scout. “I actually see him more as an inside guy. I think he needs to get his weight up. Somewhere 280, 285 would be a good weight for him. I don’t know what Zuniga is and I don’t know what he thinks he is. When he’s healthy, he’s been a really good player. If you hit on an interior rusher … if three years from now Jabari Zuniga has eight or nine sacks for a team, that wouldn’t surprise me at all.” Zuniga was limited to six games in 2019 because of an ankle injury and started 27 of 42 games. “Exceptional takeoff,” another scout said. “Chases from the backside. Plays hard. Can slide inside as a 3-technique. He’s pretty close to the second round.” Zuniga is from Marietta, Ga. “He doesn’t have any production,” said a third scout. “Looks like he has no idea how to play. You see some burst but doesn’t really know how to put everything together.”

11. JASON STROWBRIDGE, North Carolina (6-4, 275, 4.91, 4): Strowbridge started at DT for three years in a multiple front but saw time at end in the final month and worked there at the Senior Bowl. “He can do both,” one scout said. “They played him on the inside primarily, and that’s probably for a reason. That’s probably where he plays best. His body says he probably should be outside.” Short arms (32 3/8) will make his assignment difficult wherever it is. “We have concerns about his toughness to play inside,” a second scout said. “Then when you put him outside he’s kind of ordinary. He’s a tweener that you don’t really get excited about.” Strowbridge spent five years in Chapel Hill, starting 33 of 44 games and finishing with 127 tackles (22 for loss) and 11 ½ sacks. “Nobody likes him but me,” a third scout said. “But I’m looking at him in the fifth, not the third. He’s surprisingly athletic. When you kick him down as a 3-technique he’s got enough power and strength. There he can actually do things.” Strowbridge is from Deerfield Beach, Fla.

12. TERRELL LEWIS, Alabama (6-5, 262, no 40, 4): Several teams said Lewis was a major medical risk stemming from elbow and right knee injuries, including a torn ACL in July 2018. “He’s really talented,” one scout said. “The durability stuff scares me. He’s got like top-15 talent if his body holds up.” He declared a year early after starting just four of 26 games. “Three years ago I would have said, ‘Oh, yeah, top-10 pick,’” said another scout. “Three years later he’s had two major injuries and missed almost two full seasons. This year he knew he was on the clock, damaged goods potentially, so he just cruised through the year. Just did everything to stay on the field and everything not to get hurt. He’s got a basketball body. He looks the part but, wow, doesn’t make any plays. He’s got the potential to, but just hasn’t. He’s a true boom or bust. He’s either going to hit big or he’s going to be out of this thing pretty quickly.” Lewis finished with 58 tackles (14 ½ for loss) and eight sacks. “He was mentioned in the first round in some mock drafts,” said a third scout. “My God, I hope somebody drafts him there.” Lewis is from Washington.

13. JONATHAN GREENARD, Florida (6-3 ½, 263, 4.87, 4-5): Greenard started six games at Louisville in 2016-’17, registering seven sacks in ’17 and suffered a season-ending wrist injury in the ’18 opener. He departed as a grad transfer for Florida, starting 12 games and piling up 9 ½ sacks. “He is an intense football player,” one scout said. “The guy is a Tasmanian Devil. His motor’s running all the time. What worries me about guys like that is if you step up to the next level and, unless you’re really special, all of that thunder and lightning doesn’t bring any rain. He was pretty much an arc rusher. He made plays.” He finished with 122 tackles (38 for loss) and 19 sacks. “He’s combative,” another said. “He plays hard. I like him. Taylor’s got a higher ceiling.” Greenard is from Hiram, Ga.

14. ALEX HIGHSMITH, Charlotte (6-3, 248, 4.70, 4-5): Highsmith was redshirted in 2015 after not being heavily recruited. Backed up in 2016-’17 and started at DE in 2018-’19. His statistics improved every year. “Had a really good game against Clemson (Sept. 21) and then his play kind of leveled off,” one scout said. “He didn’t play with the same motor after playing with his hair on fire against Clemson. Overachiever all the way. A rotational guy that has to play special teams.” Finished with 185 tackles (46 for loss) and 20 sacks. “He has zero strength,” said another scout. “He’s undersized. Looks like a 3-4 outside guy. He worked out pretty good.” Highsmith scored a Wonderlic of 26 and is from Wilmington, N.C.

15. D.J. WONNUM, South Carolina (6-4 ½, 258, 4.76, 5): He posted the best vertical jump (34 ½) of the top 15 at the position and also possesses long arms (34 1/8) and large hands (10 ½). “He’s an interesting guy in the fifth or sixth rounds,” one scout said. “He’s got sacks on that Georgia tackle, I can tell you that. He’s a great kid, too, but he’s a little undersized (for DE) and not that strong. He’ll make a team.” Wonnum missed eight games in 2018 with an ankle injury and started 30 of 43 games, finishing with 137 tackles (29 ½ for loss) and 14 sacks. “Really a 3-4 outside backer,” another scout said. “He can be hard to block. He can do enough in space where you can drop him. Not a high-end rusher. You have a better chance of hitting on (Syracuse’s) Alton Robinson as a rusher but he’s a good all-around football player. He could be starting for a 3-4 team.” Wonnum is from Stone Mountain, Ga.

OTHERS, in order: Khalid Kareem, Notre Dame; Casey Toohill, Stanford; Alton Robinson, Syracuse; Azur Kamara, Kansas; Delontae Scott, SMU; Trevis Gipson, Tulsa; James Smith-Williams, North Carolina State; Carter Coughlin, Minnesota; Kenny Willekes, Michigan State; Anfernee Jennings, Alabama; Derrek Tuszka, North Dakota State; Jonathan Garvin, Miami; Nick Coe, Auburn; Mike Danna, Michigan; Oluwole Betiku, Illinois.

THE SKINNY
UNSUNG HERO

Casey Toohill, Stanford: Toohill made himself some money with a big combine: a 4.62 clocking in the 40, a position-best 39-inch vertical jump and a position-best 30 on the Wonderlic. A late bloomer, he didn’t start until his third year (2018), and that season ended after seven games with an ankle injury. He had an eight-sack season in 2019 as an OLB in a 3-4. “Awesome kid,” said one scout. “He’s on that fringe of maybe being able to start.”

SCOUTS’ NIGHTMARE

Nick Coe, Auburn: A four-year DE out of Asheboro, N.C., Coe posted a seven-sack season in 2018 before the roof fell in. At 6-4 ½ and 277, he’s a physical specimen with loads of ability. But according to a scout, he fell asleep in meetings, complained about his role and ended up being benched. Now, he might not even be drafted. “You think you’ve got to give this guy a chance just because he’s body beautiful,” said one scout. “But the guy made like four plays all year.”

SCOUT TO REMEMBER

Walt Yowarsky: Yowarsky spent five decades in the NFL, first as a top lineman, then as an assistant coach and finally as an area scout for the Cowboys from 1977-2001. Described by one former colleague as “strong-willed” and “not afraid to ask tough questions of coaches and players.” In 1990, Yowarsky got on the proverbial table and helped persuade Jimmy Johnson to draft Florida RB Emmitt Smith in the first round. Citing several others members of the Dallas’ personnel department, ESPN reported that the final sentence in Yowarsky’s report read: “Smith will some day make Cowboys fans forget about Tony Dorsett.” He died in 2014 at age 86.

QUOTE TO NOTE

AFC executive in personnel: “The 3-cone, to me, is the most important drill because you see feet, you see hips, you see change of direction. How does football differ from baseball, basketball, track? Those are straight-line games, basically. Change of direction is the whole key in football.”