Dez Bryant

[RebelYell]

Why should the Rams draft Dez Bryant?

He has excellent size, great runner after the catch (special teams amazing) and good hands. All great.

His negatives:
He's only played 2 years at a high level.
Never really asked to run pro-style routes
he comes out of the spread where receivers are always risky
lacks premier speed to go deep

Is he a premier type of #1 receiver at the next level? With his size, is he Chad Johnson or is he more like Roy Williams? Roy Williams is a nice 2nd round draft choice but not a premier #1 WR.

Personally, I'd MUCH rather have Damian Williams or even Branden LaFell.

[punahou]

Why should the Rams draft Dez Bryant?

He has excellent size, great runner after the catch (special teams amazing) and good hands. All great.

His negatives:
He's only played 2 years at a high level.
Never really asked to run pro-style routes
he comes out of the spread where receivers are always risky
lacks premier speed to go deep

Is he a premier type of #1 receiver at the next level? With his size, is he Chad Johnson or is he more like Roy Williams? Roy Williams is a nice 2nd round draft choice but not a premier #1 WR.

Personally, I'd MUCH rather have Damian Williams or even Branden LaFell.

"... only played 2 years at a high level..."

- college is only 4 years, and of the 4 how many star players actually play for 4?

What is the speed of Dez? I never place an emphasis on 40 time, as we all know that football speed isnt measured in track shoes and a wrestlers' smock.

[RebelYell]

Speed will be a massive mystery. From what I've read he's more elusive than actually having premium speed but with so much time off to prepare for the draft, he could fix that with specialized training. 40 time is extremely important for a WR. It doesn't make a career but if you are running a 4.6 as a WR, you are going to have a difficult time getting separation on deep throws compared to a WR running a 4.45. 2 feet more of separation is a major difference 20 yards downfield when trying to feed a pass into a receiver.

Many players play 3-4 years. The point being you are getting a guy who effectively has the experience of a sophomore. Damian Williams for example is considered a junior and has played 3 seasons but he also sat out a year, playing on the scout team at USC for an entire season. It isn't a major deal breaker but if you aren't polished coming out of college, experience is a factor.

[RebelYell]

Never mind. Seems Dez Bryant is generally considered to be going in the teens or 20's. Rams won't even seriously consider him most likely at 3-5. I thought he was a serious consideration from what I've read on the board.

[AvengerRam]

If Bryant runs below a 4.5 in the 40 he'll be a top 15 pick.

[Nick]

Never mind. Seems Dez Bryant is generally considered to be going in the teens or 20's. Rams won't even seriously consider him most likely at 3-5. I thought he was a serious consideration from what I've read on the board.

I think that depends on who your sources are. For instance, Kiper still has him in the Top Ten of his 12/9 big board. The guys from NFL Draft Scout - whose mocks are currently featured on CBS Sports and whose bios are regularly used by the NFL's official website come draft day - have Bryant in the top seven of their 12/9 mocks. Great Blue North just put out a mock today with Bryant going sixth. Scott Wright's mock is a month old, but it was post-suspension and he had Bryant going seventh.

According to a recent Jim Thomas chat, the Rams have already begun watching film on Bryant, so they're at least doing their due dilligence on the guy. Right now I don't think his value matches up with where we're projected to pick, but there are still four games left in the season and the entire draft offseason to go. A lot can happen between then and now, and while I'd call Bryant a darkhorse at best at this point, I think he could certainly become more likely if the Rams picked a bit lower and he had a strong couple of months.

[RebelYell]

I'd still much rather have Williams. In a WR you want route running, hands and speed. Williams has all 3.

[RockinRam]

I've been stressing that Williams will challenge will challenge Bryant for the top WR taken...


IMO, the pros of Damian Williams are:

- Practically elite route running
- Good football knowledge
- Great hands and ball skills and hand-eye coordination
- Very polished receiver
- Great agility
- Exploits the weaknesses of the secondary
- Great character and work ethic (Would fit the 4 Pillars)
- Great upside



Now, I'm not saying I wouldn't want Dez Bryant on this team. IMO, he would be a great addition. But, I think Damian Williams is a much more suitable fit. He plays like a young Torry Holt almost, but with more athleticism, and his route running would bring us a great asset to our West Coast offense. IMO, him and Brandon Gibson could form a great route running duo, running the famous slants that we use to see about almost a decade ago.


But, I don't warrant a top 5 pick for him. If we have the ability to trade back into the first round, we could be able to get him. However, there's a lot more players we could ALSO get with that extra first round pick.

[Wolf]

I think Eric Decker is the most underated receiver in the draft. Big, physical, and can block. I rather would have him on my team. He might not have breakaway speed, but Avery, Amendola, and Robinson can handle that.