Dane Brugler, senior NFL draft analyst for NFLDraftScout.com, answered questions about the upcoming draft and Cowboys during a live chat Friday. Here are some highlights.
Question: What are your thoughts on former Texas Longhorns RB Chris Warren III?
Dane Brugler: Balanced big man with strong leg drive. He absorbs contact well, but doesn’t consistently dish it out like most power backs his size. His athleticism/speed is average. Warren is lucky to have received a combine invite and will need to have the right answers when scouts ask about his tumultuous 2017 season at Texas. Warren projects as a priority free agent at this point in the process.
Q: More important for Baker Mayfield at the scouting combine: workouts, or interviews?
Brugler: 100% the interviews. He needs to work out well, but more importantly, he needs to carry himself well when he sits down with GMs, scouts and coaches. And it’s not just answering about his off-field incident or on-field antics, but also where is he mentally from an X’s and O’s standpoint? The OU offense isn’t exactly an NFL scheme and coaches will be eager to get a better understanding of Mayfield above the neck and his feel for passing concepts — that’s what really boosted Pat Mahomes last year, going from Big 12 project to top-10 draft pick.
Q: Who among the Big 12/in-state prospects has the most questions to answer at the scouting combine?
Brugler: Mayfield is the obvious one — we all know how important the interviews will be for him. Texas OT Connor Williams (a Coppell native) says he is fully healthy, but the medical evaluations will be highly important. Oklahoma OT Orlando Brown isn’t the most nimble mover — how will he look during space drills? Texas CB Holton Hill missed the final month of the season due to suspension — he’s a second-round talent, but how he interviews will help determine how close he gets to that round. And then SMU WR Courtland Sutton — what is his 40-yard dash? And how does he do in the short-area agility drills? Those results will have a direct reflection on his draft grades.
Q: Would you rather have a pick at #32 in the first round, or pick #1 in the second? Are contracts/options a consideration for a team when trading up or back?
Brugler: Pick #32, for several reasons. First and foremost, you always want the earlier pick. And having the 32nd pick includes a fifth-year team option. Having a player under team control for five years as opposed to four (picks in Rounds 2-7) is definitely a big deal.
Q: Generally speaking, do you find that guys who test better than expected at the combine prove their worth in the NFL?
Brugler: Sometimes. There have been plenty of examples of both sides. Players who were workout warriors, but the film showed an average player and that’s what he was in the NFL. And the other side: players who proved to be better players in the NFL and the combine helped illustrate their athletic gifts. If a player tests differently than your expectations, go back to the tape and try and figure out why. Maybe there was a nagging injury that limited him. Maybe it was the college scheme. Maybe he simply isn’t the same type of athlete in pads. Another wrinkle that makes the NFL draft process fascinating and an inexact science.
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