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Draft Preview: Aldon Smith

Is there a fighting chance this is the real Smith the Cowboys are after?


This latest Aldon Smith rumor is possibly big news

Aldon Smith is a very intriguing prospect in this years draft. He has serious upside and potential in becoming possibly the best pass rusher of this class. The Cowboys apparently have a strong interest in Aldon Smith. If the Cowboys select him with the 9th pick it will completely ignore the offensive line and instead take a great young pass rusher to pair with DeMarcus Ware. This is a higher risk type of pick but again I cannot blame the Cowboys for being interested.

Aldon Smith

6-4 263

Missouri

Sophomore

40 Yard Dash: 4.74

Vertical: 34

Short Shuttle: 4.50

Brian Orakpo

6-3 263

Texas

Senior

40 Yard Dash: 4.63

Vertical: 39 1/2

Short Shuttle: 4.45

I have Aldon Smith currently ranked 28th on my draft board and the highest he was ranked was 22nd on my March edition. Now his 28 ranking doesn’t reflect on his talent level, he has a top 15 skill set. I just think Aldon Smith is really raw at this stage and very young. When I watch Aldon Smith I see another tweener pass rusher, Brian Orakpo. The big difference is Brian Orakpo was a senior coming into the draft. He was an experienced starter for Texas and had a better repertoire of pass rushing skills. Aldon Smith is young and raw. At just 21 years old Smith does have an incredibly high ceiling. I see a lot of Orakpo in Smith. Both have very similar bodies and dimensions. Smith is a solid 260 pounds and is very muscular. His speed is close to Orakpo, but Orakpo was a full tenth of a second faster in the 40. Orakpo also had a higher vertical jump. Smith also reminds me of Justin Tuck and that’s why I could see Smith going to a 4-3 team.

Smith would bring a instant pass rushing force on the outside. Right now he relies on his speed and pure athleticism. In the NFL as a rookie the plan would hopefully contain using his natural skills and developing quickly. If Smith has a great training camp and picks things up fast I could possibly see him as the starting outside linebacker opposite Ware. We need a consistent pass rush from Spencer and we're just not getting it. So I think it does make sense for the Cowboys to seriously consider drafting Aldon Smith. With the speed this kid has, I think he could be a force to deal with paired with the best pass rusher in the NFL, DeMarcus Ware. Could you imagine a pass rush with these two guys? Man this would seriously improve our defense and make this one scary team to face.

I think it’s a risky pick because of his age. He would be a lot higher on my board if Aldon Smith was a junior or senior because he needs some work. In a year or two he could be one of the best players from this draft. The Cowboys would have to coach him up and teach him the pass rushing moves he needs to develop. We also have Anthony Spencer who appears to be Rob Ryan’s boy now. The question for the Cowboys appears to be, do you roll with Spencer for one more year with Rob Ryan? Or do you draft a freak of an athlete and start him? That is why if the Cowboys did take Smith I wouldn’t be mad. If they take Smith then they feel he is a major talent to pass on and will take the best available player over a need. Instead of going after a top offensive tackle they opt for the pass rushing threat they need opposite of Ware.

Ignoring the offensive line here could end up being risky, but if the Cowboys have Aldon Smith with a serious grade than they should take him. I still think we should take Tyron Smith or Mike Pouncey but I do understand this pick. Having Ware and possibly the next Brian Orakpo might give us a Super Bowl caliber defense paired with our other talented players. Our offense is high octane stuff and a pass rushing defense with Aldon Smith might really set this team off, they would just need to make sure we get a right tackle.

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