The Boy's New 4 Pack of DB's

THE BOY'S NEW 4 PACK OF DB'S

07/31/2017

Week one of training camp is in the books, and in true Cowboy fashion it has been eventful. There have been many positive things seen out on the field in Oxnard. It has been fun to see the early competition, even if that has meant a couple of scuffles. The group I want to focus on today and discuss a little bit is our new foursome in the secondary. Whom, I feel will play a huge part in this teams success in 2017. There is a lot of opportunity for them to contribute early and often. Let's take a look at these guys, and get a little more background on them going into the preseason. 

    

Jourdan Lewis CB Michigan - 5-10/188 - 3rd round 92nd

As of today, Jourdan's got in his second day of non-contact practice and seems very eager to get things going. He has to feel relief given the non-guilty verdict he just received, in the recent domestic case. The front office had to have seen a lot in Lewis, considering the pending case he had under him at the time. He will be working with fellow Wolverine teammate and first round pic,  Taco Charlton. Lewis was a two time, first team all-american and thrived in Harbaugh's 4-3 defense at Michigan. He finished a ten game season in 2016 with 2 interceptions and 9 pass break ups. Most impressive about his last NCAA season, is quarterbacks avoided throwing his way. He allowed just seven catches against him in 2016, for an average completion against him of 23.3%! He's good in press coverage and is physical; He does make the mistake of over pursuing and undercutting and will improve there. Let's hope he can contribute early to this defense and show us some of his Ann Harbor swagger. 

Xavier Woods S - Louisiana Tech - 5'11/181 - 6th round 191st

Xavier is my sleeper in the draft for the Boys. Many would say Switzer, but Woods is more of a mystery next to Switzer. As a life long Utah Jazz fan, I hope this guy represents Louisiana Tech like "The Mailman", Karl Malone did. Anyway, back to our man Xavier. On draft day, Dallas moved up to get him and I really feel like that will be a decision that pays off. The three time all-team Conference USA player is a ball-hawk! His stat line from 2016 as follows: 5 interceptions, 84 tackles, 6.5 tackles for loss and 3.0 sacks! He has been active in his first week of camp and getting a feel for things. He has a love for getting after the ball. Awareness and vision are his big strengths. He is a solid hitter, but his wrapping up and tackling is something that Coach Marinelli will develop. I can't wait to see what he does. 

Marquez White CB - Florida State - 6'0/194 - 6th Round 216th 

Marquez was a two year starter at Florida State for the Seminoles. Played alongside Jaylen Ramsey of the Jacksonville Jaguars in his 2015 season. The biggest thing that stands out to me about White, is that he played in what is arguably the best Conference in the NCAA  and he only allowed one touchdown in his last two seasons! He has great awareness and breaks quickly on the ball. He has alot of length and has strong route recognition. The main spot where White can get better is tackling. He had a high amount of missed and broken tackles last year and doesn't attack the ball-carrier. This is something that Rod Marinelli can help polish. Hopefully he will make more strides in week two of camp. I will be curious to see where he lands on the depth chart. 

Chidobe Awuzie Cornerback - Colorado - 6'0/202 - 2nd round 60th 

Last up is my guy Chidobe Awuzie, aka (Chido)! He has had a strong first week of camp. Of all the rookies in camp he is the one who has impressed me the most. . Awuzie is a talented player, who is diverse enough to play the nickel or can be put out and play well on an island. One of the highlights of week one in camp, were some of his match-ups with wide receiver Dez Bryant. He has shown early that he is ready for the pros and wants to be a big part of this defense. At Colorado, he thrived in man coverage and offenses had a hard time throwing against him. He was second team All-Pac 12 his last two seasons as a Buffalo and is also a dangerous blitzer out of the slot. He had 8.0 sacks total in his last two seasons and it will be intriguing to see where he will fit with players like Scandrick and Brown on the roster. One thing is for sure, they will play his strengths and you will probably see him on the outside and in the slot through the season. Just like some of the other rookies,  one of the things he needs to improve on is tackling. Hopefully he can get in a few more one on one battles with Bryant, this will only make him better going into the preseason. 

Week 2 of training camp is upon us today and these rookies have gotten a taste of what the pro level is like. Who will take the biggest step forward this week? Who takes a step back? Which one of these guys grabs a starting spot in the Hall of fame game Thursday? We shall see. Week 2, here we come.

Credit- Travis Jacobson

twitter -@tjacobson0824 

email- tjacobson0824@yahoo.com