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AJ:Texans draft watch: RB Jonathan Dwyer

Wolf

Wolf

100% Texan
With Senior Bowl week just wrapping up and the scouting combine a month away, it's still way too early to project with any accuracy what draft boards will look like in late April.

But we know enough to start on a rough draft of what the Texans 2010 draft class might look like.

The Texans primary needs entering the 2010 draft are at running back, free safety, interior offensive lineman, defensive tackle and cornerback assuming Dunta Robinson leaves in free agency..

I matched up those needs with player rankings on various websites like nfldraftscout.com, observations by Mike Mayock and Corey Chavous on NFL Network's Senior Bowl coverage, my own observations from the East - West game, and other 'on location' reports from scouts and writers to create my own list of players to watch between now and the end of April.

Right now I have 15 players on my watch list - with grades from round one through four.

The first player we'll look at is a junior who might be on the board when the Texans pick at either 19 or 20 in the first round.
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http://www.examiner.com/x-778-Houst...010m1d29-Texans-draft-watch-RB-Jonathan-Dwyer
 
Texans will surely take a look. draft grade is late 1st to early 2nd.

http://www.mockingthedraft.com/2010/1/21/1264286/jonathan-dwyer-nfl-draft-scouting

http://www.ninersnation.com/2010/1/20/1260767/100-in-100-jonathan-dwyer-9-of-100

SUMMARY AND PROJECTIONS:

Dwyer will get some playing time no matter where he is drafted. He will be too valuable to let go to waste by sitting on the bench. I am a firm believer that he will be selected as the 2nd running back in the Draft this year. He could very well be starting somewhere his rookie season. This large back will most likely be a late 1st rounder or an early 2nd rounder.

Possibilities -- If drafted in the 1st round, Texans, Chargers.
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mods, please feel free to merge thread w/aj/wolf http://www.examiner.com/x-778-Houst...010m1d29-Texans-draft-watch-RB-Jonathan-Dwyer was looking for a Dwyer thread don't know how I missed it?

I'm revisiting this because of recent news surrounding Steve Slaton possible extensive recovery time needed due to his neck surgery. This would seem to create a more pressing need for the Texans to address RB in Free Agency &/or the draft. It's not a great free agent class, the Texans should make an offer to Chester Taylor but he is north of 30 & probably looking for his last contract to finish career. Ronnie Brown would be even a better get (partial to Auburn tailbacks) not alot of mileage but extensive injury history, he still has elite skills left & is still only 28. If the Texans don't come away with a big time free agent aquisition @ RB it will be up to the draft to fill need. I expect Spiller to be gone, possibly Miami (if Texans can lure Ronnie Brown away) next best options would be Dwyer or Mathews, which also means a 1st rd. draft slot (maybe in a trade down).
 
In FA Brown would be a huge FA signing. He's not coming off a knee injury. Westbrook had plantar faceitis (SP) and came back to be very productive. If they want to run some wildcat Brown is the guy for that.

Brown would solve the 3rd and short/goal line problems.

Taylor would be a fine 2nd choice as a FA signing.

Signing either one of these guys would move the RB need down the list of priorities.

They need toadd atleast one more RB in the draft (5th 6th rd pick) and or trade. (Hillis)
 
I think Dwyer is the best back in this draft for what we need. Big, powerful, and has some wiggle. I like him alot. Trade down to the bottom of the first and pick this guy up.
 
The prototype for what we want as fans. Not sure if the coaches are too keen on him. Kubiak loves versatile players but there just isn't much game type on Dwyer to show Kubes that he can do everything that he needs to in order to stay on the field as much as a 1st round RB should.
 
TheRealJoker said:
The prototype for what we want as fans. Not sure if the coaches are too keen on him. Kubiak loves versatile players but there just isn't much game type on Dwyer to show Kubes that he can do everything that he needs to in order to stay on the field as much as a 1st round RB should.
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The only thing Kubiak would need to see that he couldn't on game tape is pass blocking, which he'd have to go back to his freshman season for.
 
I really hope the Texans take this guy. I'm so tired of this organization ignoring the value of a franchise/workhorse running back.
 
BigBull17 said:
I like Dwyer alot. Would love to pick him up.
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I like Dwyer too, but he's going to have to learn a heck of a lot in a short time in order to see the field with the Texans. He's been in the triple option system which means he probably hasn't done any blocking. Plus, he only caught a handfull of balls in 3 years.

I was high on him coming here a couple weeks ago, but I'm being to sway due to how much he'll have to learn coming in.
 
HOU-TEX said:
I like Dwyer too, but he's going to have to learn a heck of a lot in a short time in order to see the field with the Texans. He's been in the triple option system which means he probably hasn't done any blocking. Plus, he only caught a handfull of balls in 3 years.

I was high on him coming here a couple weeks ago, but I'm being to sway due to how much he'll have to learn coming in.
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His pass catching is underrated. While he's only caught ~20 passes over the past two season, he has very good hands from what I've seen. I confident that pass catching isn't an issue at all for him.

There's one catch in particular that I remember where he went up and laid out to catch a ball that was very impressive. The system didn't utilize that skill of his, but it is there.
 
HOU-TEX said:
I like Dwyer too, but he's going to have to learn a heck of a lot in a short time in order to see the field with the Texans. He's been in the triple option system which means he probably hasn't done any blocking. Plus, he only caught a handfull of balls in 3 years.

I was high on him coming here a couple weeks ago, but I'm being to sway due to how much he'll have to learn coming in.
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This is one of the reasons I would like a guy like LT for a decent price. He could go a long way toward helping young guys learn to be RB's.
 
HOU-TEX said:
I like Dwyer too, but he's going to have to learn a heck of a lot in a short time in order to see the field with the Texans. He's been in the triple option system which means he probably hasn't done any blocking. Plus, he only caught a handfull of balls in 3 years.

I was high on him coming here a couple weeks ago, but I'm being to sway due to how much he'll have to learn coming in.
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There is one thing he won't have to learn that the rest of our RB's still haven't learned.

517 carries for 3,226 yards & 35 TD's, & "0" fumbles.
 
HOU-TEX said:
I like Dwyer too, but he's going to have to learn a heck of a lot in a short time in order to see the field with the Texans. He's been in the triple option system which means he probably hasn't done any blocking. Plus, he only caught a handfull of balls in 3 years.

I was high on him coming here a couple weeks ago, but I'm being to sway due to how much he'll have to learn coming in.
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I don't think it will be alot more than the average back coming in. He was Tashard Choice's backup as a freshman and ran for 436 yards and 9 TDs on 82 carries. He blocked some in college, probably just as much as Slaton did.
 
TexansSeminole said:
I don't think it will be alot more than the average back coming in. He was Tashard Choice's backup as a freshman and ran for 436 yards and 9 TDs on 82 carries. He blocked some in college, probably just as much as Slaton did.
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Plus, Slaton (or a vet FA) will likely be our third down back anyway, which would marginalize some of the pass blocking concerns for whatever rookie RB we draft. That's not to say pass blocking is not a concern, but it's not somethign that'd keep me from drafting him.
 
nero THE zero said:
Plus, Slaton (or a vet FA) will likely be our third down back anyway, which would marginalize some of the pass blocking concerns for whatever rookie RB we draft. That's not to say pass blocking is not a concern, but it's not something that'd keep me from drafting him.
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Well I'm not saying he is Lawrence Phillips, but what I will say at the time when folks were speculating on Phillips, and just like Steve Slaton, you are not going to know for sure about Dywer until he actually does it under game speed conditions. And it's a little bit bold to say he will automatically be locked and loaded by September. Took Beanie Wells almost half the season before the coaches trusted the guy full time in a game. So, It's not so certain as you are making it out to be. Anything coming out of a spread type system involves some risk.
 
threetoedpete said:
Well I'm not saying he is Lawrence Phillips, but what I will say at the time when folks were speculating on Phillips, and just like Steve Slaton, you are not going to know for sure about Dywer until he actually does it under game speed conditions. And it's a little bit bold to say he will automatically be locked and loaded by September. Took Beanie Wells almost half the season before the coaches trusted the guy full time in a game. So, It's not so certain as you are making it out to be. Anything coming out of a spread type system involves some risk.
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That's true and the same applies to other unconventional offenses like the triple option. But at the same time you have to look at a player's abilities. I think Dywer has great ability.

Even if it does take a half a season, your talking about a RB for more than just one year. This guy will only be 21 by the start of the next NFL season.
 
Jonathan Dwyer said he has lost about 17 pounds since he arrived at Michael Johnson training facility in the Dallas area in mid-January. He’s betwee 220-225 now, which is where he said he wants to be. He said he feels like he’s a half-step quicker.

I asked him how long it took him to get used to being 7 yards behind center, instead of the 3 yards he was in spread-option. I joked did he flinch the first couple of times he took a snap and took a couple of steps, because that’s usually when he was making contact with defensive linemen. He laughed and said it only took a few snaps for him to get used to lining up in the spot that RBs go in a pro-style offense. After all, as he pointed out, it’s where lined up all but two years of his playing career.
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Link

I don't like seeing big weight changes like this.
 
bah007 said:
Either that or his extra weight was all bad weight. 17 pounds in a month is a lot.
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I did not have an image of him being flabby and that is why I'm concerned. I think Slaton is an example of a back messing with his weight. Steve increased his and I can't say that was his problem but would like to see him go back to what worked in college and his rookie year.
 
Dwyer was notorious among Tech fans for being kind of pudgy. He also played what's analogous to the FB position in the 3O. The weighht loss shouldn't be of concern itself, but the fact that it was necessary might be.
 
nero THE zero said:
Dwyer was notorious among Tech fans for being kind of pudgy. He also played what's analogous to the FB position in the 3O. The weighht loss shouldn't be of concern itself, but the fact that it was necessary might be.
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That's pretty much where my line of thinking is.
 
Could be a case of the LinWhale syndrome. Usually contracted at the 25 ft. all you can eat buffet.
 
Here's a blurb about Dwyer's weight from Chan Gailey (who recruiter Dwyer):
Gailey believes that Dwyer has helped himself by dropping 17 pounds before the combine.

“I think that will help him,” Gailey said. “He’s always fought the weight problem every year since high school. . . The key for him is to make sure that he stays in that area and not build up too much.”
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