Cowboys Insider: Team to evaluate safeties at upcoming NFL combine
By Tom Orsborn - Express-News
With Roy Williams no longer a three-down player and their locker room in need of a leader, the Dallas Cowboys would be wise to focus on Western Michigan safety Louis Delmas at the NFL scouting combine this weekend.
The fast-rising Delmas was a four-year starter in the Mid-American Conference who took his role as captain the last two seasons very seriously.
“He's unbelievable,” WMU coach Bill Cubit told the Kalamazoo (Mich.) Gazette last season when asked about Delmas' leadership skills.
What else is there to say about a player who ran 110-yard sprints after practice without prompting from his coaches and who once addressed his teammates about the need for better tackling and more intensity?
The 5-foot-11, 197-pound Delmas played cornerback as a freshman before switching to safety as a sophomore. He registered a team-high 111 tackles last season and ranks among the top safeties, a group that includes Alabama's Rashad Johnson, Oregon's Patrick Chung and Missouri's William Moore
Most draft experts expect Delmas to be taken in the second round. He could easily be off the board by the time the Cowboys are on the clock with the 51st overall pick. But don't forget owner Jerry Jones loves to make draft-day trades and has plenty of picks to work with this year.
Should they select Delmas, Ken Hamlin could move to strong safety, especially if Williams is let go. The former Oklahoma standout says he wants to return to Valley Ranch, but he's due $6.6 million, a lot of money for a two-down player who admits he isn't a good fit in Wade Phillips' 3-4 scheme. Cutting him would save $2.2 million on this year's cap, according to DallasCowboys.com.
The downside would be that's also roughly $4.4 million in dead money against the cap.
But even if the Cowboys keep Williams, adding a warrior like Delmas wouldn't be a bad move. Hamlin struggled last season after signing a lucrative, long-term deal and Keith Davis is an unrestricted free agent. But regardless of all that, Delmas sounds like a perfect fit for a team that needs high-character leaders.
Described by one scouting Web site as a “dynamic player with a well-rounded game” who is “always around the ball,” Delmas would be a welcome addition to a team that badly needs passionate players who aren't afraid to speak up in a positive manner.
Safeties will be examined and interviewed this weekend and Monday in Indianapolis before working out Tuesday. Delmas will be out to prove he can get the job done against elite competition, something he didn't face often in the MAC.
Here are two other players the Cowboys will likely study for possible selection in the second round:
Oklahoma guard Duke Robinson: His size (6-foot-4, 335 pounds) fits right in with a group that's the biggest in the league. Robinson would provide immediate depth and could be groomed to eventually replace Kyle Kosier at left guard.
LSU inside linebacker Darry Beckwith: With Zach Thomas likely gone and Kevin Burnett also an unrestricted free agent, the 6-2, 240-pound Beckwith, a finalist for the Butkus Award, would be a good fit.
With Roy Williams no longer a three-down player and their locker room in need of a leader, the Dallas Cowboys would be wise to focus on Western Michigan safety Louis Delmas at the NFL scouting combine this weekend.
The fast-rising Delmas was a four-year starter in the Mid-American Conference who took his role as captain the last two seasons very seriously.
“He's unbelievable,” WMU coach Bill Cubit told the Kalamazoo (Mich.) Gazette last season when asked about Delmas' leadership skills.
What else is there to say about a player who ran 110-yard sprints after practice without prompting from his coaches and who once addressed his teammates about the need for better tackling and more intensity?
The 5-foot-11, 197-pound Delmas played cornerback as a freshman before switching to safety as a sophomore. He registered a team-high 111 tackles last season and ranks among the top safeties, a group that includes Alabama's Rashad Johnson, Oregon's Patrick Chung and Missouri's William Moore
Most draft experts expect Delmas to be taken in the second round. He could easily be off the board by the time the Cowboys are on the clock with the 51st overall pick. But don't forget owner Jerry Jones loves to make draft-day trades and has plenty of picks to work with this year.
Should they select Delmas, Ken Hamlin could move to strong safety, especially if Williams is let go. The former Oklahoma standout says he wants to return to Valley Ranch, but he's due $6.6 million, a lot of money for a two-down player who admits he isn't a good fit in Wade Phillips' 3-4 scheme. Cutting him would save $2.2 million on this year's cap, according to DallasCowboys.com.
The downside would be that's also roughly $4.4 million in dead money against the cap.
But even if the Cowboys keep Williams, adding a warrior like Delmas wouldn't be a bad move. Hamlin struggled last season after signing a lucrative, long-term deal and Keith Davis is an unrestricted free agent. But regardless of all that, Delmas sounds like a perfect fit for a team that needs high-character leaders.
Described by one scouting Web site as a “dynamic player with a well-rounded game” who is “always around the ball,” Delmas would be a welcome addition to a team that badly needs passionate players who aren't afraid to speak up in a positive manner.
Safeties will be examined and interviewed this weekend and Monday in Indianapolis before working out Tuesday. Delmas will be out to prove he can get the job done against elite competition, something he didn't face often in the MAC.
Here are two other players the Cowboys will likely study for possible selection in the second round:
Oklahoma guard Duke Robinson: His size (6-foot-4, 335 pounds) fits right in with a group that's the biggest in the league. Robinson would provide immediate depth and could be groomed to eventually replace Kyle Kosier at left guard.
LSU inside linebacker Darry Beckwith: With Zach Thomas likely gone and Kevin Burnett also an unrestricted free agent, the 6-2, 240-pound Beckwith, a finalist for the Butkus Award, would be a good fit.
posted by The Gryphon at 8:03 PM
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