Tag: Viliami Fehoko

Cowboys lack of capital spent at DT continues to rear ugly head

A thin defensive tackle room with very little salary cap hits makes this group a candidate to be remade with proper investments. | From @ArmyChiefW3

While the Cowboys’ defensive end group takes up a large portion of salary cap space, the opposite can be said of the big boys inside. With a new defensive coordinator, the importance of having guys who can anchor and occupy both players and space is invaluable.

Dallas ranked 27th in the league in ESPN’s run-stop-win-rate, which takes several things into account such as disrupting the running lane, pushing blockers backwards, or recording a tackle within three yards of the line of scrimmage. The nuances of the game make it hard to calculate no matter how much we compartmentalize. A large collection of data is a good indicator that a player is executing his instructions but without knowing the called assignment, an interpretation can be tough. No matter how the team gauges prospects, bodies are needed at the position.

Can Viliami Fehoko go from forgotten draft pick to Cowboys DL contributor?

Viliami Fehoko didn’t contribute for the Cowboys as a rookie but there’s reason to believe he’ll be a regular contributor on the DL in 2024. | From @ReidDHanson

With the 27th pick in the fourth round of the 2023 NFL draft, the Cowboys made a very Cowboys-esque pick when they selected defensive lineman Viliami Fehoko out of San Jose State. The 6-foot-4, 263-pound no-nonsense prospect offered up a well-rounded game with the versatility to play along the defensive line.

Serving essentially as a red shirt season, 2023 was a chance for Fehoko to hone technique and bulk up. Without seeing game action, Fehoko’s rookie season was extremely disappointing and to many appeared like a bust. It’s a fair assessment considering some in the draft community were calling him one of the most underrated prospects at his position leading up to the draft. Even if he was a Day 3 pick, expectations were high for the rookie. He’ll now get an offseason to do whatever’s necessary to become an actual on-field contributor in 2024.

The Cowboys have a history of targeting defensive linemen with position flex in the middle rounds of the draft. It allows them to use the player outside in various techniques or reduce inside in more of a penetration role. Fehoko’s size and playing style likened him to Chauncey Golston as a prospect. Golston was another college DE Dallas has used in multiple capacities since joining the team.

But unlike Golston, a spot wasn’t readily available for Fehoko. The Cowboys were rich in DE talent and the limited number of active roster spots they had available at DT didn’t allow for a project player like Fehoko to see action.

 

Where does the Cowboys’ draft class stand ahead of cutdown day?

Questions surrounded the 2023 class yet as cutdown day approaches things look promising for each member’s chances. From @ArmyChiefW3

It has been said one must wait three years in order to properly gauge how well a team’s draft class fared. Growth is part of the process, but immediate impact by special players reinvigorates fanbases and quickly changes the season’s outlook. Take the rookie seasons of QB Dak Prescott and RB Ezekiel Elliott for obvious examples.

While the three-year mark is a nice guideline, it is far from a rule and honestly, a lot less fun. Gauging a player with draft grades sets a baseline of expectations which are fun to track throughout a player’s career.

While immediate impact is always desired, having the patience to trust the developmental program may be the most beneficial support a young player can have. So where do the players from the Cowboys 2023 draft class currently stand before rosters are trimmed to 53?

Cowboys rookie class features 2 of nation’s Top 5 in key defensive stat

From @ToddBrock24f7: One was a 4th-round pick; one wasn’t drafted at all. But both Viliami Fehoko and Durrell Johnson do one thing better than almost everybody.

Creating havoc up front is the name of the game for defensive linemen- blowing up the plans of the opposing offense and not just holding the line of scrimmage but pushing it backward.

The Cowboys were tied for third in the league last year with 93 tackles for loss, just four behind the top-ranked Eagles. But Dallas may make even further improvements in that particular category in 2023 if two members of the incoming rookie class stay on the trajectories that have brought them to the Cowboys.

Fourth-round pick Viliami Fehoko finished last season with 19 tackles for loss with San Jose State. That was the fifth-highest total in college football; more than Will Anderson Jr., more than Tyree Wilson, more than Calijah Kancey- all of whom were Top-20 selections in this year’s draft.

But the Cowboys believe the 23-year-old Fehoko is capable of performing well beyond his selection slot.

“We’ve got a definition that fits that fourth round,” Cowboys vice president of player personnel Will McClay said over draft weekend. “It’s a guy that can come in and play and potentially start. And if they achieve that, then we’re hitting a home run. When you go in the first three rounds, people are looking for the prototype, but when the prototype runs out, you continue to go and look for football players that have the traits to play the position that you want them to play.”

And the Cowboys like what they saw in Fehoko’s play for the Spartans in the Mountain West Conference.

 

“You look at his stats, you look at his production, you look at the tape,” McClay said of the East Palo Alto native. “He does some unique things in getting edges, winning, attacking the football when he goes after the quarterback. He’s got a mission when he gets off on the snap. He gets off on the ball, and he makes big plays.”

Sharrif Floyd, the Cowboys’ new assistant defensive line coach, predicts that Fehoko will step in and contribute immediately at defensive end, but he hinted that the team may have a bigger plan for him in the future.

“I think this guy can can easily get into our rotation this year,” Floyd told The Draft Show, “and then within the next year or so, I see him moving inside to be a true 3-tenchnique. He’s got the quickness and the get-off and the power to do so, so we’ll probably get a little more weight on him and let him play inside and be disruptive for us.”

Along with Micah Parsons, DeMarcus Lawrence, Sam Williams, and Osa Odighizuwa- all of whom registered double-digit TFLs last season, Fehoko will look to end up in the opposing backfield as often as possible.

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But they might all be able to pick up a thing or two from one of the Cowboys’ undrafted free agents.

Durrell Johnson went unselected over the draft’s seven rounds. But Dallas still managed to land the Liberty defensive end who led the entire FBS in 2022 in total tackles for loss. His 27.5 mark was 5.5 TFLs higher than the second-place guy, USC’s Tuli Tuipulotu, who played one more game than Johnson and was a Friday-night draft pick.

But Johnson’s not just a one-year wonder. He was Top-30 in the nation in 2020 in sacks and made the Bronko Nagurski and Chuck Bednarik watchlists, before a knee a knee injury slowed his 2021 production and caused him to miss four games for the Flames.

Dane Brugler of The Athletic said the 250-pound Johnson “needs to continue getting stronger, but he has developmental traits in a 3-4 scheme with closing burst for a superpower.”

Sounds like he and Fehoko are custom-built for coaching up within the Dallas system as coordinator Dan Quinn continues to tinker with the Cowboys defense.

Add in fellow newcomers Mazi Smith and DeMarvion Overshown, continued excellence from Johnathan Hankins and Dorance Armstong and the veterans named above, and increased usage for youngsters Damone Clark and Jabril Cox, and it all points to the Dallas defense doubling down on their current standing as agents of chaos up front.

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One EDGE prospect in each round of the 2023 NFL draft

The Browns have options.

With the 2023 NFL draft set to kick off in just a few days, the Cleveland Browns could use more depth at edge rusher opposite Myles Garrett. The team got very little production from any other edge players. This year’s class has some intriguing pass rushers that could improve the overall talent in the edge room.

Based on the free agency period the team had, pass rusher and defensive tackle will likely be the focus early in this draft. The team also needs help at linebacker but the linebacker class isn’t good outside of a few players. Let’s take a look at one edge player in each round for Cleveland.

2023 NFL Draft Profile: San Jose State DL Viliami Fehoko

The Mountain West’s defensive player of the year looks to become the newest Spartan in the NFL ranks.

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2023 NFL Draft Profile: San Jose State DL Viliami Fehoko

The Mountain West’s defensive player of the year looks to become the newest Spartan in the NFL ranks.

Contact/Follow @MattK_FS & @MWCwire

A whole new mountain to climb.

Viliami Fehoko has been selected by the Dallas Cowboys with the 129th overall pick, in the fourth round of the NFL Draft.

After cementing his legacy as one of the greatest players in San Jose State football history, defensive lineman Viliami Fehoko will look to be the first Spartan selected in the NFL Draft since 2019.

A native of East Palo Alto, California, Fehoko didn’t have to travel far to find his college home thanks to Brent Brennan, who brought him to San Jose State as part of his 2018 recruiting class. After making 11 starts in 2019, he helped the Spartans claim the Mountain West football crown during the unusual 2020 season and simply never stopped producing after that, earning first-team all-conference recognition three times and the conference’s defensive player of the year honor in 2022.

In a crowded class of edge rushers, however, how long will Fehoko have to wait before his name is called?

Measurables (taken from Mockdraftable and Dane Brugler)

40-yard dash: 4.72 seconds
10-yard split: 1.68 seconds
Vertical jump: 30″
Broad jump: 8′ 4″
Short shuttle: 4.73 seconds
Three-cone drill: 7.32 seconds

Highlights

Strengths

Fehoko made his name as one of the most feared edge rushers in recent Mountain West memory thanks in large part to a relentless motor that manifests in doing many of the little things well. NFL.com’s Chad Reuter, for instance, points to his prowess at the point of first contact with tackles while Pro Football Network’s Ian Cummings believes in his array of moves — swim, spin, and rip — and ability to win in close quarters.

Beyond those critical first moments, however, it’s important that note that Fehoko never gives up on a play when it extends, chasing down running backs in the backfield on zone read plays and pursuing quarterbacks outside the tackle box when necessary. He’s a high-energy individual who can make any front seven better.

Weaknesses

It may not be an outright weakness, per say, but NFL defensive coaches will need to determine what kind of role Fehoko will play at the next level. At San Jose State, he played the vast majority of snaps outside the tackle as a 3-4 defensive end but there’s some disagreement as to whether that will be the ideal fit at the next level. The Draft Network’s Damian Parson, for instance, tabs him as 3-4 edge defender and that sentiment is shared by Rueter, but NFL Draft Buzz disagrees.

Another concern which nearly every draft analyst agrees upon is that Fehoko doesn’t currently possess ideal bend, which could factor into how he’ll be able to attack at the next level. Parson notes that he may have to compensate with his strong hand skills, but The Athletic’s Dane Brugler points out that, with only average arm length for the position, some offensive tackles may be able to get the upper hand and force him out of plays.

NFL Comparison

Tarron Jackson

Draft Prediction

Fehoko doesn’t have the ceiling of a Will Anderson or a Lukas Van Ness, but he doesn’t need it in order to have a quality NFL career. A pass-friendly NFL means that defenses will always need players who can hunt quarterbacks, so it’s hard to imagine Fehoko will linger too long on the big board into Day Three, likely to be selected in the fourth round.

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Browns trade up to get a dynamic defender in 2023 NFL Mock Draft

Could the Browns move up for another linebacker if he falls in the draft?

Mock draft season begins to wrap up with the 2023 NFL Draft less than three weeks away. The Cleveland Browns have re-signed two of their own middle linebackers but lack a long-term answer at the position. Two years ago the team traded up for talented linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah when he fell in the draft and they could do it again this year.

Andrew Berry has shown that he is willing to move up for a high-rated player on his board as well as trade back to gain future assets. If the talented linebacker Trenton Simpson falls in the draft the team could move up for him after meeting with him for a pre-draft visit.

Cowboys add fan faves Washington, Sanders to invites, 29 of 30 known

The Cowboys’ list of visitors is almost complete. Here’s a look at the three new additions and who else at their position is on the radar. | From @KDDrummondNFL

The Cowboys are closing in on the maximum 30 players who they are getting a closer look at ahead of the NFL draft. Names of 2023 draft prospects who have made their way to team facilities have flooded in over the last 48 hours, with another pair of top-50 prospects joining the list.

The count is now up to 29, leaving the one last-minute vacancy the team normally keeps in the chamber for the last week before the draft. Granted, these are based on reports, so there could always be a name or two who have been wrongly identified. The language used by agents and team leakers gets criss-crossed sometimes. Teams are allowed to have private workouts with an unlimited number of players, but they can only have 30 visits to their team facilities.  Here’s a look at the latest additions to our visit and interest tracker.

6 underrated prospects to watch for the Saints in 2023 NFL draft

Penn State TE Brendon Strange and San Jose State DE Viliami Fehoko are among 6 underrated prospects to watch for the Saints in the 2023 NFL draft’s third day:

Everyone knows the big names in the 2023 NFL draft: the first-round prospects who get fans excited and who draw swarms of scouts and coaches to their pro day workouts. But the New Orleans Saints have done well in the later rounds of the draft, and it’s important to identify players they could be looking at in rounds four, five, six, and seven — as well as undrafted free agency. They always seem to find some diamonds in the rough.

So who qualifies as a sleeper? Draft coverage is so oversaturated these days that even casual fans can recognize dozens of names, and some dedicated draftniks even have their own top-100 rankings (with the real sickos among them ranking hundreds of prospects).

To help thin out the herd, we’re only considering prospects who were ranked outside the top 150 at both NFL Mock Draft Database and Pro Football Network’s industry consensus big board. That gives us an opportunity to highlight some undersung players who should be available on Day 3 of this year’s event. These aren’t going to be perfect prospects, or even players who can step into a big role right away. The goal is to find guys with enough traits that can give them a shot at making the roster as a backup or on special teams, buying them time to develop into better pros.

Here are six underrated prospects we could see the Saints targeting on the draft’s third day:

10 Sleeper prospects for the Eagles to watch at 2023 NFL Combine

With the workouts set to begin, we’re looking at 10 sleeper prospects for the Philadelphia Eagles to watch at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine

The Eagles contingent is at the NFL scouting combine and with two first-round picks for the second year in a row, they’ll look to retool with 18 pending free agents set to hit the open market.

The Eagles have 9 critical contributors on defense set for free agency, and GM Howie Roseman has acknowledged that he won’t be able to retain his core of free agents with Jalen Hurts set to land a massive contract extension.

With the onfield portion of the combine set to heat up, we’re looking at 10 sleeper prospects for the Eagles to watch.