After Trade, 26th Pick: Anthony Spencer (With Video)
By Matt Cordon (kh). Filed in 2007 Draft, Dallas Cowboys News in Brief, Video Clips |
The stockpiling of outside linebackers continues! Dallas traded a second-round pick that it received from Cleveland, along with a 3rd and a 5th, to Philadelphia in order to move back into the first round. And with that pick, Dallas selected Purdue linebacker/defensive end Anthony Spencer. Not sure I’m really happy about this, but some are saying this was a value pick.
From the ESPN chat:
This is a very astute pick by the Cowboys. Spencer is the last guy for awhile with this type of value. He is the perfect OLB in a 3-4 defense. He is a tweener guy that can rush the QB. Wade Phillips wants more attacking and more pressure out of his front 7 than the old Cowboys did. In Spencer, they get a perfect fit. He really came on as a senior and his stock has been rising. This was a case where Dallas looked at what was left and knew if they didn’t make a move, they wouldn’t get anyone of his caliber. Smart pick. He’ll line up opposite DeMarcus Ware. That’s not too shabby.
From Yahoo:
Hybrid pass rusher that can play left defensive end in a 4-3 or outside linebacker in a 3-4 scheme. He showed his athleticism at the combine by running in the 4.6 range. Spencer came on strong his senior campaign and played especially well against the top linemen he faced. He is an up-the-field pass rusher who should follow in the footsteps of former Boilermakers standout Shaun Phillips.
Here are some video highlights of Spencer:
Monday, April 30th 2007 at 9:37 pm
I wasn’t real excited about this guy at first, either, but I just didn’t know anything about him. The more I read up on him, the more excited I got. Spencer looks like he could be a real stud 3-4 OLB. I’m real happy with this pick now. It was real obvious from the end of last year that we need more pressure players, even if it means drafting yet another pass rusher in the 1st rd. If we hit on this kid, we just might have that special defense we’ve been hoping for.