Blogging The Boys
Each week we dive into each team’s rookie class and compare how they stack up against each other. (Grades for each player are the overall offensive or defensive grade handed out by PFF.com)
First Round
Tyler Booker’s night in Detroit was the game of a rookie guard doing his job while the waves kept coming. On the road in a loud building, he logged every snap and held his own. He was charged with zero sacks or penalties and just two pressures allowed across 82 reps, even as Dallas as a team took five sacks and managed to log just 91 rushing yards.
For Booker, the season arc is encouraging. Booker’s PFF profile has him tracking as a run-game hammer. He’s at 71.5 overall which is 25th among guards this season, but his 78.0 run-block ranks 11th. At the unit level, Dallas remains solid by blocking standards. They’re at 65% as a team Pass Block Win Rate (13th) and 71% Run Block Win Rate (16th), so hovering middle of the rankings.
The immediate problem is Minnesota, and their numbers are louder than their headlines. The Vikings are third in team Pass Rush Win Rate (44%) and 11th in Run Stop Win Rate (31%), and they’re one of the league’s best no blitz pressure defenses. Personnel-wise, the waves come from everywhere. Dallas Turner and Eric Wilson are both at 5.5 sacks this season, while Jalen Redmond and Andrew Van Ginkel are both over five sacks each. It’s a deep, interchangeable front that stresses communication more than it asks one star to win every snap.
Grade: 71.5
Second Round
Ezeiruaku arrives in Vikings week with a rookie résumé that finally looks loud in the right places. The counting line is trending up with two sacks, one forced fumble, nine tackles for loss and 34 total tackles. He’s also at 30 quarterback pressures, third-most on the team, and leads the Cowboys defense on PFF in defensive grade at 79.5, that’s a solid start for the young Boston College defensive standout.
On paper, Minnesota protects well at the tackle spots but still takes too many hits. Brian O’Neill charts at 19th in offensive tackle Pass Block win-rate at 92%, and a PFF offensive grade of 80.3 which ranks 12th among tackles. Christian Darrisaw, on the opposite side, ranks 50th on PFF among tackles. Yet the Vikings as a team have been sacked 3.62 times per game with a 11.7% quarterback sack rate, which sits in the bottom five of the league. So the picture of good edges, inconsistent interiors, and young QBs who can hold the ball too long is something for Ezeiruaku to key in on.
Ezeiruaku’s personal tackling has mostly held up with only eight missed tackles this year, so the emphasis is converting his pressures into finishes. With the Vikings allowing the third-most sacks on the season (47), Ezeiruaku should have a chance of adding to his sack totals.
**Grade:...
