Another day, another sign that the shine of Dontari Poe’s impressive Scouting Combine performance is wearing off.
Yesterday we passed along a report that quoted an NFL scout saying Poe “didn’t do anything” on tape and that the talk of Poe as a potential Top 5 pick was based solely on his Combine showing, when he ran a 4.87-second 40-yard dash and bench pressed 225 pounds 44 times. Today NFL Network’s Mike Mayock has altered his rankings of the Top 5 players at each position, and Poe falls further than anyone.
Mayock listed Poe as the top defensive tackle in the draft after the Combine, but after spending more time watching tape, Mayock has dropped Poe down to the fourth-best defensive tackle, behind Mississippi State’s Fletcher Cox, Michigan State’s Jerel Worthy and LSU’s Michael Brockers.
“Coming off the Combine I wanted to show people what a freak this kid Poe is — and he is a physical freak, no doubt,” Mayock said. “However, the tape is very average. So how do you match the two up? Potential versus his actual game footage. When I look at this kid I see a freaky athlete with a good motor. If you have those two things, over time I believe you can develop into a high-quality NFL player. But the key is time. How quickly can he step in and produce at a high level?”
Mayock said he doesn’t think Poe is a player who’s going to be a good NFL starter as a rookie. He thinks Poe is going to need some time to develop.
“He needs to get into a good locker room, with a mentor in that defensive line group who can show this kid how to play football,” Mayock said.
So a team that wants to spend its first-round pick on a Week One starter would be wise to look at someone other than Poe.