Position: Defensive Tackle
Height: 6’6”
Weight: 310
How Hageman Fits the Cowboys
Ra’Shede Hageman is a physically gifted and a freak at the defensive tackle position. This position is one of the deepest positions in the draft, which is good for the Cowboys as they have an obvious need there. They will most likely need to replace Jason Hatcher, who is currently a free agent.
Hageman is very similar in size compared to Hatcher. His frame makes it difficult to throw over, much like Hatcher and his game is similar. Rod Marinelli should be able to just plug him in as a starter and cut him loose.
Hageman’s Impact as a Rookie
Should Hageman be selected in the first round as many had anticipated earlier in the draft season, he would be in line for the first crack at the three technique position for Marinelli. He should eat up blocks and penetrate the middle of the pocket allowing the ends and linebackers to make plays.
Former Green Bay Packer and Minnesota Golden Gopher Darrell Thompson compared Hageman at one time to Ndamukong Suh. Suh was a lot more polished at this point in his career than Hageman at the same time. Hageman has a very boom or bust feel to him in the NFL, whereas everyone knew Suh would make an immediate impact.
What Hageman Does Well
Hageman uses his size and strength to his advantage. Too often he will command double teams allowing his teammates to make the play. When lining up against the interior linemen he looks very intimidating. As stated above, quarterbacks could find it difficult to throw over him when trying to get the ball over the middle.
Hageman is also a beast in terms of strength. At the Senior Bowl he maxed out on the bench at 475 pounds. Hageman also cranked out 31 reps at 225 pounds at the NFL Combine recently. Essentially he will have no trouble throwing linemen back as he showed at the Senior Bowl to everyone not named Zack Martin.
What Hageman Struggles With
Despite the size and strength aspect of Hageman’s game, often times he looks lost in the backfield. He looked dominant more times than not but the production wasn’t there. He was also not on the field enough to make an impact there. He needs to stay on the field.
One of the requirements of the position is being quick off the snap and again Hageman struggles here. At the Senior Bowl he was reportedly running the 40 in 4.8 and 4.9 seconds. However, at the NFL Combine he dropped down to 5.02 seconds. This confirms what is on his game tape; Hageman plays at a very slow pace.
Draft Range
Late First Round (22-32)
The Cowboys currently do not need to use a first round selection, especially a mid-round pick on a raw player. He would be a better consideration in the second round.