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NFL Draft Rumors: Mike Mayock Calls Dontari Poe's Game Film 'Average'

There have been few players hotter in the pre-draft season than Memphis DT Dontari Poe, whom the Dallas Cowboys are rumored to be extremely interested in.

However, while his Combine numbers were eye-popping, he was never able to translate that physical talent into dominant college production at Memphis.

One high-profile analyst whose come out on record against Poe is NFL.com's Mike Mayock, who downgraded the DT after closely reviewing his game film:

"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 Monday. "However, the tape is very average, so how do you match the two up - potential vs. 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 over time you can develop into a high-quality NFL player. But the key is time ... so I moved Poe back with the expectation that 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."

Despite playing most of his career in Conference USA, where there are far fewer high quality offensive line prospects, Poe had only five career sacks at Memphis.

For the latest news and analysis on the Cowboys draft plans, check out SB Nation Dallas' exclusive storystream, while Blogging The Boys is your off-season home for all things related to America's Team.

Photographs by jamesbrandon, jdtornow, phlezk, flygraphix, mcdlttx, tomasland, and literalbarrage used in background montage under Creative Commons. Thank you.