86 Kg

[Cletus_Tucker 890]

Completely agree.  Cox is the most intriguing guy in the weight IMO, but the chances of him running through the full bracket are slim. He has the balance and athleticism to go toe-to-toe with Dake, but with more size. Not saying I would pick him, but I think that's an interesting matchup.  

 

On the other hand, if he runs up against Taylor I think he could get picked apart and potentially teched.

 

 

I couldn't agree more.

 

 

Cox really matches up well with everyone in the weight, other than perhaps Taylor.   Taylor is so technically sound with his set ups and take downs.   What he did to Ruth was mind boggling.   I can see a Taylor/Cox final where it isn't even competitive.   I can see Cox bulldozing Dake because of the size and strength disparity.   Cox is a bull.  Dake is a little bull.   Advantage Cox.   

 

Herbert is done.   He wont be in the final and he might get beat up along the way.   

 

Tough one to call, will be very exciting and the addition of Cox is absolutely a factor. 

[PRyan2012 351]

Still at this very moment Cael Sanderson could probably come off the couch with three weeks or so to prep and win this weight 10 years past his prime. That doesn't bode well for us here. Hopefully Cox can save the weight.  

[Axe_Spartan 205]

Still at this very moment Cael Sanderson could probably come off the couch with three weeks or so to prep and win this weight 10 years past his prime. That doesn't bode well for us here. Hopefully Cox can save the weight.  

 

I would like to see if that's really true. lol

[CoachWrestling 436]

We won't even qualify the weight.

[Frank_Rizzo 341]

Dake 

[PRyan2012 351]

Axe,

 

I honestly think he could. he still gets the best of Taylor to this day and is pretty even with Varner. We are going to have a hard time qualifying this weight which really bites.

[josefsmoe 43]

Like Herbert personally, but was completely underwhelmed by his performance at worlds last year, his offense was non-existent.  He had absolutely nothing to generate scoring against high level defense. I'd rather Dake, Taylor, Ruth, or Cox.

[LJB 2,093]

herbert looked much better at frisco last month than he did at worlds

[newyorkwrestler 258]

he had shoulder surgery after worlds i believe. he had re injured it a few weeks prior to worlds, was not himself.

[IronChef 1,135]

I'm not so sure Cox is the future at 86kg, mainly because I'm unsure of his ability to hold the weight long term. He seems like he cuts quite hard to make 197 and would be better suited at 97kg. Is he someone who can continue to make 86kg until 2020?

[newyorkwrestler 258]

It will be a dake Herbert final.

[Eagle26 606]

I think Dake is the best wrestler at this weight, but if he is walking around at 186 while trying to gain weight, he is not much bigger than most 74kg guys. As good as he is, size and strength is a factor. I wouldn't bet against him, but I am not sure if he could beat Herbert or Cox. I feel many people underestimate Herbert. If he is wrestling at his peak, he is a medal threat but that could be a big if. Cox is a wildcard for me. Not sure if he can handle the weight cut or not. If he can, he will be a monster and have an immediate impact IMO. 

[pamela 1,334]

Kyle Dake gets knocked a lot for his size at 86kg, but his freakish strength and explosiveness will compensate. You know how ants can carry up to 5,000x their body weight? That's KD.  The bigger concern, I think, is that he's still somewhat green and unproven in international competition.  Another is his conditioning, which appears to have not kept up with the body mass he's put on since bumping up.  The same goes for David Taylor, re: unproven + gas tank.

[Cletus_Tucker 890]

herbert looked much better at frisco last month than he did at worlds

 

Frisco is a little less competitive than worlds.  Not much, but there is a difference there that must be accounted for.   

[LJB 2,093]

Salas is world class no matter what tourney he wrestles at and herbert wrestled him better than he had ever previously...

[broyles_152 15]

After studying Cox more and watching ALOT of his matches this morning..... I dont know man. I knew he was good, but with every match I watched I was just a little more impressed each time. He's gonna be HUGE at the weight and Dake is really gonna have to wrestle hard to win this match. Size advantage definitely goes to Cox and I really like his movement from his feet. Constant fakes and things of that nature may throw Dake off. Cox is really good about getting to the legs but he had a hard time finishing on McIntosh at NCAA's for example (until the last 15 seconds or so obviously) and that could be an issue as Dake has awesome defense from guys in on his legs. It will be interesting look for Dake to slow Cox down like he does against everyone. He's gonna have to work hard to shut a much larger J'Den Cox down though.

[Jim L 328]

Salas is world class no matter what tourney he wrestles at and herbert wrestled him better than he had ever previously...

...And still lost. 

[LJB 2,093]

...And still lost. 

 

still lost, but, showed that he is still improving... i think he comes out of the trial as our rep

[LemonPie 1,368]

.

Edited April 7, 2016 by LemonPie

[steen-hooph 74]

Any insiders have any info about how J'Den Cox's weight cut is progressing. Getting close.

[Cletus_Tucker 890]

The part that concerns me about Herbert is it seems he hasn't improved in years.  No new wrinkles, no new strategy.   e has that single leg and then he takes the opponent into the air and tries to make things happen from there.   He's well scouted and that just doesn't seem to have much effect any more.  That and throw in his old, tired body, the injuries, and the new blood in the weight class, I just think it's too much for t expect much out of old Herbie.     

 

I'll be there cheering on the old guard, though.  

[Hubbard 426]

Cletus, do you need a hand to keep an eye on the stock while you are at trials?

[GoNotQuietly 1,175]

Honestly, I hope on of the smaller guys wins the trials, since they are MUCH more likely, imo, to be able to qualify the weight with the extremely quick turnaround before Mongolia.  I would hate to see it get drawn out all the way to Istanbul before we even know if we are going to have a Rio rep.

[de4856 379]

There is one guy I think has been a little overlooked on this thread, and that guy is Clayton Foster. He had some very impressive wins at the 2014 World Cup, and I know many will immediately pounce on this and say that, since then he hasn't done much or even looked all that great since. I agree, however, if he has been training hard and correctly, and is able to recapture that form he had in 2014, along with a gas tank, he might be the guy who walks out of Iowa with the spot.

[sgallan 592]

I feel bad for Dake what with getting his azz kicked on forums again.