Beginning of the offseason, I thought the Cowboys needed to upgrade their passing offense with at least two more, legitimate weapons. Thought OBJ and an either another receiver or TE within the top 3 rounds. It's looking like that is their plan. We already traded for Cooks who I actually believe is a better fit then OBJ and now they are targeting all the top receiving prospects:
-Q. Johnson TCU
-Zay Flowers BC
-Hyatt Tenn
-Downs UNC
-Mims Okla
-Dell Houston
-Mingo Ole Miss
It certainly looks like MM wants to run a 4 WR offense and has thrown out those Cowboys prototypes.
Out of those guys, there are a few where I have taken specific notice.
Give me Quentin Johnston. The guy reminds me a bit of D Hop. Big time above the rim player who can rip down the ball in the red zone. at 6' 4" he is a huge target. People have some reservations about him since the production is good, but not necessarily in line with the freak physical talents along with playing in the wide open Big12. These concerns are fair, but I'm picking the potential. Lamb-Cooks-Johnston would be a combination of receivers that all bring something different to the table and could combine to be a deadly unit. He will likely be gone when Dallas is picking, but if he falls into the 20s maybe Dallas looks here.
Mims is another interesting prospect to me. He is a burner, having clocked a 4.38 at the combine but his play speed in pads makes him look more like a sub-4.3 guy. He is a small receiver, but has shown the ability to play inside or out. His hands are reliable. He can take the top off the defense and really challenge corners with his speed. He is not a technician in his route running due to the fact he could just outrun everyone in college but when you are as twitchy and fast as he is, separation can be made. His sluggo route is about is good as it comes. To me, he projects as Brandin Cooks, having a very similar skillset and athletic profile. I would be less likely to pick him due to this fact since Cooks and Mims bring similar skillsets to the table, but you are getting a nice player here.
Hyatt is perhaps the most intriguing out of the whole receiver group this year. He had a hyper productive 2022 with over 1200 yards and 15 TDs on 67 catches. He won the Biletnikoff and was 1st team all-american. Prior to this season though, he was essentially a no-show, logging sub-300 yard seasons in each of his first 3 years at Tennessee. Like Mims he has elite speed, running a 4.31 at the combine, but has a smaller frame at 6' 176 lbs. In 2022, he really only won just beating people straight up the field with his speed. He has not shown all that much as a route runner which could lead to a lengthy adjustment time to an NFL-style offense and route tree. He is the type of player that could be a surprise slider into the mid 3rd round if scouts are scared off by some of the lack of production early in his career and lack of polish. He could be a trade up target even though he is currently projected as a fringe 1st rounder.
If you want a bit of a potential sleeper target that could be had in round 5 or later, look at Trey Palmer out of Nebraska. Kid is a speedster with a 4.33 40 yard and put up really good numbers this year at Nebraska and broke their single-season receiving record. He is viewed as more of a slot-only guy, and I think that assessment is fair. I feel like he would be a very nice value pick in the tail end of the draft if the Cowboys opt to not go receiver early.
This receiver class is pretty deep and has some really good prospects but interestingly enough, many are smaller bodied speed guys. I've actually never seen a draft like this where most of the top receivers are 6' or smaller. I'll be interested in seeing how Dallas handles the position in the draft. They may think that by adding Cooks there is no need to add as they are expecting a big step forward from the kid from South Alabama this season (even though I think this is flawed logic).
