Cowboys Wide Receiver Corps

[baltcowboy]

That was a hard injury for a WR to come back from. It looked gruesome. I heard he is already working out.

Yeah, when I saw it on replay my ankle hurt. Some of our fans are upset when these guys want more money.

 

[Risen Star]

You would hope for growth from Cooper and expect it from Gallup but unless Wilson is a first year player revelation or they find immediate impact in the draft they will miss Beasley. The rest of those guys are bums. Austin being supremely talented but never playing like it.

Plus whenever you talk about the WRs you have to consider the QB. Who will drag down the production of any WR he'll ever play with.

 

[America's Cowboy]

You would hope for growth from Cooper and expect it from Gallup but unless Wilson is a first year player revelation or they find immediate impact in the draft they will miss Beasley. The rest of those guys are bums. Austin being supremely talented but never playing like it.

Somewhat agree. They need to find a killer slot player in the draft. I personally like Virginia's Olamide Zaccheus.

 

[Risen Star]

Somewhat agree. They need to find a killer slot player in the draft. I personally like Virginia's Olamide Zaccheus.

I don't think it has to be a slot guy. It can be an outside WR and you could rotate the slot position. Let them all play there.

 

[Beaker42]

Not unless he gets injured again. The Cowboys CHOSE to pick up his 2nd year option. If they didn't want him on the team, they would simply have let his contract expire at 4:00 pm on March 13th.

Plus he had some big catches for us down the stretch and in the Seattle PO game.

 

[Beaker42]

I don't think it has to be a slot guy. It can be an outside WR and you could rotate the slot position. Let them all play there.

Agree in theory but don’t typical slot guys have great shake and shimmy to get open (unless you’re the Pats and set great picks)? The only guy we have now I see with that is Coop. I don’t trust Tavon’s hands enough to play him there.

 

[America's Cowboy]

I don't think it has to be a slot guy. It can be an outside WR and you could rotate the slot position. Let them all play there.

True.

 

[America's Cowboy]

Agree in theory but don’t typical slot guys have great shake and shimmy to get open (unless you’re the Pats and set great picks)? The only guy we have now I see with that is Coop. I don’t trust Tavon’s hands enough to play him there.

Good point. Play Amari Cooper at the slot, and let him use his cutting, speed and quickness. Put Gallup and Wilson on the outside. Get Cooper in motion to give him an even bigger advantage of getting open.

 

[Jumbo075]

I'm not going to give up on the idea of Devin Smith coming back from injury and becoming a good player. Here is the scouting report on him from 2015, when he became the 37th pick in the draft: I remember when Bill Parcells brought in Marc Colombo, the former first round bust of Chicago because of early career injuries. Maybe Smith can resurrect his career in Dallas the way Colombo did.

Devin Smith - WR Ohio State

6'0", 196 lbs., 4.42s 40 yard dash, 6.83s 3-cone (3-cone is a measure of quickness. Cole Beasley's 3-cone was 7.16s)​

OVERVIEW

• 2014: Honorable mention All-Big Ten. Played in all 15 games with 11 starts. Led team with 931 yards and 12 TD. Had 4 receptions, 137 yards, 3 TD vs Wisconsin in Big Ten Championship Game. Had 2 receptions, 87 yards, TD in Sugar Bowl vs Alabama.
• 2013: Honorable mention All-Big Ten. Played in all 14 games with 12 starts.
• 2012: Played in all 12 games with 10 starts.
• 2011: Played in all 13 games.

ANALYSIS

STRENGTHS

Smooth speed merchant with instant gas off the line. Has outstanding body composure and an effortless stride. Electrifying foot quickness. Game-breaking speed with necessary feel of a downfield receiver. Tracks the throw over his shoulder and never breaks stride in the chase. Averaged 28.2 yards per catch and 54.5 percent of his catches were for 25-plus yards in 2014. Used outside and from slot. Must be matched by speed on defense or with safety over the top. Uses shoulder dip from inside release to avoid being redirected by slot corner. Speed creates uncontested targets for him underneath. Can snap off dig routes and open immediately. Good luck giving chase to Smith on a crosser or speed-out in the red zone. Might have been the best gunner in college football.​

WEAKNESSES

Lacks natural, soft hands. Will double catch and corral throws into body. Tries to catch, turn and run before securing the throw. Shows a lack of patience in his routes. Game too heavily reliant upon speed. Must learn to be effective when deep ball is restricted by defense. Thin hips and frame. Play strength is below average. Can be frustrated by physical corners. Gets jostled and distracted when bodied hard down the field. Desire lacking as run blocker. Often taken off field and replaced when Buckeyes wanted to run out of "11" personnel.​

DRAFT PROJECTION

Round 2​

NFL COMPARISON

DeSean Jackson​

BOTTOM LINE

Smith isn't just combine-fast, he's game-fast and he would have had more than 12 touchdown catches during the 2014 season if he didn't have to slow down and wait on throws so often. Smith has the feet and hips to become much more than a deep-ball specialist and should be able to step right into a gunner spot on special teams. He still needs to learn his craft and improve his hands, but he has rare speed to score from anywhere on the field.
​

Final Thought: The Cowboys team doctor is the guy who successfully rehabbed Jaylon Smith to make him one of the top young LB's in the NFL. If any doctor can put Devin Smith's knee (2 ACL surgeries in 3 seasons) back together, it is the Cowboys team doctor. If he gives Smith a clean bill of health, Smith could make up for the Cowboys not having a 1st round pick this year. Imagine Cooper, Gallup and a healthy Smith. (The Cowboys have pretty good history with the Smith family.)

 

[MTerrazzano]

Not unless he gets injured again. The Cowboys CHOSE to pick up his 2nd year option. If they didn't want him on the team, they would simply have let his contract expire at 4:00 pm on March 13th.

Actually thought Hurns was better once Cooper arrived. I like him in our three receiver sets with Cooper and Gallup.

 

[Pantone282C]

The Cowboys top needs (in no particular order) are Defensive Line, Safety, Tight End and Running Back. I won't ever be shocked by the Cowboys choosing the best player on their board, but I think their focus, especially considering they spent their 1st round pick on Cooper, will be elsewhere. Randy Gregory's relapse has put them in an awkward position, and the Defensive Line may get more focus.

I don't know if TE is a that big a need. We had a couple of guys starting to come through with reps. The Oline needs a bit more tweaking.

 

[Jumbo075]

I don't know if TE is a that big a need. We had a couple of guys starting to come through with reps. The Oline needs a bit more tweaking.

The Cowboys have a good 3-man rotation at tackle with Smith (2011-9th), Fleming (2014-140th), and Collins (2015-undrafted). They have a 6 man interior line rotation with Martin (2014-16th), Frederick (2013-31st), Su'a Filo (2014-33rd), Williams (2018-50th), Ehringer (2016-105th), and Looney (2012-117th). All of those guys are top 140 picks in their respective drafts, including three 1st round picks, two 2nd round picks, and three 4th round picks, plus another who was expected to be a 1st round pick, but was undrafted because of bad circumstances. In fact, Su'a Filo, Williams and Collins were all projected as potential 1st round picks. Most NFL teams would be pretty jealous of that Oline roster.

 

[Beaker42]

I'm not going to give up on the idea of Devin Smith coming back from injury and becoming a good player. Here is the scouting report on him from 2015, when he became the 37th pick in the draft: I remember when Bill Parcells brought in Marc Colombo, the former first round bust of Chicago because of early career injuries. Maybe Smith can resurrect his career in Dallas the way Colombo did.

Devin Smith - WR Ohio State

6'0", 196 lbs., 4.42s 40 yard dash, 6.83s 3-cone (3-cone is a measure of quickness. Cole Beasley's 3-cone was 7.16s)​

OVERVIEW

• 2014: Honorable mention All-Big Ten. Played in all 15 games with 11 starts. Led team with 931 yards and 12 TD. Had 4 receptions, 137 yards, 3 TD vs Wisconsin in Big Ten Championship Game. Had 2 receptions, 87 yards, TD in Sugar Bowl vs Alabama.
• 2013: Honorable mention All-Big Ten. Played in all 14 games with 12 starts.
• 2012: Played in all 12 games with 10 starts.
• 2011: Played in all 13 games.

ANALYSIS

STRENGTHS

Smooth speed merchant with instant gas off the line. Has outstanding body composure and an effortless stride. Electrifying foot quickness. Game-breaking speed with necessary feel of a downfield receiver. Tracks the throw over his shoulder and never breaks stride in the chase. Averaged 28.2 yards per catch and 54.5 percent of his catches were for 25-plus yards in 2014. Used outside and from slot. Must be matched by speed on defense or with safety over the top. Uses shoulder dip from inside release to avoid being redirected by slot corner. Speed creates uncontested targets for him underneath. Can snap off dig routes and open immediately. Good luck giving chase to Smith on a crosser or speed-out in the red zone. Might have been the best gunner in college football.​

WEAKNESSES

Lacks natural, soft hands. Will double catch and corral throws into body. Tries to catch, turn and run before securing the throw. Shows a lack of patience in his routes. Game too heavily reliant upon speed. Must learn to be effective when deep ball is restricted by defense. Thin hips and frame. Play strength is below average. Can be frustrated by physical corners. Gets jostled and distracted when bodied hard down the field. Desire lacking as run blocker. Often taken off field and replaced when Buckeyes wanted to run out of "11" personnel.​

DRAFT PROJECTION

Round 2​

NFL COMPARISON

DeSean Jackson​

BOTTOM LINE

Smith isn't just combine-fast, he's game-fast and he would have had more than 12 touchdown catches during the 2014 season if he didn't have to slow down and wait on throws so often. Smith has the feet and hips to become much more than a deep-ball specialist and should be able to step right into a gunner spot on special teams. He still needs to learn his craft and improve his hands, but he has rare speed to score from anywhere on the field.
​

Final Thought: The Cowboys team doctor is the guy who successfully rehabbed Jaylon Smith to make him one of the top young LB's in the NFL. If any doctor can put Devin Smith's knee (2 ACL surgeries in 3 seasons) back together, it is the Cowboys team doctor. If he gives Smith a clean bill of health, Smith could make up for the Cowboys not having a 1st round pick this year. Imagine Cooper, Gallup and a healthy Smith. (The Cowboys have pretty good history with the Smith family.)

LOL do these guys writing these player draft bios even watch the guys they’re writing about? Smith’s hands are just fine from what I can see. SMH

 

[BigCatMonaco]

• Tavon Austin - 28 years old
• Noah Brown - 23 years old
• Amari Cooper - 24 years old
• Michael Gallup - 23 years old
• Allen Hurns - 27 years old
• Lance Lenoir - 24 years old
• Devin Smith - 27 years old
• Cedrick Wilson, Jr. - 23 years old

The Cowboys have two legitimate young starters in Cooper and Gallup. Cooper's impact on the Cowboys success last season speaks for itself, and no one should be mourning the loss of the Cowboys 1st round pick. There isn't a wide receiver in this draft class better than Cooper. Gallup's rookie numbers would have been even better if Dak hadn't made some poor throws when Gallup was wide open.

At the slot, Beasley wisely took the money and went to Buffalo. But the Cowboys have options to replace him. First off, with Witten returning, Beasley's importance to the offense as a check down option is reduced. Most likely, Austin will compete with Hurns for the 3rd wide receiver slot. But another option is to put Cooper in the slot, and play with Gallup and Wilson on the outside. Wilson's rookie season was cut short by a training camp injury. But he was among the most productive college receivers in 2017, and could surprise a lot of us.

The bigger issue, which was not solved with the acquisition of Cooper last year, is finding out who can replace the red zone presence the Cowboys lost when they cut Dez Bryant last year. The Cowboys don't have a red zone threat in their WR corps. Beasley's quickness allowed him to be somewhat of a threat, but the Cowboys new offensive coordinator is going to have to use a better scheme in the red zone to get the Cowboys receivers open.

Noah Brown has shown to be a good option in the running game, as he is a decent blocker and will make some catches also. The Cowboys other Ohio State receiver is Devin Smith, a former 2nd round pick coming off of two ACL injuries on the same knee. If Smith can revive his career in Dallas, and get past his early career injuries, who's to know what he might provide. Finally, Lance Lenoir has proven to be a valuable player for depth, who can bounce back and forth from the practice squad if injuries to other receivers occur.

The Cowboys typically take 10-12 wide receivers to training camp, so expect them to add a couple more free agent receivers, or perhaps take a late round flyer on a player who falls in the draft. It would be nice to have a more dangerous red zone threat, but this group is faster overall than the trio of Bryant, Williams and Beasley who played 5 years together with the Cowboys. The other red zone option is that maybe with Frederick coming back, the Cowboys line will once again impose their will on other teams, and they will just run the ball in, like the Cowboys used to do with Emmitt Smith.

It’s not completely on Dak with Gallup.

On a number of throws, you can see Gallup start to slow down on his route only to realize the ball is coming to him and he tries to catch back up to it.

 

[dogunwo]

You would hope for growth from Cooper and expect it from Gallup but unless Wilson is a first year player revelation or they find immediate impact in the draft they will miss Beasley. The rest of those guys are bums. Austin being supremely talented but never playing like it.

Plus whenever you talk about the WRs you have to consider the QB. Who will drag down the production of any WR he'll ever play with.

I like this version of Risen that actually tries some analysis.

 

[Redball Express]

Dont be shocked if they add someone between rounds 3-5 either to compete with Wilson and Brown for positioning in the depth chart. Austin right now is short term, and both Wilson and Brown are unproven as recieving threats.

They have already seemed to showed some interest in Penny Hart and Stanley Morgan JR.

Look for cuts after the draft.

If an aging vet WR is a cap casualty..

I would hope we look for something like this.

 

[Pantone282C]

The Cowboys have a good 3-man rotation at tackle with Smith (2011-9th), Fleming (2014-140th), and Collins (2015-undrafted). They have a 6 man interior line rotation with Martin (2014-16th), Frederick (2013-31st), Su'a Filo (2014-33rd), Williams (2018-50th), Ehringer (2016-105th), and Looney (2012-117th). All of those guys are top 140 picks in their respective drafts, including three 1st round picks, two 2nd round picks, and three 4th round picks, plus another who was expected to be a 1st round pick, but was undrafted because of bad circumstances. In fact, Su'a Filo, Williams and Collins were all projected as potential 1st round picks. Most NFL teams would be pretty jealous of that Oline roster.

Good points. I like most of these guys. They need to stay healthy. I still think Collins would be better served at guard, but I get it that he can't make good money at guard. Williams needs to add some weight.

 

[Ring Leader]

It’s not completely on Dak with Gallup.

On a number of throws, you can see Gallup start to slow down on his route only to realize the ball is coming to him and he tries to catch back up to it.

This is called "pulling a Crayton".

 

[cern]

That was a hard injury for a WR to come back from. It looked gruesome. I heard he is already working out.

I never thought Jaylon would be able to come back. sometimes it's good to be wrong. cowboys wouldn't have picked up hurn's option if they weren't getting encouraging news from the medical staff.

 

[BigCatMonaco]

This is called "pulling a Crayton".

It also rubbed off on miles that one game vs NY too.