When it comes to the Dallas Cowboys and the NFL Draft, they seem to have a certain criteria that they look for in their wide receivers. It may seem like a narrowminded approach, but that just seems to be their philosophy and it has worked for them so far.
If you take a look at the Cowboys starting receivers over the past several seasons, you will notice that they are all around 6’2″ tall and around 200 pounds. Dez Bryant, Terrance Williams, and Brice Butler all fit into these parameters.
The Cowboys used a draft pick on all three of these receivers. Bryant was a first-round pick, Williams was drafted in the third, and Dallas traded a fifth round draft pick to the Oakland Raiders for Butler.
Cole Beasley and Lucky Whitehead however don’t fit into the normal parameters that the Cowboys prefer in their WRs. That is why they were likely added as an undrafted free agents, which means the Cowboys didn’t have to invest one of those coveted draft picks on them.
Draft picks are precious commodities and it makes sense that the Dallas Cowboys only draft players that fit into their philosophy, hence the 6’2″, 200 wide receiver parameters.
With this information, we can now identify the wide receivers in the 2017 draft class that the Dallas Cowboys are likely to draft based on their criteria.
My top 10 WRs based on Cowboys criteria
- Cooper Kupp (6’2″, 198), Eastern Washington
- JuJu Smith-Schuster (6’2″, 220), USC
- ArDarius Stewart (6’1″, 205), Alabama
- Malachi Dupre (6’2″, 190), LSU
- Isaiah Ford (6’2″, 190), Virginia Tech
- Amara Darboh (6’2″, 215), Michigan
- Chris Godwin (6’1″, 205), Penn State
- Zay Jones (6’2″, 205), East Carolina
- Noah Brown (6’2″, 220), Ohio State
- Josh Reynolds (6’3″, 197), Texas A&M
It is still really early in the draft process, but these are my top 10 receivers that fall into the parameters that the Dallas Cowboys prefer in their wide receivers. This list will likely change throughout the draft process, but that’s how I have these prospects ranked so far.
Of course, you may have noticed that Mike Williams (Clemson) and Corey Davis (Western Michigan) aren’t mentioned. That is because I don’t think either one is a realistic possibility of being available when the Cowboys are on the clock. But, if either Williams or Davis are available at 28, they do both fit the criteria.
As things stand right now, I have all 10 receivers mentioned above graded as second and third round draft picks, with the exception of Josh Reynolds, who I have slotted in the fourth round. I could also see Cooper Kupp and JuJu Smith-Schuster sliding to the first round and being drafted by a WR needy team.
Every other receiver on the list could possibly be available for the Cowboys when they are slotted to draft 60th overall in the second round or 92nd overall in the third.
It remains to be seen if the Cowboys will draft a receiver in the early rounds of the upcoming draft, but with Dez Bryant the only true outside WR on the roster, I wouldn’t bet against it.
The Dallas Cowboys will have to address the wide receiver position at some point this off-season, whether through free agency or the draft. Thankfully, we now know what type of WR they will probably be targeting if they stick to their normal parameters.
Do any of these wide receivers sound good for the Dallas Cowboys?
Please for free to use the comment section below to share your thoughts and opinions on this topic.
They do as well down the draft on WR’s as any position:
T Williams / 3rd
Dwayne Harris / 6th
Patrick Crayton / 7th
UFA’s
Miles Austin
Cole Beasley
Lucky Whitehead
I realize they will be tempted if a rated WR falls to them, but still doubt they will do it if there is a RDE or CB or even OT of good quality available.
Jerry may have to be reminded of Manziel first however…
Good chance Williams is offered more in FA than Dallas will match, whereas Butler will not be. They probably take a small leap this offseason to bank on Butler for #2 and not overspend on Williams. Then you just need 1 new cog like those above were, to prove out in camp.
To me Butler has shown improvement in both seasons in Dallas, since he was floundering on the Raiders. He seemed to add the rest of the playbook this year and not just run deep. But as a starter I presume you’d use him a lot that way – occupy a CB and a FS on a deep route while Dez works underneath that. Or throw deep if the FS bites on a play fake to Elliott, etc.
Russ, ideally I think they would prefer to target WR in the third or fourth round. But, if Mike Williams for Corey Davis slide to 28 I think they would have a hard time passing that up. It really depends on how they have them ranked on their big board. I think they stick with best player available for the most part.