Leading up to the 2016 NFL Draft I was nearly positive that the Dallas Cowboys would address the wide receiver position at some point, but as we know now I would have been proven wrong.
After watching the Cowboys receivers struggle throughout the 2015 season I thought for sure that the organization would have put serious thought into upgrading the position, but whether it was by design or lack of interest, they decided to forgo drafting a WR with any of their nine draft picks.
However, if you think about it in a roundabout way they did use a 2016 draft pick on a wide receiver when they traded their 2016 5th round pick to the Oakland Raiders in order to obtain the rights to Brice Butler. Butler may have been one of the top WRs if he would’ve been a part of the 2016 draft class if you compare his pre-draft measurables against the other receivers.
Brice Butler’s pre-draft measurables
| Ht. | Wt. | 40-yd dash | 10-yd split | 20-yd split | 20-ss | 3-cone | Vert | Broad | BP |
| 6’3″ | 214 | 4.37 sec | 1.54 sec | 2.58 sec | 4.40 | 6.70 | 39 “ | 10’9″ | DNP |
If you take a close look at Butler’s pre-draft measurables, you will notice that based on these numbers he would have been one of the top WRs in the 2016 draft class.
It’s no secret that the 2016 wide receiver draft class was one of the slowest in recent memory and after the first couple of rounds the majority of the receivers were best suited to play out of the slot. There were very few outside wide receivers available and they went early in the first few rounds.
In fact, the only WR that comes close to being comparable with Butler is former Notre Dame wideout Will Fuller, who was drafted by the Houston Texans with the 21st pick overall the first round.
Will Fuller’s pre-draft measurables.
| Ht. | Wt. | 40-yd dash | 10-yd split | 20-yd split | 20-ss | 3-cone | Vert | Broad | BP |
| 6’0″ | 184 | 4.32 sec | 1.51 sec | 2.51 sec | DNP | DNP | 33.5″ | 10’6″ | DNP |
You may have noticed that Fuller is 3 inches shorter and nearly 30 pounds lighter than Butler. Also, it would seem as if Butler might just be a little more explosive since he had better vertical and broad jump numbers.
Honestly, I believe that Butler is a better receiver than Fuller is and might just have more upside than any other receiver that was a part of the 2016 draft class.
Butler has yet to really get the chance to showcase his skill set. For some reason or another he was never able to crack the starting lineup with the Raiders and with the Cowboys last year he showed flashes of what type of weapon he could become, but struggled with a reoccurring hamstring injury the majority of the year.
Terrance Williams and Brice Butler are both entering the final year of their rookie contracts and could be competing against one another for that number two receiver spot. Not only are they competing for more playing time, but they could be competing to see if one of them earns a contract extension with the Cowboys.
This will be an interesting position battle to keep track of leading up to the season opener against the division rival New York Giants.
I for one am looking forward to seeing what Butler can do with a full off-season working with Tony Romo. He could possibly be the deep threat that fans have been wanting for several years now.
In 2015, Butler called 12 passes for 258 receiving yards, but averaged 21.5 yards per reception. That’s definitely what I would like to see more of in the Cowboys offense in 2016.
So, to answer the question why the Cowboys didn’t draft a WR in the 2016 NFL Draft?
You can just look at the player wearing #19 and know the Cowboys might just have something up their sleeve for the 2016 season.
I was already excited about Butler this year and this just kicked it up a notch. I really hope he gets every opportunity to beat Williams for the starting job, because I like the idea of his speed stretching the defense to let Dez, Witten, and Beasley get things done underneath.
My thoughts exactly! I'm hoping that Butler and Romo can develop a chemistry during the off-season. I can't tell you how much it frustrates me when Williams body catches passes. Butler however is a hands catcher with a much larger catching radius. I'm really excited to see what he can do with this opportunity.
Wow Brian you really went out on a limb here. You said he is better than Will Fuller and has more upside than any other receiver in the draft? Really? Based on what? Glimmers? You said for some reason or another he could not crack the lineup in Oakland. That told me a lot as Oakland was really hurting for receivers and he could not step up. He came to Dallas with me very skeptical. He is really going to need to make serious strides to live up to the hype. Right now he is nothing but potential with a small p.
I'm not a big fan of Fuller at all. If not for his speed he would be considered an average receiver. Butler has the same type of speed, but is much more capable of making plays all over the field. And I do believe that he may have more upside than just about any of the receivers drafted. Sometimes it takes a while for these players to develop or get the opportunity to even get a chance to showcase their skills. I think that's where Butler stands right now. Romo tends to make WRs better and that's what I'm predicting it will happen.