It’s officially draft season at The Star, and with the abundance of needs the Dallas Cowboys have to fill, it’s hard to narrow down their first-round targets to just one position. If you were to do so, however, wide receiver might be the spot to choose.
From my early viewings, this appears to be a good wide receiver class.
From first-round locks like Alabama’s Calvin Ridley, to under the radar studs like Maryland’s DJ Moore, this wide-out class is rather impressive. One player in particular has caught my eye recently, and has jumped toward the top of my draft wish-list for the Dallas Cowboys.
Colorado State Wide Receiver Michael Gallup
I recently wrote up a scouting report on Gallup for Slant Sports in which I detailed what makes him such an intriguing prospect.
The 21-year-old Gallup caught 100 balls last season for Colorado State, finishing with 1,413 receiving yards and 7 touchdowns. At 6’1″ and about 200-pounds, Michael Gallup is the perfect productive Z receiver that any NFL offense would want.
Michael Gallup’s Toughness is Constantly on Display
He has no fear of going over the middle, and with strong and consistent hands he often brings in balls in traffic. Gallup creates easy separation against defensive backs, utilizing his speed, footwork and smarts to win in the secondary.
He is also dangerous after the catch, and possesses the ability to take any ball he catches the distance.
“Against Toledo here, Gallup adjusts his slant route to find the soft spot in the zone. Once he gets behind the backers and underneath the safeties, Gallup turns his head and looks for the ball. He smoothly brings the ball into his hands, and then does the rest with his legs.” ~ SlantSports.com
Gallup is a smooth route runner, but it is his understanding of how to exploit particular coverages that is most impressive.
In the clip below, Gallup uses his football IQ to beat Idaho’s zone coverage and come away with an easy touchdown.
Gallup was originally supposed to run a drag route, but as soon as he sees there’s no safety in the middle, and that the linebackers are too shallow to beat with the drag, he breaks off his route and gets behind the coverage.
His ability to read the defense on the fly and adjust his route is very valuable.
I currently have Michael Gallup graded as a top-3 receiver in this class. He’s a physical Z receiver with strong hands who creates easy separation with his efficient route running. He is exactly what the doctor ordered for Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys’ passing offense.
For more on Gallup, be sure to check out my full scouting report over at Slant Sports.
You should do one on Courtland Sutton he’s a pretty good Wr
When combine stats are in and I can see a WR with blazing speed – 4.3, 4.2 – someone who is a legit WR like Gallup, that to me is when he gets on the board for possible #1 pick. I’m open to it but it has to be an impact player.
The OL need is a bit ahead of WR for me, so I’m going there 1st round if I can get either an impact OG or OT – better yet a swing man. You can’t get everything else in line next year, and then have a contending season wrecked because Tyron Smith went down or one of the interior guys. This offseason starts with that as top priority IMO.
Then of course you see who falls. If it’s WR like a guy above, and there’s no Tyron or Zack Martin on the board – that will be a big boost for the team. Same if there is a Sean Lee sitting there – take him. Impact RDE’s never fall – but if so, again best available athlete, take him.
One thing Linehan and Garrett wiffed on in 2017 IMO, is expecting Dez to still draw double coverage and open up the route tree for others – that time appears now to be over. Because of his physicality, he could still be a wrecking ball except Dallas is not using him right. If you draft and set up a Bob Hayes opposite Dez – a guy who will terrify secondaries and force the FS to hang way back – Dez should be able to clean up underneath.
Agreed on all points, Russ. Plus, luckily in this draft class I think you can find a good OG on Day 2 of the draft. This will be helpful if they can go defense round 1 and then WR/OL on day 2.