One need the Dallas Cowboys should try to fill early via the 2023 NFL Draft is wide receiver. Don’t expect them to take one with their first-round pick, but one key to improving is adding someone on the outside, and he might be sitting pretty for the Cowboys in the second round.
Jayden Reed, the 6-0 foot senior from Michigan State, has been impressive this week at the Reese’s Senior Bowl.
Reed was the fastest-recorded player on the first day of the Senior Bowl. The wide receiver was clocked at 20.05 mph, with Iowa State Wideout Xavier Hutchinson the next closest at 19.92 mph.
This Michigan State WR is having a day….
— Marcus Mosher (@Marcus_Mosher) January 31, 2023
As a Michigan State fan, Reed had a very disappointing year despite being projected as one of the best wideouts in the country to start the year.
For those who pay attention to college football, Reed showed the type of talent he could be in 2021.
Last year he caught 59 passes for 1,026 yards and 10 touchdowns. It helped that he played alongside rookie standout Kenneth Walker of the Seattle Seahawks, but he will have that type of talent around him if the Cowboys happen to take him.
When doing more research on him, scouts continue to talk about his top-end speed, and he is excellent at creating separation. Before this week started, he was a top-100 prospect worthy of a day-two pick in the 2023 NFL draft. Even as an undersized wide receiver.
Here is every one-on-one rep for Michigan State WR Jayden Reed from the first two days of the Senior Bowl: pic.twitter.com/WPpLCXQSHX
— Marcus Mosher (@Marcus_Mosher) February 2, 2023
The Cowboys currently hold the 26th overall pick and then pick 58 in the second round. With the week that Reed produced, I am worried that he may not make it another 20-plus picks down to the Cowboys in the second round.
We all know Jerry Jones — the odds of him trading up to take a guy like Reed is HIGHLY unlikely. Although it would be awesome, it won’t happen.
We know the Cowboys’ most significant needs in this year’s draft. It is corner, wide receiver, and probably another edge rusher to help bolster the defense for Dan Quinn.
Dallas will take a guy like Joey Porter Jr. from Penn State in the first round if he doesn’t go earlier.
The second round is wide open for them to take a guy like Reed.
One another name I have seen on mock drafts is Jalin Hyatt from Tennessee. Hyatt finished the season with 67 receptions for 1,267 yards and set a program-record 15 touchdowns.
When you compare the numbers from Hyatt this season and Reed from last year, they are close. Hyatt has the edge, but Reed also had Walker leading the offense. Reed will be a perfect piece for this Cowboys offense if they bring back Tony Pollard.
He played in one of the best conferences in college football and could be another guy that can create a mismatch on the outside. After signing that contract last off-season, we still need to find out what is going on with Michael Gallup.
Unlike Jalen Tolbert, who the Cowboys took a year ago from an FBS school, a guy like Reed could be a real game-changer for this offense.
