Going undrafted is hardly a death blow to a player’s hopes of making it into the NFL. We’ve seen many examples of players who have lengthy careers despite humble beginnings, and plenty of them happened right here in Dallas. Could offensive tackle Mitch Hyatt be the next undrafted success story for the Cowboys?
Hyatt just finished his college career at Clemson as a four-year starter, two-time national champion, and two-time All-American. While not an elite draft prospect, many had Mitch rated as at least a 5th-7th round pick. His going undrafted was a surprise.
While he measures with good size at 6’5″ and a little over 300 lbs., Hyatt lacks upper body strength. But he’s overcome that deficiency through the years with work ethic, motor, and smarts.
For the Cowboys, it’s a lot easier to help a guy gain strength than it is to try and improve motivation or intelligence.
Dallas was not the only team interested in Mitch Hyatt once he hit free agency. But from the rookie’s own lips, he didn’t have a hard decision to make.
“’I received a fair amount of calls. It was a pretty chaotic five to 10 minutes for me,’” Hyatt said. “’I had a whole bunch of people in my ear. But I knew what kind of team the Cowboys were, I knew what they were about.’”
Whether it was the reputation of the Cowboys organization, its vaunted offensive line, or the chance to work with Coach Marc Colombo, Hyatt was clearly drawn to Dallas. Another reason for that may have been the perceived opportunity to make the roster.
The Cowboys seem to already be preparing for life without La’el Collins in 2020, when Collins is set to hit free agency. They gave Cam Fleming a two-year deal which keeps him through next year, plus drafted Connor McGovern in the third round of the 2019 draft. It suggests Dallas isn’t planning to pay La’l the significant money he should demand.
If Fleming gets promoted to the starting job at right tackle, that would leave a vacancy for swing tackle in 2020. Mitch Hyatt could be one of Dallas’ options for that role.
Even if the Cowboys don’t keep Hyatt on the 53-man roster in 2019, they will likely try to put him on the practice squad. Ideally, a year of physical development there will make him a much stronger candidate for the 2020 season.
Of course, the reason we know those undrafted success stories so well is because they aren’t typical. The odds are against Mitch Hyatt having any NFL career, but his collegiate success and intangibles speak to a guy who’s worth taking a chance on.
If it works out, credit the Cowboys for continuing the tradition of Tony Romo, Miles Austin, Jeff Heath, and other undrafted players who became significant contributors.
