Cole Hikutini has chance of a lifetime, his lifetime, with Cowboys in 2020

For some NFL players the path to their dream job is demanding yet straight forward. Play high school football, get recruited by big-name colleges, earn playing time, get drafted and move onto the league. For others, though, there are twists and turns that make reaching the pinnacle of American sports a bit more challenging.

Dallas Cowboys tight end, Cole Hikutini, despite always being immensely talented, falls into the latter group. Now, with the tight end room looking more different than ever in Dallas, Hikutini has a chance to carve out his most substantial NFL role to-date.

Before the NFL

Hikutini attended Pleasant Grove High School in Elk Grove, California, and didn’t play football until his sophomore year. Hikutini played both sides of the ball in high school, taking reps at defensive back and wide receiver. He didn’t garner much recruiting interest, possibly due to being overshadowed by 49ers defensive lineman Arik Armstead, his high school teammate, and an eventual first-round pick in the NFL draft.

The California native’s only scholarship offer was from the Sacramento State Hornets, which happened to be just a half hour from Hikutini’s hometown. Redshirting his freshman year, he started the last four games of 2013 and finished the season with five touchdowns. A coaching change at Sacramento State drove the developing wide-receiver-turned-tight-end, to a new school.

Hikutini landed at San Francisco City College, a junior college that he hoped would be a spring board to the FBS level. His decision would pay off quickly. In his first and only season with San Francisco, the 6-foot-5, 240-pound tight end was named a JUCO All-American. Entering the 2015 season, Hikutini decided to take his talents Midwest, to become a Louisville Cardinal.

At Louisville, Hikutini was able to team up with dynamic quarterback, Lamar Jackson, and the pairing would prove beneficial to both players. Hikutini started three games as a junior in 2015, but his real coming-out season was the next year. As a senior Hikutini led the team in receptions (50), receiving touchdowns (8), and was second in receiving yards (668).

Louisville moved Hikutini all around the offensive formations, and his combination of size, crisp route-running, and athleticism made him a nightmare matchup for most ACC defenders. These abilities caught the eye of many scouts, and at one point he was being slated to be picked in the mid rounds of the draft.

Ultimately, a knee injury in a bowl-game loss to Clemson hurt Hikutini’s stock, and he was not selected in the 2017 NFL draft.

Louisville TE Cole Hikutini has excellent quickness at the top of his route. Knows how to setup defenders and create separation. pic.twitter.com/oz36yQgvu4

— Daniel Jeremiah (@MoveTheSticks) March 20, 2017

The Big Leagues

Hikutini was signed as an undrafted free by the San Francisco 49ers shortly after the draft, reuniting him with the Bay Area. There he stayed on the practice squad until Week 7 of 2017, when he caught his first pass of his career against his current employer, the Dallas Cowboys.

The former ACC standout wouldn’t get many more opportunities in San Francisco, and was eventually released before the start of the 2018 season. Just two days following his release, Hikutini signed with the Minnesota Vikings practice squad, and spent the season there before facing the same fate he did in San Francisco.

On September 2, 2019, the Dallas Cowboys signed Hikutini to a practice squad spot, and on December 30 signed him to a reserves/future contract.

The Cowboys TE Room

For the better part of two decades future Hall of Famer Jason Witten locked down the tight end position in Dallas. Now, with Witten on the Las Vegas Raiders the only thing certain is that dynamic downfield threat Blake Jarwin, will have a noteworthy role within the offense.

It’s likely the Cowboys will keep two tight ends other Jarwin, though. Dalton Schultz is a well-rounded young player out of Stanford. He was drafted in the fourth round of the 2018 draft by the Jason Garrett regime, and while he appeared in all 16 games a season ago, he recorded one catch.

In the offseason the Cowboys signed Blake Bell to a one-year, $1.7 million deal. Bell spent the previous season starting seven games for the Super Bowl Champion Chiefs. While Bell isn’t known for his receiving prowess, he is probably the best blocker of the group and that could be enough to secure his spot on the roster.

This year’s UDFA Sean McKeon out of Michigan is another big-bodied, all-around tight end that will be pushing for a roster spot as well. Hikutini is an agile pass-catching threat that is a willing blocker but still has room to improve in that department.

Hikutini will be well-entrenched in a roster battle with the names mentioned above, but the Louisville product could certainly make the team should the Cowboys want to keep a third tight end that provides a versatile receiving option with room to grow.

This is part of our Countdown to the Regular Season player profile countdown. With 86 days* remaining until the NFL’s first game, up next is tight end Dalton Schultz.