Cowboys HC Mike McCarthy: ‘The versatility of WR play, to me, is key.’

Neither head coach nor the org have been fond of drafting smaller WRs, but the reason maybe where they line up rather than their size. | From @ReidDHanson

The Cowboys appear to be on the hunt for a receiver this draft cycle. Despite adding Brandin Cooks to round out their top-3, Dallas has focused much of their attention on high-end receiver prospects in the draft.

They’ve had official visits from a wide range of receivers, ranging from long and lean, to small and quick, to burners, to possession guys… they’ve looked at them all.

The diversity in their scouting has raised some eyebrows. With the exception of Ryan Switzer in 2017, the Cowboys have historically steered clear of small receivers. Something Matt Owen dove into this offseason is how Mike McCarthy has the shown the same proclivity throughout his career, rarely wading in the waters of the kiddie pool and virtually striking anyone this side of Randall Cobb (5-foot-10, 191 pounds) off the board entirely.

It seems the scouting of Flowers and Downs (5-foot-10, 182 pounds/5-foot-9, 171 pounds, respectively) runs contrary to all previous behavior of both McCarthy and the Cowboys. This could indicate a few different things: It could mean players like Flowers or Downs are smokescreens and not really under consideration. It could also mean they are exceptions to the rule. It could even mean a change of heart.

Ben Grimaldi recently broached the size subject, taking note of the smaller prospects being considered and suggesting times may be changing and Dallas is leaving “no stone unturned.” And recent statements by McCarthy (regarding the addition of Cooks), indicate size may not be as important as the ability to play outside.

“The versatility of wide receiver play, to me, is key,” McCarthy said when asked about the 5-foot-10 Cooks. “Because when you can play an individual inside and outside, obviously it gives him more flexibility, more opportunities for him personally, but it makes other guys around him better. I think you can see that now with CeeDee, his ability to play inside and outside and have that type of versatility.”

The Cowboys have been prone to move their pass-catchers around in order to exploit match-ups and free up their top weapons. CeeDee Lamb took 439 of his snaps in the slot in 2022 and enjoyed a career season largely because of it.

It seems as if slot-only receivers are a bigger issue than stature.

Flowers may be small in stature but he logged a large percentage of his snaps outside. Other short players like Tank Dell, Tyler Scott and Jordan Addison also showed the ability to win outside.

Players like Jaxon Smith-Njigba (at the bottom of the expanded graphic), Jalin Hyatt and Downs, who lived in the slot, don’t have the same resume. Yet they may be players the Cowboys simply project to have some outside ability.

Looking at where snaps were taken shows plenty of small receivers contributed on the outside and height was by no means a sentence to be slot-only.

It’s unlikely Dallas intends to draft a slot-only player. Their history and recent statements indicate inside-outside ability is the deciding factor and if they’re scouting a shorter prospect, it’s likely because they believe he can play on the outside

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