Tag: Jalen Moreno-Cropper

‘The Jalens’ leading WR race early in Cowboys camp

Jalen Tolbert, Jalen Brooks and Jalen Moreno-Cropper are separating from the pack in Cowboys camp. | From @ReidDHanson

Jalen Tolbert, Jalen Brooks and Jalen Moreno-Cropper have been standout performers early in Cowboys camp. It’s clear the three young receivers have eagerly taken on the challenge laid before them this summer. They’ve stepped up into the void Dallas had at the WR position and showed concerns are best placed elsewhere on the roster.

There have been tales of Tolbert’s maturation at the position for months. But with only 22 receptions for 268 yards of production on the record, many fans have taken on a “I’ll believe it when I see it” attitude to the former third-round pick.

Tolbert’s skillset and draft status make him the early favorite to claim the coveted WR3 role in 2024. The 6-foot-1, 195-pound product of South Alabama has deep-ball speed and juice to be a run after the catch weapon. After a year of the yips as a rookie, Tolbert came on strong in his second year, effectively splitting snaps with Michael Gallup late in the season.

Joining Tolbert in the highlight reels has been Brooks, the Cowboys seventh-round pick from 2023. Brooks has been every bit as impressive as Tolbert without overlapping in too many ways. If Tolbert has the juice, it’s Brooks who has the attitude.

At 6-foot-1, 201 pounds, the South Carolina product is a fearless player who plays bigger than his size. After already establishing himself as a solid special teams contributor in his rookie season, Brooks looks eager to snag a bigger role on offense in Year 2.

Brooks has been quick off the snap and strong in his breaks. His ability to run block and win slant routes stands out among his peers and could win a steady role on the Cowboys in 2024.

Rounding out this Jalen-fest is second year man Moreno-Cropper. A training camp standout in 2023, Moreno-Cropper is hoping to build on his rookie effort and turn it into a permanent spot on the active roster.

At just 6-foot, 172-pounds, Moreno-Cropper is the smallest of the Jalens but by no means should be taken for granted in this battle. He’s been a model of stability at WR and is fully in the mix for a top-six role on the depth chart.

The Cowboys are actively looking for ways to give him work and even using him on punt return duties alongside David Durden, KaVontae Turpin and Deuce Vaughn.

For full transparency, Mike Zimmer and his secondary are deserving of the most praise in these unpadded portions of camp. They’ve rolled out coverage looks that have largely been foreign throughout the previous Dan Quinn era.

But the WR battlers deserves its recognition as well. No one knew exactly what to expect from this unproven bunch of pass-catchers and it was prompting some concern of late. Luckily for everyone, the Jalens are on the case, working together to form a cohesive and complementary trio at the WR position.

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Cowboys QB Will Grier names 2 bubble WRs who have impressed during camp

From @ToddBrock24f7: Dennis Houston and Jalen Moreno-Cropper may have an inside track on the Cowboys’ remaining roster spots, if the presumed QB3 had a vote.

As the 2023 preseason winds down, the Cowboys still have 13 wide receivers in the building. That surely won’t be the case after Tuesday’s cut deadline.

CeeDee Lamb, Brandin Cooks, and Michael Gallup are locked in as the starters. KaVontae Turpin is assuredly on the team, too, thanks mostly to the return skills that made him the USFL MVP in 2022. Jalen Tolbert has made massive strides over his second offseason and appears to have kept his seat at the table. And while the MRI results aren’t back at the time of this writing, undrafted rookie David Durden figures to be out of the mix entirely after a possible ACL tear suffered on Wednesday.

Last year, the Cowboys put eight wide receivers on the initial 53-man roster, but one of them was Gallup, who the team knew would miss the start of the season. Once the dust settled a few days later, there were seven receivers on the official roster and two more on the practice squad.

If those numbers hold true again in 2023, there would be two more open roster spots and two practice squad jobs, with seven remaining receivers battling for them. More than that would be a surprise. It could be fewer. Cowboys Wire’s K.D. Drummond projected the team to keep just five receivers and three practice squadders on the initial 53.

It’s hard to say definitively which Dallas receivers have an inside track to sticking around; all have flashed in moments through training camp.

Fifth-year quarterback Will Grier, himself seemingly headed for the practice squad as QB3 behind Dak Prescott and Cooper Rush, has perhaps a unique perspective on this group of little-known camp bodies, as he has probably put in more reps with them than anyone.

And the 28-year-old had two names that jumped out to him when asked who has impressed.

“I think Jalen [Moreno-]Cropper’s done a great job making plays,” Grier told reporters after Wednesday’s practice at The Star, adding, “Dennis Houston’s a consistent guy every day: gets separation.”

Moreno-Cropper is in his first year in the pros, an undrafted product out of Fresno State. He turned several heads in Oxnard with speedy route-running and good hands.

Houston came to the Cowboys as an undrafted free agent last year after finishing his college career at Western Illinois. He made the initial roster in 2022, got onto the field in Weeks 1 and 2, but then was waived upon Gallup’s return. He was re-signed shortly thereafter and spent the rest of the season on the Cowboys practice squad.

Both Moreno-Cropper and Houston- along with Simi Fehoko, Dontario Drummond, Jalen Brooks, Jose Barbon, and Tyron Johnson- hope to show enough potential to stick around. Extended employment with the Cowboys could put any of them on the same track as Tolbert and give them a chance to similarly boost their stock for the future.

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Grier, like everyone else in Dallas, has noticed the quantum leap made by the youngster from South Alabama.

“I think his physicality and his approach way back in the offseason- you’re seeing pay off now,” Grier said of 2022’s third-round draft pick. “He gets open, he gets separation, he’s blocking his ass off. He’s doing a great job.”

All of the receivers vying for a roster spot have one more chance to make a lasting impression in Saturday’s preseason finale versus Las Vegas.

Grier’s advice for them? Approach it the same way he will be.

“It’s just an opportunity for guys to go out and not force it and just play how they always play and let the rest take care of itself.”

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Jalen Moreno-Cropper backing up dark horse status in Cowboys camp

The Fresno St. product is turning heads in training camp and is a legitimate dark horse candidate to win a spot on the final roster. | From @ReidDHanson

It’s fair to say Cowboys Nation didn’t exactly erupt in jubilation when Dallas signed receiver Jalen Moreno Cropper as an undrafted free agent (UDFA) this past spring. On paper, the Cowboys receiver hierarchy was already relatively stacked. CeeDee Lamb, Brandin Cooks and Michael Gallup were virtual locks at the top half of the depth chart and young players like Jalen Tolbert, Simi Fehoko and Jalen Brooks had an inside track on the bottom half because of their draft status.

Together with Pro Bowler return man KaVontae Turpin, the Cowboys had seven players more pedigreed than Moreno-Cropper, making a push for the 53-man roster an uphill battle for the Fresno State product. It wasn’t an indictment on Moreno-Cropper as a prospect, it’s just the situation in Dallas just wasn’t brimming with opportunity. But as fellow UDFA Dennis Houston showed everyone just a season ago, anything can happen when training camp begins.

Moreno-Cropper, 5-foot-11, 172-pounds, didn’t sign with the Cowboys as a nobody. He finished fifth in school history in receptions after being one of Fresno State’s highest recruited players.

His ability to catch the ball in small windows and create yards after the catch with ease made him one of the better West Coast WR prospects in the class. While Moreno-Cropper played both slot and X in college, his play style and size peg him more as a slot player in the NFL.

The Cowboys were likely drawn to his ability to be an impact player over the middle and collect yards after the catch – two areas they plan to improve on in 2023.

In training camp, Moreno-Cropper appears to be every bit as fast as his clocked 4.40 40-speed indicates. He’s been a flashing star both on the short inside routes as well as downfield. He’s shown the ability to go get balls outside his natural catch radius and is packaging big plays with consistency in practices.

Like may teams, the Cowboys are facing a numbers crunch at WR. With more viable players than roster spots, every day in training camp matters to someone like Moreno-Cropper. He has to show he’s a more capable option than drafted players, and that’s no small hill to climb over the next few weeks.

But early returns indicate he’s doing what he needs to do to keep his dreams alive and eventually change his dark horse status into true challenger status.

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2023 NFL draft: Alex’s final 7-round projections for Chargers

Find out how Chargers Wire’s Alex Katson thinks the 2023 NFL draft will play out for Los Angeles.

We are just one day away from the beginning of the 2023 NFL draft, an event bound to unite Chargers fans everywhere in their optimism about the future of the team.

(Okay, maybe not. But it will at least shift the talking points to something else.)

With 24 hours to go, here’s my crack at what the Chargers could do over the next three days. Keep in mind that while this is a predictive mock, it’s naturally influenced by a number of biases – familiarity with certain players, the big board on the mock draft simulator I use, things I would like to see the team do even if they bend tendencies a bit, etc. Now that we have that disclaimer out of the way, you’re not allowed to yell at me. Let’s get into it.

2023 NFL Draft Profile: Fresno State WR Jalen Moreno-Cropper

The Bulldogs wide receiver has been one of the Central Valley’s best talents in recent years. Can he stand out in a deep draft class?

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2023 NFL Draft Profile: Fresno State WR Jalen Moreno-Cropper

The Bulldogs wide receiver has been one of the Central Valley’s best talents in recent years. Can he stand out in a deep draft class?

Contact/Follow @MattK_FS & @MWCwire

The speedy Bulldog looks to make a splash in the pros.

One of the hallmarks of Jeff Tedford’s return to Fresno State has been an emphasis on keeping local talent at home and, to this point in his tenure, no one exemplifies that better than Jalen Moreno-Cropper.

A native of Parlier, California, Moreno-Cropper was the Bulldogs’ top-rated recruit in 2019 and didn’t waste a lot of time living up to the hype by starting five games as a true freshman that fall. From there, he led Fresno State in receptions and receiving yards for the next three years while establishing himself as one of the best big-play threats anywhere in the Mountain West with 37 plays of 20 or more yards from 2020 to 2022.

Now in the books as one of the most productive wide receivers in program history, Moreno-Cropper will hope to avoid a long wait at this year’s NFL Draft as a member of a well-stocked class.

Measurables (taken from Mockdraftable)

Highlights

Strengths

One thing that pops off of Moreno-Cropper’s tape is his versatility. In his time with the Bulldogs, he played inside and outside as a wide receiver, took the occasional fly sweep for Kalen DeBoer and Jeff Tedford, and even threw a few passes. The confidence to give him that diversity of plays comes from above-average acceleration and play speed which manifests itself in a few key ways: The Athletic’s Dane Brugler notes that Moreno Cropper is “smooth” (a term also utilized by NFL Draft Buzz and HERO Sports’ Robert Munoz) and “slippery with the ball in his hands” while NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein points to “tempo alteration” that often gives him the space to get open.

Weaknesses

Will he consistently play as an outside receiver in the NFL? In his first two years at Fresno State, Moreno-Cropper played considerably more snaps in the slot than he did in 2022 — 220 in 2020, 394 in 2021, but just 82 last season — and considering that he’s on the smaller side of this year’s pass catcher class, teams may have divergent views of what kind of role he’d ultimately play in their offense.

Another related worry is whether he’ll have the requisite strength to beat press coverage, especially if offenses want him to run routes all over the field. In that same vein, draft analysts are split on whether that dearth of strength will affect his ability to win 50-50 balls down the field at the next level: Brugler and Zierlein are bearish on this, while others like Brentley Wiessman of The Draft Network appear more optimistic.

NFL Comparison

Tyler Lockett

Draft Prediction

Fresno State has had a knack for developing wide receivers in the 21st century, with seven NFL Draft selections at the position since 2002, and Cropper offers plenty to fit right in with the likes. The biggest question is whether a team will like his potential to play outside enough to snag him before others can, but it doesn’t seem likely that he’ll last long on Day Three, so I’d wager he’ll be a fifth-round pick.

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30 Browns prospects in 30 days: Jalen Moreno-Cropper, WR, Fresno State

Moreno-Cropper would be a solid day-three pick.

The Cleveland Browns could use more depth and long-term answers at wide receiver and Fresno State’s Jalen Moreno-Cropper could be a prime candidate in the 2023 NFL draft. Cropper is a good route runner that knows how to create separation with his quick feet and ability to make cuts and change direction on a dime.

He gets in and out of breaks at an impressive rate and uses elite 4.4 speed to create yardage after the catch. A willing blocker that can open some rushing lanes on the outside for the run game. Cropper tracks the ball well when it’s in the air as a deep-threat target.

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Lions 2023 NFL draft: A wide receiver prospect for each round

Identifying a wide receiver prospect for each round fo the 2023 NFL draft that should appeal to the Detroit Lions

The Detroit Lions had one of the most prolific passing offenses in the NFL in 2022. A steady group of wide receivers headlined by Amon-Ra St. Brown came together nicely in coordinator Ben Johnson’s offense with QB Jared Goff at the helm.

St. Brown is back for 2023, as is last year’s first-round dynamo, Jameson Williams. Josh Reynolds and Kalif Raymond are also back as valuable contributors, while the Lions brought back old friend Marvin Jones in free agency.

It’s a deep group but one without a lot of long-term commitment; only Williams and St. Brown are under contract beyond 2023. GM Brad Holmes could certainly look to add another longer-term piece into the receiving corps in the 2023 NFL draft.

Lions 2023 draft: A linebacker for (almost) every round

Here is one wide receiver prospect that fits the Lions from each round of the draft. Detroit doesn’t currently have any picks in the fourth or seventh rounds, but players from those ranges are included because trades happen all the time during the draft weekend.

The purpose here isn’t to advocate for any one player but to give a better idea of the type of talent available at each level of the 2023 NFL draft.

Vikings draft prospects: 8 players that impressed at the combine on Saturday

The quarterbacks and pass catchers got onto the field on Saturday afternoon and they delivered in a big way

The NFL Scouting Combine kicked off with a bang on Thursday afternoon by starting with the defensive lineman and linebackers. There was a lot of intrigue with this group, especially at the top.

On Friday, we got the secondary players with the cornerbacks and safeties. This is one of, if not the, deepest class in recent memory.

Saturday was the day everyone was waiting for. The day we got to see the quarterbacks throw and the wide receivers run. Needless to say, they didn’t disappoint.

Here were the seven players that stood out on Saturday.