'I'll Help Change the Culture': Rookie WR Jalen Tolbert Makes Bold Cowboys Promise

Said Cowboys personnel boss Will McClay: "He’s got size, he’s extremely intelligent and the type of player that you want to grow in that room because of his intelligence.''

FRISCO - The Dallas Cowboys entered this NFL Draft with a plan to select a wide receiver who is a difference-maker.

According to South Alabama standout Jalen Tolbert, they got something more than that. ...

A culture-changer.

Tolbert expressed via a video his excitement on being with the Cowboys as their third-round pick, saying, he is “coming down there to win a Super Bowl.”

But there was much more than that.

"I cannot wait to get down to The Star and get to work and earn the star on my helmet,” Tolbert said in a video released by the Cowboys. “I’m looking forward to come down and continuing to help change the culture and coming down there to win a Super Bowl.”

Talk of work ethic? Nice.

Talk of "earning the star''? Always good.

Super Bowl aspirations? Why not?

But after trading Amari Cooper and losing Cedrick Wilson in free agency, are the Cowboys in need of a "culture change''? Or just a good player who can catch the football?

And not to be rude, but ... what in the world does a kid from South Alabama know about the Cowboys culture? (Unless Tolbert got info by "vibing'' on the phone with Dak Prescott in the days leading up to him being drafted?)

Maybe it's just something guys say by rote; the team the 6-1, 194-pounder is joining actually believes that thanks to leaders like Dak Prescott and Micah Parsons, the "culture'' is just fine. (Though maybe some more "big-boy'' attitude is needed.)

Tolbert snagged 82 receptions for 1,474 yards and eight TDs in 2021, and does figure to be a helper behind CeeDee Lamb. NFL.com draft analyst Lance Zierlein calls him a "silky-smooth athlete who has morphed into a monster over the last two seasons. Tolbert is a high-character prospect with skill elements that are dripping with NFL potential. ... He could turn ... into a top-flight WR2.”

Said Cowboys personnel boss Will McClay: "He’s got size, he’s extremely intelligent and the type of player that you want to grow in that room because of his intelligence, his relationship that he’s formed already with the quarterback (Prescott) .. The upside is there because he’s an NFL-style receiver, body style, size, ability to find space, to play inside and outside. So, that versatility made him very attractive to us.”

And, on top of everything else ... maybe Tolbert is a culture-changer.

The Cowboys started the process filling needs with their early picks of "shocker'' Round 1 offensive lineman Tyler Smith (info here), Round 2 edge Sam Williams (a controversial pick) and Round 3 receiver Tolbert (already "hooking up'' with Dak.) The rest of Dallas' picks, and their evaluations, can be found here.

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