Cowboys Draft 2020: 5 To Watch during Houston-Oklahoma
As the editor-in-chief of the College Football America Yearbook, I’m wrapping up Labor Day weekend in Norman, Okla., for the Houston-Oklahoma game. You’d better believe there are plenty of NFL scouts here, including some from the Dallas Cowboys.
In this edition of Cowboys Draft 2020, I take a look at five players I’m looking forward to seeing on Sunday and how they could play in a Cowboys draft world.
WR CeeDee Lamb, Oklahoma
Let’s just say, for the sake of argument, that the Cowboys are in the market for a wide receiver. A player like Lamb, one that many consider to be a first-round talent, could be on their radar. I saw him play in person as a freshman and you could tell then he was going to be special. In two seasons in Norman he had 111 catches for 1,965 yards and 18 touchdowns. Those 18 touchdowns are already rank No. 10 in OU history. With eight more, he becomes a Top 3 receiver in that category. At 6-foot-2, 191 pounds, he has the size, speed and hands to be successful in the NFL. I’m most interested in seeing his route tree. He was running mostly straight-line routes when I saw him as a freshman. As a junior with potential to go to the NFL early, scouts will want to see more polish.
TE Grant Calcaterra, Oklahoma
Is Jason Witten coming back in 2020? Who knows. The Cowboys also have free-agency issues at the position with Blake Jarwin. A player like Calcaterra could be of great interest to the Cowboys in 2020, unless they have the utmost faith in the development of Dalton Schultz. Last year’s starting tight end in Oklahoma, Mark Andrews, ended up going in the third round to Baltimore. If Calcaterra was available in the third round, that might be right in the Cowboys’ wheelhouse. Calcaterra caught the game-winner against Texas in the Big 12 title game and finished last season with 26 receptions, 6 of which went for touchdowns. He’s getting used to a new quarterback again, this time in Jalen Hurts, but his 6-foot-4, 240-pound frame is exactly what NFL scouts are looking for. He’s someone to track the entire season, if you’re interested in bolstering the tight end position.
DL Neville Gallimore, Oklahoma
I spent some time with Oklahoma head coach Lincoln Riley at Big 12 Media Days last month. The word he used about Gallimore’s speed was “rare.” As a nose tackle the past few seasons Gallimore had 118 tackles and 4.5 sacks. But this offseason Gallimore shed 30 pounds to get down to about 300 pounds and he’s the focal point in a new defensive system being installed by defensive coordinator Alex Grinch. The Sooners are going to a one-gap system, hence the weight loss and the heightened opportunities to make plays for Gallimore, who can now run a sub-4.8 40-yard dash. The Sooners want him to get to the quarterback more. They want him to be a game-changer, as opposed to just taking up space. So we’ll see for the first time if he can be that type of player on Sunday night. If he can, a first-round grade could be in the offing.
QB D’Eriq King, Houston
King is, possibly, one of the game’s best athletes at any position. But if you look for him as a quarterback on NFL draft boards, you’re going to have a hard time finding him. Most have him transitioning to wide receiver. Now, it’s easy to see why some would look at him that way. He played receiver at Houston before moving to quarterback a few years ago (he played QB in high school). He’s been highly productive behind center at Houston (he accounted for 50 touchdowns despite missing two games in 2018). And he has some of the best QB speed you’re likely to find in college football this year. Where he ends up can be assessed on a later date. I’m interested to see how he handles OU’s defense, a unit that should be much improved, on Sunday. He likely wants to play quarterback on the next level. This year is all about proving to an NFL team that he’s worth the shot (though, to be fair, after seeing him last year vs. Texas Tech, I think he’s worthy of the opportunity already).
WR Marquez Stevenson
If any Houston receiver is going to have a big season it’s going to be Stevenson, who caught more than 1,000 yards in passing a year ago. He’s a junior, so he doesn’t have to leave after this season. But another 1,000-yard season like a year ago will put the NFL in the conversation for the 6-foot, 190-pound receiver. He has the size and speed to be a slot player in the NFL and he has return experience, too. As mentioned in other Cowboys Draft articles, the Cowboys are likely to have opening on the back end of their wide receiver rotation and they’ll take a hard look at players like Stevenson, who could be available late and pay big dividends down the road. I’m most interested to see how he handles the attention from OU’s secondary on Sunday.
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