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Dallas Cowboys: 10 Wide Receivers and Their Fit

By Adithya Prabakaran

COLUMBIA, SC - SEPTEMBER 16: Wide receiver Deebo Samuel #1 of the South Carolina Gamecocks outruns defenders from the Kentucky Wildcats for a touchdown at Williams-Brice Stadium on September 16, 2017 in Columbia, South Carolina. (Photo by Todd Bennett/GettyImages)
COLUMBIA, SC - SEPTEMBER 16: Wide receiver Deebo Samuel #1 of the South Carolina Gamecocks outruns defenders from the Kentucky Wildcats for a touchdown at Williams-Brice Stadium on September 16, 2017 in Columbia, South Carolina. (Photo by Todd Bennett/GettyImages) /
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NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – JANUARY 01: Lil’Jordan Humphrey #84 of the Texas Longhorns breaks the tackle of J.R. Reed #20 of the Georgia Bulldogs during the first half of the Allstate Sugar Bowl at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on January 01, 2019 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – JANUARY 01: Lil’Jordan Humphrey #84 of the Texas Longhorns breaks the tackle of J.R. Reed #20 of the Georgia Bulldogs during the first half of the Allstate Sugar Bowl at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on January 01, 2019 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images) /

Lil’Jordan Humphrey, Texas

What’s Good: Size, Contested Catches, Physicality

What Ain’t Good: Athleticism

Humphrey did not have a great combine, but as we know the combine is not the end of all. Humphrey’s film is impressive when you consider how relatively “nonathletic” he is compared to many other receivers in this draft.

Texas’s passing game took a big step in the right direction with some consistency and development on the part of Sam Ehlinger. Tom Herman likes to have mobile quarterbacks in his “Power 0” offense but Ehlinger’s ability to pass really helped the offense down the stretch last season.

This development in the passing offense really helped LJ. While primarily playing in the slot, he was able to use his body much like Jalen Hurd does in the slot. In fact, both are comparable in size and position with Hurd being far more agile and slightly faster than Humphrey.

So what does Humphrey do well? He has a knack for getting open in zone coverage. He isn’t a super polished route runner, but he is able to find cushions in zone coverage better than a lot of faster wide receivers. He also uses his big body and strength to create separation.

In the slot, when the nickel corner plays man coverage against Humphrey, he will use his strength to knock corners off him. In jump ball situations, he has fantastic high-pointing ability and comes up with ridiculous catches all the time.

After the catch, he uses his strength and vision to gain more yards after the catch. This helps him offset his lack of speed issue.

A 4.75 40 yard dash isn’t good for a receiver especially for a receiver who lost about 15 pounds for the combine. (NFL has him listed at 210 pounds but his playing weight is about 225) While he did have a decent 3 cone drill time at 7.09 seconds, his short shuttle of 4.29 seconds was not good news.

In addition, for a guy who made a living off of contested catches, Humphrey’s vertical jump was only 33.5″. In all, his athleticism does not measure well for NFL success regardless if he is a high character/high football intelligence type of guy.

Humphrey, a Southlake Carroll Alumnus, was a Dallas Day visit for the Cowboys. I have not heard anything between the Cowboys and Humphrey after his Dallas Day visit. Humphrey also doesn’t fit the general mold of what the Cowboys look for in their receivers so the odds of the Cowboys drafting him are quite unlikely.

In reality, Humphrey’s combine and pro day make him an undrafted free agent even considering his fantastic production last season. It would be awesome to see someone like Humphrey beat the odds and play consistent snaps on an NFL team, but the question remains, will teams be willing to give him the chance?

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