Dallas Cowboys Draft: 7 Wide Receivers for 7 Rounds

Devin Duvernay, Texas

Round Grade: Late 3rd/Early 4th

Value: Great

Percent of Trials Available: 100%

The fourth receiver on this list is Sachse High School product Devin Duvernay. Duvernay flashed in Texas’s slot receiver role. I say this with some specificity because Texas’s passing offense is one short on creativity and reliant upon pre-snap looks. In general, Texas receivers don’t have a large route tree and especially in the slot the variety gets even smaller.

However, as a prospect, Duvernay would be an ideal receiver for this team. At the scouting combine, Duvernay measured at 5-foot-11 and 200 pounds with 9 1/2 inch arms. The 200 pound number makes his 4.38-second 40-yard dash a bit more impressive as that is a lot of weight to carry. There is also no doubt that Duvernay is explosive jumping 123 inches in the broad jump and 35.5 inches in the vertical jump.

However, all these numbers were expected after watching his tape. He flies past defensive backs when he runs deep, he explodes out of his breaks, and he has great contact balance bouncing off tackles with his lower center gravity and stocky body.

There is a lot to like in Duvernay’s tape, however, as stated before, he isn’t your typical slot receiver. In the past, the Cowboys have used wide receivers Cole Beasley and Randall Cobb as their slot receivers. Beasley was known for his “saucy feet” and wicked agility. Cobb, weighing at 190 pounds, was still a fairly agile receiver even if it wasn’t at the level of Beasley.

Duvernay’s 7.13 second 3-cone drill was marginally slower than Cobb’s 7.08-second 3-cone drill but the Longhorn looks stiffer than Cobb did last year. However, for the stiffness of Duvernay, he makes it up in his speed. The stiffness might not be an issue when running intermediate and deep routes, but it can affect his short routes.

The issue with this is it restricts his route tree. In theory, Duvernay can run a slant or a whip route, however, considering NFL nickel cornerbacks react and cover quicker than Big 12 nickel cornerbacks, Duvernay might have a harder time separating against his defenders. This could result in a bigger learning curve as a starting slot receiver than others of his stature.

Of course many people, including me, could be overstating his hip stiffness. All these issues might not be such a big deal if a creative coach figures out how to use his speed and explosiveness. The Cowboys might fit here with Kellen Moore as the offensive coordinator. Using a fourth-round pick would be a great way to bolster the passing attack at an inexpensive price point.