Dallas Cowboys interested in next great mismatch TE, Luke Musgrave

The NFL is a copycat league. If you’re not innovating yourself, you’re busy chasing someone else’s successful innovations. Like all NFL teams, the Dallas Cowboys are busy assessing the latest trends and discussing how to either join the join the bandwagon.

If they watched the Super Bowl they likely noticed how two dominant tight ends played a big part in getting their respective teams to the ultimate game. Dallas Goedert and Travis Kelce are both over 6-foot-5 and 250 pounds, making them two of the bigger TEs in the league.

Kansas City’s Travis Kelce is arguably te best TE in the game. Over the years, he’s been Patrick Mahomes’ most consistent weapon and a true mismatch as pass-catcher. Last season alone he posted 110 receptions for 1,338 yards and 12 touchdowns.

With All Pro receiver Tyreek Hill off in Miami in 2022, the onus of the passing attack fell on Kelce. All he did was respond with his own All Pro season. Opponents knew the ball was going his way but could do little to stop it. He was too big, too talented, and too much of a size/speed/length mismatch.

While Goedert doesn’t have the volume stats that Kelce has, the number of weapons in Philadelphia and his usage rate are a big reason why. Goedert still caught nearly 80 percent of the balls thrown his way last season, indicating he’s a dominant weapon at the catch point and someone who can be relied on when yards get tough and the chains have to move.

Elite tight end play has been a cheap code for quite some time. From Tony Gonzalez, to Rob Gronkowski, to even Dallas’ own, Jason Witten, tight ends can be an unstoppable force down field.

While the Dallas Cowboys have a pair of attractive TEs in Jake Ferguson and Peyton Hendershot, neither are considered a top-tier mismatch TE that Kelce or Goedert are. If the Dallas Cowboys wanted to find the NFL’s next great mismatch tight end, they’d probably have to look to the draft to find one. They’d probably have to look to Oregon State tight end, Luke Musgrave.

The Dallas Cowboys reportedly showed interest in the playmaking Oregon State tight end, Luke Musgrave, at the combine.

Luke Musgrave is one of the most tantalizing weapons’ in the draft. The 6-foot-5, 253-pound prospect has a jaw-dropping highlight reel backed up by his Senior Bowl practice tape and eye witness testimonials.

Testing off the charts at the combine, Musgrave has been moving up draft boards and solidified himself as one of the first tight ends taken in the upcoming draft.

Understandably, the Dallas Cowboys reportedly showed interest in Musgrave at the draft. While they didn’t formally interview him at the event, they still have upcoming pro day visits and their official 30-visits still ahead on the schedule.

Musgrave is a down-the-field weapon that can be effective in every manor. As we profiled last weekend, Musgrave is a do-it-all TE with a high floor and high ceiling. He’s safe pick with a super star ceiling. The problem is the position in which he plays.

Like running back and linebacker, tight end is a lower value position that can easily be filled in the later rounds. Why break the bank in the first round when a player who produces 80 percent of the production can be found three or four rounds later?

Unless a team is positive they have the second coming of Kelce or Gronk, they probably want to wait. Especially the Dallas Cowboys who are excellent late round TE shoppers.

We’ll see. The Dallas Cowboys love to find mismatches so if they believe Musgrave is the ultimate mismatch, they may want to kick the tires more on the standout TE. If they think he’s just really good, they might as well stick to their old strategy and target a mid-to-late round prospect