Former Scout impressed by this Cowboys sixth round rookie
A former NFL scout names this Dallas Cowboys sixth round pick to be the rookie he was the most impressed with during last weekend’s minicamp.
All of the Dallas Cowboys rookies attended a minicamp last weekend to get them accustomed to what they’ll be doing the next few months as they prepare for their regular season debuts. It was the first time observers got a chance to see these players in action in a Cowboys uniform.
Following the minicamp, the DallasCowboys.com writing staff was asked which rookie player impressed them the most during the practices. Former NFL Scout Bryan Broaddus actually selected the final prospect chosen by the Cowboys in last month’s NFL Draft.
"“I’ll go with Rico Gathers and I’ll tell you why,” analyst Bryan Broaddus revealed during an episode of The Writer’s Roundtable on the Cowboys official website. “Because I didn’t expect a whole heck of a lot from him coming from the Basketball court to the football field. I thought it was something that was going to be a challenge for him…[He] played in a right-handed stance, played in a left-handed stance, ability to get up the field, looked really comfortable adjusting to footballs. So, give me Rico Gathers for someone who hadn’t play a lot of football he looked pretty comfortable with what he was doing.”"
Having not played football since he was 13 years-old, many didn’t know what to expect when the All-American power forward out of Baylor decided he wanted to try out for the NFL. It was during his senior season that Gathers began contemplating a return to the football field.
Following the Bear’s early mid-March exit from the NCAA tournament, Gathers started working out with tight ends coach Art Valero and former Washington Redskins safety Ryan Clark. He also had former Green Bay Packers quarterback Matt Flynn as his throwing partner.
In that span, Gathers has transformed enough to surprise Broaddus. But one person who isn’t surprised is Rico’s brother, who described his sibling as a football player who was trying to play basketball rather than the other way around.
ESPN’s Sports Science recently compared Gather’s raw physical abilities to that of Jacksonville Jaguars starting tight end Julius Thomas. But Cowboys tight end coach Mike Pope warned that the former Basketball star is still very raw.
"“Coach Loney and I, it doesn’t say Houdini on our doors,” Pope told ESPN concerning Gathers’ development. “It says Coach. We can’t just make a guy, turn over, get up tomorrow and be ready to go. He’s going to be a while…He doesn’t have any habits. That’s a good way to put it.”"
Translation: The physical traits are there, but let’s temper those expectations for now.
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