Will the Dallas Cowboys reach for Michael Gallup in the draft?

The Dallas Cowboys may need a wide receiver to replace Dez Bryant this season. Is Colorado State’s Michael Gallup the answer? And is the first round too high?

The Dallas Cowboys could certainly be in the market for a wide receiver this offseason. Especially if veteran Dez Bryant is released. Suddenly, drafting a receiver with the 19th overall selection in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft makes perfect sense.

And many have identified names like Alabama’s Calvin Ridley, SMU’s Courtland Sutton and Texas A&M’s Christian Kirk as possible first round candidates. But that list will likely change with the NFL Scouting Combine scheduled to take place for late next month.

Following this weekend’s Senior Bowl, even more names like LSU’s D.J. Chark, Oklahoma State’s James Washington and Colorado State’s Michael Gallup have been highlighted as possible sleepers at wide receiver in this draft class.

But here’s something interesting. The football analytic website Pro Football Focus recently produced a mock draft that actually has Gallup going to Dallas in the first round, 19th overall. The amusing thing is, many see the wide out prospect as a Day Two target – meaning fourth round or lower.

"“Dallas could go a number of ways here, but they add another receiving threat in Gallup, who can win with speed down the field and toughness at the catch point,” wrote Steve Palazzolo on Pro Football Focus in a recent Mock Draft. “He was the nation’s top-graded receiver in 2017 at 92.1 overall, and he adds another weapon for QB Dak Prescott.”"

In reviewing Gallup, he certainly has the production you’d want to see out of a potential first round receiver. After spending two seasons at Butler Community College, the six-foot-one, 200 pound receiver transferred to Colorado State. There, he racked up 176 receptions for 2,690 yards and 21 touchdowns in two years.

Not a particularly speedy receiver, Gallup has a game similar to Dez Bryant. He’s a well-built wide out who can go up for 50/50 balls, is physical to the point of attack and is a hard man to bring down after the catch. During Senior Bowl practices, Gallup did showcase enough speed to gain separation going deep and an uncanny ability to track the football.

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At this point, it appears it would be a rather “big reach” for the Dallas Cowboys to consider drafting Colorado State wide receiver Michael Gallup in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft. But the Cowboys will have the upcoming Scouting Combine and plenty of other workouts to help determine if Gallup is their guy or not. And if they fall in love with him, who knows?