Four options for the Dallas Cowboys at slot receiver

Brandon Aiyuk

Options to fill in the slot receiver spot are not limited to free agency. Some options in the draft can be looked at. One of them is wide receiver Brandon Aiyuk.

The Arizona State product has come off a very good season that saw him catch 65 passes for 1192 yards and eight touchdowns. Returning kicks was also a big part of his game, averaging 31.9 yards on kick returns and 16.1 yards on punts. Brandon had also returned one punt for a touchdown.

Being a threat on both the special teams and as a receiver forced the opposing team to constantly chase him. This was good enough to be nominated as a third-team All-American and first-team All-Pac-12 this past season.

While he is a speedy player that ran a 4.5 40-yard dash, this would be a cause for concern if the Cowboys were drafting Aiyuk to replace receiver Amari Cooper. Since he will be playing in the slot, the need to be an all-round great player right away isn’t needed.

If Aiyuk can catch the passes thrown his way when he is open and make plays, then there is no concern. The big-play catches will be expected to come from Cooper, not Aiyuk.

It is hopeful that eventually, the speedy wideout can develop into a solid second wide receiver caliber player. Anything more would be great, but not expected.

With a comparison to wide receiver Robert Woods, the Cowboys can look at utilizing Brandon on either vertical routes or quick routes. Both would fit well with the space given to him due to his great surrounding cast.

CBS sportswriter, Ryan Wilson, projects Aiyuk being drafted 30th overall. I would think he could be drafted around there or slip to the middle of the second round. In this, Dallas would need to either trade-down from the 17th pick or trade-up from the 51st pick.