Jalen Tolbert’s athletic ceiling (thanks to baseball career) brings intrigue to Cowboys

For most players that enter the NFL Draft, football has been their entire life for most of their lives. From Pop Warner leagues to high school football to the NCAA, most prospects have been living and breathing football since they were very young. That wasn’t the case for Dallas Cowboys‘ third-round wide receiver Jalen Tolbert. The Cowboys’ new receiver didn’t even start playing football until his sophomore year of high school.

ESPN’s Todd Archer explains that Tolbert was “more of a baseball player” growing up in Mobile, Alabama. The Alabama native spent most of his childhood playing baseball. He even had a pre-draft workout with the Texas Rangers in Atlanta in 2017. He and one of his baseball teammates and best friends (who now happens to be an outfielder for the Rangers Triple A-affiliate Round Rock Express), Bubba Thompson, would always compete with each other to be the best at whatever they did.

That didn’t include football until later in life. Thompson, a first-round pick by the Rangers in 2017, and Tolbert attended McGill-Toolen High School in Mobile. During high school they spent their hours as friends taking swings in the batting cage, doing sand workouts, running routes, and more. In his junior year, Tolbert caught 14 passes for 135 yards.

The next year, with his baseball buddy as his quarterback, Tolbert caught 37 passes for 696 yards and nine touchdowns. Thompson and Tolbert helped lead their team to Alabama’s State 7A championship. From there, Tolbert knew it would be football for him.

Cowboys rookie Jalen Tolbert didn’t even start football until his sophomore year of college, proving his potential is incredibly high

To get his bearings in football, Tolbert said he studied some of the best in the game. In addition to hard work at South Alabama, he also spent his free time watching highlights of guys like Julio Jones, Davante Adams, and new teammate CeeDee Lamb on YouTube. But his multi-sport past and success at many things certainly make him a more versatile athlete.

Now, after winning Sun Belt Conference Offensive Player of the Year, the (to some) inexperienced football player is getting a chance to make a name for himself at the professional level. Despite his late introduction to the game, the Cowboys seem to be incredibly excited about Tolbert’s potential. Here’s what his new offensive coordinator, Kellen Moore, had to say after rookie minicamp:

"“He’s awesome. I think he works his tail off. I think you can tell how prepared he is and how detailed he wants to be."

Trying his best at whatever sport he took part in seems to be the status quo for the receiver. Hard work and talent are what he will need moving forward. The rookie is expected to be a huge piece of the new-look wide receiver corps, taking meaningful reps at WR3 to help fill the void of Amari Cooper and Cedrick Wilson. Head coach Mike McCarthy believes his ceiling is high and is ready for the rookie to make an impact in 2022. Tolbert is ready to do whatever it takes to get there:

"“I got to prove them right. I’m going to keep working and do everything I can to prove them right and come in and have an immediate impact. You got to do more than everybody else. That is what I have to do to compete with the best of the best. Anything I can do to get an edge or make myself better in any way. I’m doing what got me here.”"

Tolbert’s unique football journey, moldability at the position, and star potential make him an incredibly intriguing prospect for the Cowboys. With a real chance to prove himself in light of many WR absences, it will be interesting to see how Dallas can shape the rookie into a pro receiver.