NFL draft grade: Cowboys third-round grade after selecting WR Jalen Tolbert South Alabama

For the third consecutive pick in a row the Dallas Cowboys resist a trade. At pick No. 88 in the third round, after going defense in the second round, they flip back to the offensive side of the ball and selected a wide receiver to add some much-needed depth to the position.

With the 88th overall pick in the third round of the 2022 NFL draft, the Dallas Cowboys selected Jalen Tolbert, wide receiver, South Alabama.

Dane Brugler’s thoughts on Jalen Tolbert:

A three-year starter at South Alabama, Tolbert was the X receiver in offensive coordinator Major Applewhite’s offense and lined up across the formation (unlike his underclassman tape). After bypassing scholarship offers from Power 5 programs to stay close to home, he became the most prolific receiver in South Alabama history, including the first player in school history to reach 1,000 receiving yards in a season (he did it twice). Aside from the occasional focus drop, Tolbert shows impressive catch-point timing and adjustment skills. Although he doesn’t have elite top-end speed, he has fluid footwork and uses slight hesitation in his route breaks so he can mash the gas and create pockets of separation. Overall, Tolbert needs to tighten up a few areas of his game, but he has NFL starting traits with his ability to track deep or sink and work back to the football.

88. Dallas Cowboys: B+

The Dallas Cowboys generally shy away from small school prospects, however, Jalen Tolbert is a player talented enough to cause them to change their way of thinking. He checks all of the boxes the Cowboys like in their prototypical receivers (size, speed, length) and possesses intriguing traits with starting potential at all three WR positions.

With Amari Cooper gone via trade to the Cleveland Browns and with Michael Gallup possibly out the first few weeks of the 2022 season while he continues to work his way back from injury, Tolbert has a chance to step in immediately and play a significant role as a rookie. His biggest challenge will be adjusting to the speed of the NFL game, but he has the desired intangibles to play a nice complementary role early and often.

Overall, there is a lot to like about Jalen Tolbert and what he can bring to the Dallas Cowboys passing game. He possesses all of the desired traits to be a solid depth WR early on and the talent to develop into an eventual starter in the not-too-distant future.

While waiting for our Tolbert video to come out soon, check out this one below. We broke down what the selection of Sam Williams means for the Dallas Cowboys on the Blogging The Boys YouTube Channel:

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