Scouting the Cowboys UDFA class: Wide receiver Jalen Moreno-Cropper

Jalen Moreno-Cropper was given a four-star recruit rating out of high school but chose to enroll at Fresno State despite offers from higher profile colleges. He joined Fresno State in 2019 and played a total of 1,137 snaps in four seasons at wide receiver. In that time he made 220 receptions for 2,701 receiving yards, scored 21 receiving touchdowns and averaged 12.3 yards per reception. He also rushed 50 times for 465 rush yards, and scored five rushing touchdowns while averaging 9.3 yards per carry. He also made three pass attempts and completed two, both completions going for a touchdown. He contributed on special teams. In 2022 Moreno-Cropper had his best season and made the All-Mountain West first team.

Measurables:

Height- 5’11”
Weight- 172
Hands- 8 7/8
Arm Length- 30 1/8
Wingspan- 72 7/8

NFL Combine/Pro Day (Percentile)

10-Yard Split- 1.55s (61%)
40-Yard Time- 4.40s (84%)
Vert- 32 (13%)
Broad- 121 (50%)
Bench- 13 (35%)
Shuttle- 4.27s (40%)
3C- 7.06s (33%)

Scorecard:

Overall- 72.6/100 (5th round grade)
Catching- 73/100
Route Running- 78/100
Blocking- 45/100
Speed- 93/100
Strength- 58/100
Acceleration- 96/100
Agility- 54/100

The Positives:

• A super high I.Q player and understands every play inside and out. Knows exactly as the play develops where he needs to go.
• Excellent at operating though his gears on routes and as a ball carrier.
• Elite explosiveness off the snap and into his route stem or to create separation.
• Smooth accelerator.
• His skills translate very well as a gadget or slot player in the NFL.
• Fantastic ball tracking.
• Has sneaky change of direction skills as a ball-carrier to make defenders miss.
• Versatile as a receiver playing across the line inside or out wide.
• Can run a full route tree.
• Special teams ability as a returner.

Areas of Improvement:

• Size is his biggest setback. He’s the fifth smallest wide receiver in his class.
• Strength and power is not a natural part of his game and gets out-powered often.
• With no power comes zero blocking ability.
• Further to his size, this will limit him in the NFL to being just a pure slot receiver, which Dallas already has covered pretty well.
• Struggles to beat press man when playing out wide.
• Can get lazy late in games and is often caught trying to take short cuts at the top of routes or rounding off his routes losing his sharpness.
• Has good potential top speed, but he doesn’t use it on tape as often as expected.
• Had too many drops when asked to make catches in traffic.

The Evaluation:

Jalen Moreno-Cropper has had a text book ascension during his time in college. One thing all scouts and NFL evaluators like to see is a constant progression of skills with each season, Moreno-Cropper did exactly that. By his final season at Fresno State he was one of the key focal points of their offense and he took the opportunity when given to him. His instincts as a route runner and ball carrier are elite. Combine that with his acceleration, reliable hands and making defenders miss in the open field with his after-the-catch ability and it all makes for an extremely exciting prospect for the Cowboys to be creative with.

Some people will hang their hat on his speed score in the NFL combine, but this is something on tape that’s rarely seen. Count also his lack of size which is a huge factor and how that translates in the NFL, the concern is how that makes him fit in Dallas. As a gadget or slot player limited to short routes to use his YAC ability and also how he can offer snaps on special teams as a returner (which the Cowboys also have covered), is maybe his best way find a home. If he can overcome his size and strength issues he could develop into something a lot more tangible for Dallas to play with.

Consensus Ranking:

205th

Roster Forecast:

Practice Squad. But he has questions of fit for Dallas that will be answered in training camp.