by J.T. Toth
Photo courtesy of Arizona Athletics.
At Draft 412, the NFL draft talk never ends. We will keep you ready for the next set of gridiron stars—from today and all the way until draft night 2024. We will bring you mock drafts, player profiles, individual team needs, and everything else you may need related to the 2024 NFL Draft.
Today’s Spotlight - Arizona, Wide Receiver, Jacob Cowing
Name- Jacob Cowing
Pos- Wide Receiver
Team- Arizona
HT/WT- 5’11” 170 lbs.
Born- 2/4/2001
Home – Phoenix, AZ
Jacob Cowing played high school football at Maricopa High School in Maricopa, Arizona. During his career, he hauled in 89 passes for 2,065 yards and 21 touchdowns, and he committed to play football at UTEP, which was his only Division 1 FBS offer.
He played 3 seasons for UTEP, and led the Miners in receiving all 3 seasons, including the 2021 season where he caught 69 passes for 1,354 yards and 7 touchdowns. During his career at UTEP he totaled 141 receptions for 2,595 yards and 13 touchdowns. Cowing entered the transfer portal after the 2021 season and decided to play for Arizona.
Cowing started all 12 games last season, hauling in a catch in each game to extend his career long streak to 44 games, the second longest in the country. He was named All-Pac-12 honorable mention after compiling 85 receptions (first in Pac-12) and 1,034 yards.
So far in 2023, Cowing has 10 receptions for 69 yards and 2 touchdowns and has stretched his streak of at least one catch to 46 games.
Cowing has above average straight line speed and sells his deep routes efficiently in order to break it off for an underneath throw. He is on the smaller side but fights for everything and is aggressive in going to get the ball against stronger and bigger opponents. He is a catch and run threat and can take a short pass a long distance with his speed and footwork. He is tough to tackle in the open field, cutting well and is a threat to gain yards running after each catch. He is excellent at finding soft spots in the zone and will continue moving to find open space for his quarterback.
However, he does not have that top notch gear you like to see from a smaller guy. He has straight line speed but not enough to put pressure on the safeties. He’s had drop issues when moving toward the quarterback to make a catch. Larger cornerbacks can give him problems getting off the line of scrimmage in press man-to-man coverages, relegating him to future slot receiver play in the NFL. And he will not be a serviceable blocker at the next level.
Draft 412 sees a similarity between Cowing and veteran wide receiver Tyler Lockett. They both run smooth, quick routes but don’t have elite speed. Lockett has had a lot of success as a slot receiver, which Cowing should have as well.
Strengths
Competitor
Quick
Cutting ability
Yards after the catch
Weaknesses
Lacks top speed
Blocking
Concentration/ drops
Press Coverage/ size
Final Analysis
Jacob Cowing is a competitor who shows up every game and will make a good slot receiver in the NFL. He can be a value pick in the middle of the 2024 draft.
Draft 412 Draft Projection - Round 4