Cowboys may very well have their pick of receivers in the first round

This receiver class is so interesting.

One of the more common predictions for the Dallas Cowboys in mock drafts these days is that the team will take a receiver with the 12th overall pick. It may not be as popular as Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty, but wide receiver is definitely a position of need, even after signing Parris Campbell.

By most accounts, the top two receivers in this year’s draft are Arizona’s Tetairoa McMillan and Missouri’s Luther Burden. You can read scouting reports on both McMillan and Burden here, courtesy of our own Mike Poland and yours truly. There is plenty of excitement around both players among the fan base and social media scouts.

However, recent rumblings from draft insiders have suggested that fans and the media are much higher on these two than actual NFL front offices. In the most recent mock drafts from both Mel Kiper and Daniel Jeremiah, both coming after the first wave of free agency, neither receiver came off the board in the first 20 picks, and Burden didn’t even get taken in the first round.

In Kiper’s mock (subscription required), McMillan was the first receiver drafted, but it wasn’t until the Broncos at 20. A few picks later, Kiper had Matthew Golden from Texas and Emeka Egbuka getting drafted consecutively, but no mention of Burden.

Jeremiah’s mock, on the other hand, had the Cowboys take the first receiver in the draft, but it was neither of McMillan or Burden. He predicted Dallas to draft Golden, with no other team taking a receiver in the next 10 picks. Jeremiah had McMillan drafted 22nd overall, and no other receivers in the first round.

This led to palpable surprise from many, prompting NFL insider Benjamin Allbright to spell things out loud and clear:

This isn’t a complete surprise. Burden had a ton of hype coming into this past season, but largely underperformed. Meanwhile, McMillan is a huge receiver at 6’5” and needed to answer questions about his speed after not running the 40-yard dash at the NFL combine.

On Monday, McMillan finally put up numbers in a private workout at his alma mater, but the 4.48 time was underwhelming for many. The figure would’ve had McMillan tied for 25th among receivers in Indianapolis, and the last time a receiver was picked in the top 15 with a 40 time in that range was Mike Evans.

Evans has certainly had a great career, and his similar frame to McMillan has drawn plenty of comparisons for the Arizona star, but Evans was also drafted back in 2014. Speed has become much more paramount for receivers, as evidenced by the lack of top 15 picks for receivers without elite 40 times.

All of this comes down to one very simple conclusion, though: it sure looks like the Cowboys are going to have their pick of receivers when they get on the clock this year.

That knowledge may have informed their decision not to pursue Cooper Kupp once they learned about his contract demands, and could also explain their addition of the low-risk Campbell last week. The ability to land the top receiver in the draft without needing a top 10 pick would certainly be a steal, if indeed that is what happens.

Obviously, there’s still a lot of time left for these things to change, and all it takes is one team to really believe in McMillan or Burden. But it’s looking like things are shaping up well for the Cowboys to have a chance at a great young playmaker to pair alongside CeeDee Lamb.