(Editor's Note: While the start of the 2018 NFL Draft isn't until April 26, it's never too early to profile some of the key participants. The staff of DallasCowboys.com intends to preview the landscape of the draft's top prospect, with an emphasis on possible Cowboys draft picks – from the first round to the last. Today's featured player is Oklahoma State wide receiver James Washington.)
- Name: James Washington
- Position: Wide Receiver
- College:Oklahoma State
- Height/Weight:5-11 / 210
- Honors:Named 2017 Biletnikoff Award winner as the nation's best wide receiver.
- Key Stat:Finished school as OSU's all-time leading receiver with 4,472 yards and a 19.8 yard average, which is also the best in OSU school history. Washington also played three straight Class 1-A state championship games at AT&T Stadium as a member of the Stamford Bulldogs, winning two titles in 2012 and 2013.
Where He's Projected:
Washington is currently being projected anywhere from later in the first round to the middle of the second. Obviously, things will change once players start working out at the scouting combine and/or their college Pro Day on campus. He seems like the type of player who could step in as a No. 2 receiver, bringing a home-run element right away.
How He Helps The Cowboys:
This one is rather easy. He's a big-play player and the Cowboys don't get that much from their wide receivers. Last year, the group had just one combined 100-yard game in 2017. Over Washington's career at OSU, he had 21 games of at least 100 yards and nine last season alone. Certainly, the pass-happy Big 12 is different than the NFL, but Washington has big-play potential that would give the Cowboys' offense a vertical weapon it hasn't had in recent years.
- It might be because he wears a running back's number (28) that James Washington looks like one.
- Physically he's built that way at 5-11, 210.
- His ability to go get the ball is unmatched.
- He's a big time player that is a finisher.
- What makes him different from other receivers in this draft is his route running.
- You see the separation down the field but you don't always see it coming off the ball.
- He did show some encouraging signs during Senior Bowl practices but it will be an area that scouts across the country will be digging in on during this draft process.
