(Editor's Note: With the offseason program in the rearview mirror, it's time to look ahead. As part of the preparation for training camp, this series will introduce 25 key players who are new to the Cowboys' roster, rookies and veterans alike. The series continues today with wide receiver Simi Fehoko.)
How He Got Here: Drafted in the fifth round by the Cowboys this past April, Fehoko arrives in Dallas with a rather unique path that included a two-year church mission to South Korea out of high school, followed by a career at Stanford that only included just 16 games over three seasons. But it was the 2020 campaign – a Covid-shortened season of just six games, that bolstered Fehoko's stock. He earned All-Pac 12 first-team honors with 37 catches for 574 yards and three scores.
What's Next: While it might help Fehoko to be a draft pick, he's still entering a logjam of receivers all vying for one, perhaps two, roster spots at the end of the receiver depth chart. For all the stats he's produced in college as a receiver, deep threat and route-runner, Fehoko might have to "tackle" his way onto the roster. In other words, proving that he can play special teams could be his ticket onto the 53-man roster. But it won't be easy, considering guys like Cedrick Wilson and Noah Brown are proven special teams players. And the Cowboys also added a handful of undrafted receivers and like Fehoko, most of them hover into the 6-3, 6-4 and 6-5 range in height. But Fehoko was a drafted priority for the Cowboys and he'll likely get several opportunities in the preseason games to make his mark.
Bet You Didn't Know: Maybe Fehoko just needs to get back to southern California for the start of training camp. Because that was the site of his final collegiate game, and it'll go down as one of the best in Pac-12 history. Playing at UCLA, which is about an hour away from the Cowboys' training camp site in Oxnard, Calif., Fehoko torched the Bruins for 16 catches for 230 yards and three touchdowns.
Quotable: "For me, I look at it as an opportunity to get better," he said. "Working with the best, you surround yourself with the best, so you tend to become the best. I'm just excited to work with them and have the opportunity for that." –Simi Fehoko on joining a Cowboys' receiving group that has Amari Cooper, Michael Gallup and CeeDee Lamb.
