Dallas Cowboys: WR Simi Fehoko one of the steals of the NFL Draft

The Dallas Cowboys grabbed a talented wide receiver in the fifth round. Here’s why Simi Fehoko could be one of the steals of the NFL Draft. 

The Dallas Cowboys had an interesting 2021 NFL Draft, to say the least. After it was rumored that they tried to land one of the top two cornerbacks, the team settled for Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons in a trade-back. While some of their selections were deemed as good value, others were head-scratching.

To the astonishment of the football world, Dallas spent a 3rd round pick on Oklahoma State cornerback, Nashon Wright – a player many projected to be a late-round pick or priority free agent. However, despite a few questionable picks, there’s one that I particularly loved: landing Stanford wide receiver Simi Fehoko in the fifth round.

Fehoko was one of my biggest sleepers entering the 2021 NFL Draft. Though he didn’t have elite college production, there just aren’t many players that have his combination of size and athletic traits. At his Stanford Pro Day, Fehoko measured in just a hair under 6’4” and weighed in at 222 pounds.

To go with his terrific size and massive 10 1/4” hands, Fehoko is a remarkably good athlete. The big receiver blazed with a 4.44 40-yard dash to go with an incredible 6.78 3-cone drill. This is incredibly rare for a player his size. According to Mockdraftable.com, Fehoko’s best player comparisons from a size and athletic standpoint are Larry Fitzgerald and Demaryius Thomas.

The latter is actually not a bad comp (albeit, that’s probably much too high of praise). In terms of his film, Fehoko is actually a pretty natural football player despite his lack of college production. He has the speed to win down the field or crossing the face of the defense, and he moves like a much smaller player with the ball in his hands.

What Fehoko could be for the Dallas Cowboys

Right now, Fehoko is buried behind one of the best wide receiver depth charts in the league. The Dallas Cowboys currently have three very good wide receivers in Amari Cooper, Michael Gallup, and last year’s rookie sensation, CeeDee Lamb. In addition, Cedrick Wilson Jr. has been impressive for them.

The most Fehoko could hope to do as a rookie is wind up as the 4th or 5th receiver on this roster. However, that doesn’t mean that he couldn’t climb much higher in the near future. While the team just drafted Lamb last year and Cooper is signed through the 2024 season, Michael Gallup is a free agent following the 2021 season, and it’s very unlikely that the Cowboys will be able to pay him what he could earn on the open market.

Cedrick Wilson is also a free agent after this year. Though retaining him would be easier, there’s a chance Dallas lets both young receivers walk after the 2021 season.

This could open the door for another receiver to step into a prominent role on one of the league’s best passing offenses, and Simi Fehoko could be the frontrunner. With his athletic upside and ability to win after the catch, Fehoko has a decent chance to develop into a starting wide receiver (which is much more than we can say for most fifth-round picks).