Jacob Cowing | Arizona 5’8” 168 lbs. 02/04/01 | 23 years old
Jacob Cowing was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers, becoming the 20th wide receiver and 135th overall player in the 2024 NFL Draft.
COLLEGE PRODUCTION
Beginning his college career at UTEP, Cowing played three seasons before transferring to Arizona before the 2022 season. Totaling over 2500 receiving yards at UTEP, Cowing gained notoriety among NFL scouts heading into his junior season with a new team, Arizona. His performance that season validated his future NFL draft projections—catching 85 passes for just over 1000 yards (1034).
FILM
He was mainly targeted on either screenplays or deep passes. Most often targeted on over 15-20 yard passes. He only sometimes gets the opportunity in college as an intermediate target, leading to even fewer opportunities in large yards after catch plays. With Cowing’s size, it’s obvious he doesn’t profile as a ‘number 1 target’ or ‘target monster’ in the NFL. He makes up for what Cowing lacks in size in the open field with his agility. Making the first tackler miss on designed screenplays consistently.
ATHLETIC TESTING
Jacob Cowing measured 5’ 8” and 168 lbs. at the combine. He checked in with an impressive 40-yard dash time of 4.38. His three-cone time was poor at 7.02. Cowing had an excellent performance in the vertical jump of 36 inches.
This led to an overall relative size-adjusted athletic score of 6.28 out of 10, which is average for the top prospects in this draft class.
DRAFT ANALYSIS
Rapid Reaction to Draft Capital: Average
Rapid Reaction to Landing Spot: Great
Jacob Cowing was selected with the 135th-overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft by the San Francisco 49ers.
A WR landing in a Kyle Shanahan offense is always a great landing spot for any WR prospect. The main concern for Cowing’s dynasty outlook is the limited opportunity to play in one of the most loaded WR groups in the NFL. Even with the potential the 49ers trading away Brandon Aiyuk or Deebo Samuel, Cowing would still be behind Jauan Jennings and first-round pick Ricky Pearsall.
FANTASY INSIGHTS
I have Jacob Cowing ranked as the 22nd wide receiver in this class for projected future dynasty value. He has the potential to make an impact at the next level, but his prospect profile needs to indicate early career production to achieve fantasy relevance.
Jacob Cowing should go off the board in rookie drafts in the 4th round or even put a waiver wire claim in post-rookie drafts. I’ve had numerous rookie drafts where Cowing goes undrafted, so there is no need to pay any meaningful rookie draft capital to acquire him.
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