Beasley Has Some Words of Wisdom For Undrafted Receivers

Dallas Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones has said this year’s crop of undrafted wide receivers is the most promising since the 2006 class that produced two-time Pro Bowler Miles Austin and Sam Hurd. But the receivers that make up the group will still have to fight to find themselves on the roster when the training camp dust settles.

Perhaps more than anyone at Valley Ranch, Cole Beasley knows that struggle. Now, he’s a valued weapon in the Cowboys' offense, a kind of third down specialist for Tony Romo, who signed a four-year extension this offseason and has 788 receiving yards and six touchdowns in the past two seasons. But in 2012, he was just an undersized, undrafted receiver out of SMU looking at an uphill battle to make the team.

His advice to those who are now in that position?

“Really it’s all about seizing the opportunity,” Beasley said. “If you get a chance you’ve got to take advantage of it. My rookie year I was inactive for a lot of games and when I was active I’d get about four plays a game. I’d get a ball (thrown my way) and if I didn’t take advantage of that I’d probably be cut right now.”

The Cowboys have five receivers on the roster who came in as undrafted free agents: George Farmer, Lucky Whitehead, Deontay Greenberry, Antwan Goodley and Nick Harwell.

“You don’t know what to expect, you’ve never played at this level before, so it’s real tough,” Beasley said. “But you’ve really just got to grind and take advantage of your moments.”