FRISCO - In addition to the eight players selected in their 2019 NFL Draft, the Dallas Cowboys, I'm told, have draft-worthy grades on at least seven of their 15 UDFA signings. Think of a handful of these prospects as "eighth-round picks,'' if you will ... and as the two-day Cowboys rookie minicamp starts this morning here inside The Star, in addition to keeping our eyes on top picks like Trysten Hill, let's consider five of the UDFAs: 1) OT MITCH HYATT - I believe of all the draft-worthy-grade guys, this represents the highest one. Hyatt is a two-time All-American tackle from reigning national champion Clemson, a four-year starter who pretty much allowed one sack per season. He's penciled in as a roster member in 2020 ... and maybe more, sooner. Starting today, of course, he will likely be obscured along the offensive line by Dallas' third-round pick, Connor McGovern. But someday, maybe both guys will be considered prizes from the Class of 2019. 2) CB CHRIS WESTRY - I'm listing him as the second guy because when Will McClay popped on 105.3 The Fan last week to talk up the kids, the Kentucky cornerback was the first name he mentioned. Dallas is all about "traits'' (scouting boss McClay and defensive aide Kris Richard speak the same language here) and Westry has them all. He’s 6-foot-4 and runs a 4.3 40 and it is conceivably that he comes along so quickly that Dallas can turn its present depth at corner into a training-camp trade-away. Before any of that happens, of course, he's going to have to find a way to leap-frog another rookie cornerback, draftee Michael Jackson from Miami. 3) DT DANIEL WISE - I believe Wise is the second-highest-graded guy in the bunch. Trysten Hill is an automatic as a rookie defensive tackle on this team, as a second-round pick should be. Kansas product Wise isn't that much of a cinch, but the senior showed a knack for penetration and versatility. This is has the look of a "stash'' for the future. For now? We'll all be staring at Hill ... but should also be glancing at Wise. 4) WR JALEN GUYTON - The numbers game seems like one Guyton, out of the University of North Texas. will end up losing; Dallas has plenty of wide receivers who will keep him shoved way down the depth chart. Yet ... he can fly. He dominated in the 40 and he dominated in the cone drill and he's got a little size at 6-1 and 212. And his pedigree is better than it seems; he didn't just play at UNT; before that, he won three Texas state titles at Allen catching passes from QB Kyler Murray, after which Guyton started his college career at Notre Dame. 5) WR JON'VEA JOHNSON - Johnson can also run (another 4.39 40 guy, like Guyton) but his pedigree isn't quite there, as a Toledo product. Given the presence of fourth-round running back Tony Pollard, whom one could consider a "web-back,'' and rookies Guyton and Johnson, there might be some vets who eventually need to be on their toes. But today? We'd like to see a Guyton vs. Johnson footrace here in the backyard at The Star, just for fun.<doc-sep>FRISCO, Texas – There are no pads. There is obviously no contact. But make no mistake, the Cowboys held their first practice of the offseason Friday as the team started its three-day rookie minicamp inside of Ford Center at The Star. In all, 30 players were on the field, stemming from the eight draft picks, 13 undrafted rookies, eight first-year players who were either on the practice squad last year or without a team last season, and then two more players on a tryout basis. Second-round pick Trysten Hill, a defensive tackle from UCF garnered a lot of the attention. Wearing No. 79 – a number he said he wouldn't mind switching to get into the 90s at some point – Hill worked on individual drills with defensive line coach Leon Lett as well as veteran defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli.<doc-sep>The Dallas Cowboys are about to hit the field with the rookies, but what will happen over the course of the weekend? With the rookie minicamp running over the weekend, the Cowboys coaching staff will be focused on getting the youngsters up to speed so they can be better prepared for their first season in the NFL. Unfortunately, the current rules of the Collective Bargaining Agreement prevent any drills in which the offense and defense face off, so the Cowboys will instead be relying on a mixture of approaches throughout minicamp. New offensive coordinator Kellen Moore will still be incorporating his new plays, but he will do so at a much slower pace than if this was training camp. "The biggest thing we're trying to do, "Garrett said on Wednesday, "is you try to focus on fundamentals this time of year. So, we are getting out on the field twice a week for 45 minutes. That's not a lot of time. We are installing plays, but most of the work on the field is individual work. We get together as a team offensively at the end of it, but you aren't going against the defense. It's more just to hear some of the plays being called. Like it is in most years, there's a lot of stuff that carries over from year to year, but you are always looking for ways to evolve and get better." As head coach Jason Garrett explained on Sunday, as well as Wednesday, the biggest focus in this first minicamp will be getting the rookies caught up in multiple meetings. Garrett views this first weekend as more of an orientation opportunity and will be putting his players through introductory meetings to familiarize them with the coaches and the process. When it comes to the actual on-field sessions, the Cowboys will be changing up the formula just a bit. These practices will be viewed more as "jog through" sessions instead of actual full-speed practices, which will provide more of a relaxed intro to the league instead of hitting the ground at full speed. By building this foundation up, Garrett hopes that the rookies will be better prepared for the coming months of grueling work and will be a step ahead of the competition during their first season at The Star. The Cowboys starting roster is essentially set with so many returning figures, but building up the young depth is critical in case of unforeseen injuries. The Cowboys have to properly approach the first weekend in the building in order to get everyone on the same page and ready to contribute at an equal amount. With so many expectations, he has to hope that this plan pans out. Jerry Jones and multiple other figures in the NFL expect the Cowboys to be even better in the 2019 season, and the rookies will be a big part of this process. If they can't succeed early, the season could quickly go off the rails.<doc-sep>Colts receiver Parris Campbell's speed was clearly evident on the first day of rookie minicamp. What also was evident from the second-round pick out of Ohio State is that head coach Frank Reich and offensive coordinator Nick Sirianni will be able to use Campbell in the slot and on the outside. "It's exciting because I'm kind of out of that hybrid role that I was in at Ohio State," Campbell said. "So, just being able to show (my) skill set is a huge opportunity for me. I think the question coming out was can he run routes? Since I'd never done it, everyone just kind of put a no on it. But I'm not going to lie to you: That's something that I needed to work on because I didn't have experience. That was kind of my main focus throughout the whole (pre-draft) process." Being able to line Campbell, who had 90 receptions for 1,063 yards and 12 touchdowns during his senior season at Ohio State, up in multiple spots will be huge for the Colts considering they also have T.Y. Hilton, new addition Devin Funchess and the use of tight end Eric Ebron as a hybrid receiver.<doc-sep>
FRISCO -- It's been two weeks since the Cowboys determined what college players would be the best fit for this team moving forward. Now the club begins the process of discovering if it was right. Players from the draft class of 2019 and those who signed as rookie free agents reported to The Star throughout the day Thursday. The itinerary: physicals, dinner and a team meeting before retiring for the evening. "We spent a lot of time studying these guys, who they are as players, who they are as people, and then you have this lag time," head coach Jason Garrett said. "I'm not saying you stay awake at night, but you think a lot about are they who we thought they were." While officially billed as a rookie minicamp, it's more of an orientation. The players will take the field Friday and Saturday for two separate sessions. There's another session Sunday. The rookies join the veterans in the club's offseason program beginning next week. Garrett has modified his approach since presiding over his first rookie class as head coach eight years ago. "We've done it a lot of different ways through the years," Garrett said. "Certain years we've just had the draft class and the free agent class come in. Other years we've used it as an opportunity to have a lot of tryout guys and have a chance to look at more people, more of a practice-like atmosphere. "The last couple of years we've dialed it back again and focused more on the guys we've had. That will be more what this is about. More classroom work, more team on the grass tempo from training camp, where it's more jog through than it is going fast with them. Give them a couple of days to get the strength and conditioning program, get that foundation laid for what's going to come the following week. "That will be the schedule and the tempo we go with. That's what we did last year. I thought it was good for us."