Dallas Cowboys: Could Jesse James be a project player?

Nov 15, 2014; University Park, PA, USA; Penn State Nittany Lions tight end Jesse James (18) runs with the ball during the third quarter against the Temple Owls at Beaver Stadium. Penn State defeated Temple 30-13. Mandatory Credit: Matthew O

There is one player entered in the 2015 NFL Draft who has the perfect name to join the Dallas Cowboys, though it is unsure just how well his game will translate to the pros.

That player’s name … Jesse James, a tight end from Penn State University. It might be a little strange to pick a player based just on his name alone, but who else could a player with the same name as an infamous “wild west” outlaw play for?

The Oakland Raiders can’t even lay claim to James with their outlaw reputation, but with all kidding aside, there must be wonders about how much the Cowboys believe in their current tight end depth chart of players behind current starter and future Hall of Famer Jason Witten.

Witten will be the Cowboys starter for as long as he can continue to produce productive seasons, but they’ve never been able to find him (or keep) a dependable backup to spell him during games, or someone play opposite of him in two tight end formations.

Currently other tight end options for the Cowboys include Gavin Escobar and James Hanna, who will have a combined seven years of NFL experience once the 2015 season begins. Witten will be starting his 13th season with the Cowboys in 2015.

Nov 9, 2014; London, UNITED KINGDOM; Dallas Cowboys tight end Gavin Escobar (89) is defended by Jacksonville Jaguars safety Johnathan Cyprien (37) in the NFL International Series game at Wembley Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Escobar (6-6, 260) is still an unknown asset for the Cowboys, because none of us really know what he’s actually capable of doing on the football field. The 24-year old this past season had nine receptions for 105 yards and four touchdowns.

His numbers aren’t bad considering he is a second option to Witten in an offense full of weapons, but if the Cowboys believe this former second round pick is capable of filling in Witten’s role one day it might be nice to see a preview of that play this season.

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What if Witten were to be injured? Do the Cowboys believe Escobar is ready to be a starter? If so, there still needs to be a complete player for a third option on the roster.

As for Hanna (6-4, 260), he’s more of a blocking tight end for the Cowboys. In the 2014 season he had four receptions for 48 yards. He was a sixth round selection in 2012.

All of that wondering and speculation brings us back to James (6-7, 261), currently the 118th overall rated player in the draft, and the fifth ranked tight end according to CBSSports.com.

James is projected as a third or fourth round choice, so the Cowboys will have a good opportunity to select him in this draft if they feel they need to have some competition at the second tight end spot.

At Penn State this past season, James had 38 receptions for 396 yards and three touchdowns (13 games). In his three years at PSU (36 games) James finished with 78 receptions for 1,005 yards and 11 touchdowns.

The combine in February saw James run a 4.83 40-yard dash, but by the time he held his pro day he improved his 40-time to 4.69. Also at the combine, James benched pressed 225 pounds 26 times.

Dane Brugler of CBSSports.com wrote this about James:

"“Below-average production in college and was invisible in the passing game too often (as his weakness). Underutilized with a diverse skill set to help any NFL team. Good enough speed to present a threat down the seam. Makes the tough catch in traffic without fear (as strengths).”"

The one great (and nerve-wracking) aspects about draft prospects is you never know who will hit and who will miss.

With the Cowboys and their tight end position, though I feel Escobar will have a better season in 2015, just the prospect of brining in some more competition for him and Hanna to have during training camp.

The time is right for the Cowboys to either make Escobar more apart of the offense (nine receptions won’t cut it), because even though I believe Witten still has a couple to three solid years of production left in him, there is really no chiseled in stone Plan B for the Cowboys at the position.

James is a project worth taking for the Cowboys. For some reason unknown to a lot of folks the Cowboys haven’t continued to raise the bar with Escobar, so they should look at James and see what he can bring to the franchise.

Don’t be surprised if the Cowboys draft a tight end sometime in this draft, or pick one up as an undrafted free agent. If James is still on the board in the fourth round, he could be worth taking a flier on and seeing if he can be groomed into an NFL tight end.

Though he does have the perfect name to join the Cowboys, James, if drafted by the Cowboys, would make the tight end depth chart a lot more interesting once training camp arrives.

Next: T.J. Yeldon: Is he worth a 2nd round pick for the Cowboys?

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