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‘Dez Bryant-like’: Cowboys rookie WR Ryan Flournoy making early waves this offseason

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Every summer, it seems there’s at least one young Cowboys receiver buried deep on the chart who makes some impressive grabs and therefore grabs everyone’s attention in training camp.

At various moments in recent years, T.J. Vasher, Simi Fehoko, Malik Turner, Dennis Houston, and Jalen Tolbert were all tabbed as the next great Cowboys pass-catcher on the cusp of breaking out. While Tolbert’s stock continues to improve, he’s hasn’t yet gained a stranglehold on that WR3 spot in Dallas… and that means there figures to be a flurry of activity under him as others look to make a move up.

This year’s one to watch could well be Ryan Flournoy.

The rookie, drafted in the sixth round back in April, spent the team’s minicamp turning several heads, including that of dallascowboys.com writer Patrik Walker. In an X post on Wednesday, Walker described a back-pylon catch by the Southeast Missouri State speedster that would have been just as impressive in a late-season divisional tilt as it was in an early-June practice.

“Flournoy elevated and snatched it at the high point after a crisp route,” Walker wrote, “then battled his own momentum by contorting on the way down to get both toes tapped inbounds.” The unidentified cornerback, he noted, “never stood a chance despite being glued to him on the jump.”

ESPN’s Todd Archer called Flournoy’s effort on the play “Dez Bryant-like.”

The moment may have caught his DB teammate off-guard, but Flournoy’s athleticism was certainly no surprise to the Cowboys when they selected him 216th overall. His Relative Athletic Score was a gaudy 9.89 out of 10, putting him in the top 1.1% of all NFL wide receivers drafted over the past 37 years and (h/t to Brandon Loree) giving him the highest RAS of any wide receiver in Cowboys history.

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Numbers like that are what helped Flournoy earn the nickname “Super” in college.

Now Flournoy will get looks in Oxnard, and the longer CeeDee Lamb is away from the team, the more chances the Illinois native and Senior Bowl standout will have to make an impression on Dak Prescott and the Dallas coaches.

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It’s not inconceivable that Flournoy not only makes the final roster but claws his way into the gameday lineup.

NFL.com’s Adam Rank is already predicting it, saying Flournoy “will be a name to remember this season” and will send fantasy owners “scrambling for the waiver wire to scoop him up when he becomes the third receiver in Dallas.”

The team currently has 12 wide receivers listed on their payroll. But based on early buzz, Flournoy appears to be climbing those ranks quickly.

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