This is what we’ve been waiting for, fantasy football enthusiasts. The NFL Draft is under way, and we finally get to see where the rookie prospects are going to launch their professional careers. And NFL Draft landing spots allow us to start to zero in on fantasy football and dynasty rookie draft pick values. We dive into wide receiver Jacob Cowing and how he’ll fit with the San Francisco 49ers.
Throughout the draft, we’ll take a closer look at fantasy-relevant prospects, giving you an overview of their strengths and weaknesses, and assessing their fantasy value in both redraft and dynasty formats.
Let’s dig in.
- 2024 Dynasty Fantasy Football Draft Kit
- Dynasty Rookie Draft Simulator
- DBro’s Dynasty Rookie Draft Primers
- 2024 NFL Draft Guide
Fantasy Football Rookie Draft Outlook
Fitz’s Fantasy Football Outlook
The San Francisco 49ers have selected WR Jacob Cowing of Arizona with the final pick of the fourth round.
Cowing is a speedy overachiever who was productive throughout his college career at Arizona, with 316 catches for 4,477 yards and 33 touchdowns. He had a career-high 13 touchdowns last season but averaged a career-low 9.4 yards per catch, largely because of the arrival of stud WR Tetairoa McMillan, who became the Wildcats’ primary downfield receiver.
Speed is Cowing’s calling card. He ran a 4.38 at the NFL Scouting Combine, and his speed shows up on tape. Cowing has some seriously quick feet.
At 5-8, 165 pounds, Cowing is tiny by NFL standards. As productive as he was in college, Cowing’s size could limit him to slot duty in the NFL, and it’s possible he’ll be used strictly as a punt returner.
It seems highly unlikely that Cowing will have any fantasy utility as a rookie. The 49ers already have Deebo Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk at wide receiver, and they spent a late-first-round draft pick on University of Florida WR Ricky Pearsall. They also have one of the better pass-catching tight ends in the league in George Kittle. If the 49ers were to trade Aiyuk — a possibility that has been widely speculated — Cowing would at least have a narrow path to fantasy relevance.
For dynasty, I have Cowing ranked WR21 among the rookies, WR90 overall. He’s outside the top 100 at wide receiver in my redraft rankings.
Thor’s NFL Draft Scouting Report
Jacob Cowing | Arizona
5083/168 | RAS: 6.24
Comp: Jakeem Grant
Tiny receiver with 4.38 wheels. Earlier in his career, at UTEP, Cowing showed he could win downfield, with aDOTs of 14.8 or higher in each of his first three years. But in the last two years at Arizona, playing beside future R1 pick Tetairoa McMillan, and mostly with a QB who struggled with accuracy, Cowing was relegated to a near-the-line-of-scrimmage role. His aDOTs plummeted to 8.4 and 6.7, respectively. I was hoping to see him harken back to his UTEP days at the Senior Bowl. Instead, Cowing struggled for two days of practices before exiting with injury on the third.
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Dynasty Rookie Draft Rankings
Our analysts provide their latest rookie draft rankings below. And also check out our expert consensus dynasty rookie draft rankings!
More Dynasty Rookie Draft Advice
- DBro’s Dynasty Rookie Draft Primers
- DBro’s Top 50 Rankings & Player Notes
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