2024 Exclusive Sneak Peek: Jacob Cowing, WR Arizona
Welcome to the Exclusive Sneak Peek: Jacob Cowing, Arizona WR. Cowing, a two-star-rated prospect and the 418th-ranked wide receiver in the 2019 class graduated from Maricopa High School in Maricopa, Arizona.
Cowing joined UTEP as a freshman and became the best wide receiver throughout his freshman season. Cowing led the team in receiving yards with 550 yards on 31 receptions and 3 touchdowns.
During his second year in college, Cowing repeated his feat of being the leading receiver for the UTEP team. He also took charge of the highest number of receptions for the team. In this season, he contributed a whooping 41% of the team’s total receiving yards, recording a total of 691 yards from 41 receptions, and scoring three touchdowns.
In his junior year, Cowing had a breakout season. He ranked 5th in college football with 1,354 receiving yards on 69 receptions and 7 touchdowns. As a result, he was awarded first-team all-conference USA honors. Cowing transferred from UTEP to the University of Arizona to be closer to his son in Arizona.
Despite the challenge of upgrading to the Power 5 conference, Cowing had an impressive first year, leading the Pac-12 in receptions with 85 for 1,034 yards and 7 touchdowns. He proved to everyone that he belonged, and more than that, he exceeded their expectations.
He decided to return to Arizona for his senior year and was listed on the preseason Biletnikoff award watch list and the second-team preseason All-American. Cowing was once again a target magnet for the Arizona offense. He set a new record in receptions with 90 for 848 yards and 13 touchdowns.
After an extremely successful college career, Jacob Cowing finished 7th all-time in receiving yards with 4,477. He turned his sights on the NFL. While being undersized to play outside, Cowing profiles as a productive slot+ player who should make an impact an impact in the NFL early on in his career.
Measurables
Height: 5’8” (3rd-percentile)
Weight: 165 lbs (1st-percentile)
Age: 23.0
Class: Senior
NCAA Statistics
| Receiving | Rushing | Scrimmage | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | School | Conf | Class | Pos | G | Rec | Yds | Avg | TD | Att | Yds | Avg | TD | Plays | Yds | Avg | TD |
| 2019 | UTEP | CUSA | FR | WR | 12 | 31 | 550 | 17.7 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 31 | 550 | 17.7 | 3 | |
| 2020 | UTEP | CUSA | SO | WR | 8 | 41 | 691 | 16.9 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 41 | 691 | 16.9 | 3 | |
| *2021 | UTEP | CUSA | SO | WR | 13 | 69 | 1354 | 19.6 | 7 | 4 | 75 | 18.8 | 1 | 73 | 1429 | 19.6 | 8 |
| 2022 | Arizona | Pac-12 | JR | 12 | 85 | 1034 | 12.2 | 7 | 3 | 1 | 0.3 | 0 | 88 | 1035 | 11.8 | 7 | |
| *2023 | Arizona | Pac-12 | SR | WR | 13 | 90 | 848 | 9.4 | 13 | 5 | 26 | 5.2 | 0 | 95 | 874 | 9.2 | 13 |
| Career | Overall | 316 | 4477 | 14.2 | 33 | 12 | 102 | 8.5 | 1 | 328 | 4579 | 14.0 | 34 | ||||
| UTEP | 141 | 2595 | 18.4 | 13 | 4 | 75 | 18.8 | 1 | 145 | 2670 | 18.4 | 14 | |||||
| Arizona | 175 | 1882 | 10.8 | 20 | 8 | 27 | 3.4 | 0 | 183 | 1909 | 10.4 | 20 | |||||
Scouting Reports
Strengths
- He has good quick-twitch movements, which enable him to get open consistently.
- They are a skilled route runner who moves through their routes efficiently with minimal wasted movements.
- He possesses a diverse route tree, which will give him an advantage at the NFL level.
- He effectively utilizes leverage to his advantage and throws off the defenders’ balance in coverage
- He is extremely coordinated and has a natural ability to catch the ball in the screen game, as he can turn small gains into chunk plays with his skillset.
Weaknesses
- Lack of size likely makes him a slot player at the next level
- Struggles against the press would do well to line up off the line of scrimmage at the NFL level.
- There seem to be some issues with the hand technique, as drops keep appearing on the film.
- Lacks physicality in routes and in blocking situations due to size.
Pre-Draft Analysis
Expected Draft Capital: Round 4
Ideal Landing Spot: Carolina Panthers
Jacob Cowing is a wide receiver who is undersized but possesses the skills required to play in the NFL from day one and make an immediate impact. While there are concerns about his fantasy football draft value, he can definitely improve the WR room of any NFL team that selects him. His playing style has similarities to that of Tank Dell, although Cowing is not as good a route runner as Dell. However, he has consistently been a target monster throughout his college career and has the potential to be a valuable fantasy asset for many years to come.
Cowing could excel as a slot wide receiver or fill in for skill position players on teams like Carolina, Cleveland, Denver, and Arizona.
The lack of talented wide receivers means Jacob Cowing will play a vital role immediately if he lands in Carolina and gives Byce Young a dependable receiver out of the slot in the best-case fantasy scenario.
Check out The Fantasy Football Universe video breakdown of Jacob Cowing below.
