Dallas Cowboys Receiver Traeshon Holden, Most Underrated NFL Rookie?

First of all, Holden has some familiarity on the Cowboys. The undrafted free agent is reunited with his former Oregon coach, now Cowboys receiver coach Junior Adams and Ducks teammate Ajani Cornelius, who Dallas added with the No. 204 overall selection of the 2025 NFL Draft.

There is a lot of upside to the 6-3, 220-pound explosive receiver who excels in route running, with reliable hands to go along with his body control.

Also, Holden has a mental edge. After going undrafted, Holden has a chance to prove other NFL teams wrong, potentially using the disappointment he felt during the draft as fuel for the fire.

"I was hurt," Holden told Tommy Yarrish of DallasCowboys.com. "That 24-hour rule, I was hurting. But now, I'm here, and I'm ready to make it happen. I'll do what I can to show everybody that I belong. ... Prove everybody wrong. Everybody. I'm coming for heads. That's it."

Holden played the first two years of college at Alabama, where he tallied 46 catches for 570 yards and seven touchdowns. He arrived to Eugene in 2023 and became an immediate contributor in the passing game for former Duck quarterbacks Bo Nix and Dillon Gabriel.

Throughout his two seasons under Oregon coach Dan Lanning, Holden finished with 1,170 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns on 82 receptions. He was named Honorable Mention All-Big Ten Conference in 2024. Holden performed well as run blocker in college, a skill that could come handy in the NFL.

Having Adams as his position coach is a huge help for Holden as he aims to make the 53-man roster.

"I'm very excited," Holden continued. "He told me if he got a chance to come get me, he was coming to get me. He knows he got a dawg, and I'm ready to make it happen."

He joins a Cowboys receiver room that is highlighted by Lamb, Pickens, KaVontae Turpin and Jalen Tolbert.

At the NFL Draft Combine, Holden ran a 4.57 40-yard dash, a 1.54 10-yard spilt, and had a broad jump of 10 feet, three inches as well as a vertical jump of 32 inches.

Before that, he won over his Oregon teammates, particularly Heisman Trophy finalist Gabriel. Gabriel raved about Holden after beating Michigan, 38-17, in which Holden caught six passes for 149 yards.

"Just proud of him, the way he worked. You know, he’s gone through adversity, but I just love the way he responds," Gabriel said. "He’s a damn good kid and works his butt off, so I don’t think you can say anymore, he just a guy you can respect."

Holden's adversity includes being ejected during Oregon's win over the Ohio State Buckeyes atAutzen Stadium after spitting on an opposing player. Lanning said that the program would handle the situation internally and it appeared that came in the form of a suspension for the Purdue game.

"I f******* love it for him, I do. I want people to know that there's before and after. There's growth. If you've seen our team, we've continued to grow each week. He's a direct example of that," Gabriel continued.

Holden will again take the field for the Cowboys at training camp in Oxnard, California. Dallas' rookies and veterans will report on Monday, July 21. Training camp is held at Staybridge Suites. The Cowboys will be putting in their final preparations before the season begins while Holden will look to compete at huge position of importance for Dallas.