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Elite speed wide receiver reveals he's a potential NFL Draft target for the Giants, Ravens, and Cardinals
USA TODAY Sports

Jacob Cowing, WR Arizona is one of the most electric players in the 2024 NFL Draft. His 4.38-second forty-yard dash at the NFL Combine is 91st percentile among all wide receivers since the year 2000, but that still doesn't do his on-field speed justice.

When I met with him this week for an interview I had the opportunity to share with Cowing that when I spoke to multiple NFL analytics staffers at the NFL Combine his name came up as one of the most impressive in the on-field player spatial tracking data that normal fans and journalists don't have access to.

That didn't really seem to surprise Cowing, since he probably already understood how easy he made it look getting open for both UTEP and Arizona. But he did share that his play had caught the attention of a few key NFL teams in particular throughout the draft process.

As our very own Destin Adams shared yesterday (who was also present for the interview), the Cardinals, Giants, and Ravens have seemed to show the most interest in Cowing throughout the NFL Draft process.

When I spoke to John Harbaugh at the NFL Combine he made it clear that the Ravens were more than happy with their receiving group. However, he did indicate he hoped the team could bring back Odell Beckham Jr., and that's looking less likely by the day. The team could use an elite speed guy like Cowing.

The Giants and Cardinals both clearly have huge needs at wide receiver heading into NFL free agency and the draft, so both teams make real sense. The Giants have seemingly become obsessed with Cowing's slightly undersized speedy archetype in recent years. The Cardinals are losing Marquise "Hollywood" Brown (a Cowing clone) to free agency and would love to replace him.

There's much more to Cowing than his speed too. He's also one of the most productive college football wide receivers ever.

Cowing finished his college career with the seventh most receiving yards among all wide receivers in college football history. He never finished with less than 550 receiving yards in a season (even as a freshman). Cowing ranks 5th all-time in receiving yards for UTEP and 13th all-time for Arizona; a truly prolific producer.

If the Giants, Cardinals, Ravens, or any other NFL team ends up selecting Cowing they'll be getting one of the most proven speedsters to enter the NFL Draft in a long time.

Be looking for a more in-depth feature piece on Jacob Cowing here soon, as well as plenty of NFL Draft content all spring long here at A to Z Sports. Feel free to follow me on X (Twitter) @FF_TravisM for more draft content. And if you haven't already, check out the latest NFL Draft Big Board tool below, created by our A to Z Film Room analyst, James Foster.

This article first appeared on A to Z Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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