Jon Machota and Brandon George of The Dallas Morning News are back with an all-new edition of Candidly Cowboys. They discussed the rookie tight end Rico Gathers' attempt to try and make the transition from college basketball to the NFL.

Get the Cowboys Sports Radio app.

Subscribe to Cowboys Sports Radio.

Click here to listen to the podcast on your mobile devices.

For more Dallas Cowboys podcasts, follow us on Twitter:@RadioCowboys

Highlights from the episode:

Thoughts on drafting a college hoops player

Jon Machota: Brandon, what were your impressions when they drafted Rico in the sixth round this year?

Brandon George: You know, I didn't have any problem with them taking a pick like this. They had four sixth-round picks this year. This was the last one. He's obviously a project for this team. He hasn't played football since he was 13-years-old. But I had no problem with them taking him at that spot. I think it's a pick that could really pay off big for them if he's a guy that really can develop. At minimum, you look at Rico Gathers and he's gonna be a threat for this team in the red zone immediately. I think a guy who can go up and get the football and make some plays in the red zone. At minimum, you're gonna get a payoff I think from this guy right away. It's just gonna take some time with the fundamental side. It's gonna take some time to learn some of the things that he needs to learn to play at the NFL level.

Jon Machota: During rookie minicamp, I got a chance to talk to him at his locker. I would say after Zeke (Elliott) and Dak (Prescott), he was definitely the guy that had the most attention. Obviously, having the Baylor connection helped there, too. Most of these guys that have done this type of jump from basketball to football have at least played in college or some high school. One of the key people in him making this decision was his brother, Greg. Greg Gathers, if you don't know, was an All-American defensive end at Georgia Tech in the early '2000s. He almost came out for the NFL draft after his junior year. But the information he got back from the NFL folks was that he'd probably be like around a fourth- or fifth-round pick. So he figured, 'you know what, I'll come back for my senior year and try to improve my stock.' And that's when he found out he had a rare kidney disorder. So he had to step away from the game. But he obviously played at a high level with some of these other top, elite players. And it gives him a little more sense than just your average brother at what Rico's chances would be even having that opportunity to even play in the NFL.

And obviously with Greg being a defensive end, there has been talk that if Rico doesn't work out at tight end that could be a position they move him to. Greg got a chance to play against Julius Peppers, who was at North Carolina when he was in college. He (Rico) has definitely drawn some comparisons between size and athletic ability of Peppers, a guy that played college basketball and college football at North Carolina.

Beginning a project

Brandon George: This is a great project for the Cowboys. You look at the history of Greg, a defensive end and the numbers he put up there at Georgia Tech. You look at what Rico can bring to the Cowboys and possibly move to that defensive end spot. I think it's something the Cowboys had to do. They probably would have lost out on him if they waited very much longer. He probably would have been selected in the seventh round. So I think it was smart of them to take him in the sixth round.

Jon Machota: There's been success doing this. There's been success with these guys that played basketball that transitioned to football. There's been Jimmy Graham, Antonio Gates and Tony Gonzalez. All those guys at least played in high school. Jimmy Graham at least played a year of college football at Miami. Tony Gonzalez played college football at Cal. Those are All-Pro tight ends. I just don't think that people should think that this is what Rico's gonna be. He could be. It probably wouldn't be for a while. I don't think he'll be able to step in right away and have the impact that these guys did. But it's a possibility. If Rico's gonna make any impact right away, it will be getting those high balls. Maybe it's at the end of a quarter, end of a half, end of a game or in a red-zone situation where he can just jump up, doesn't have to do a lot, just use his athletic ability and size.

Brandon George: That's something the Cowboys need, too. When you look at their red zone from last year. This is not a team that has a strong presence at tight end that can really make those kind of plays. Jason Witten is not a guy who's gonna high-point balls and catch those kind of passes any more at this point in his career. When you look at where this team can use him, I think it's gonna be in a red-zone situation where he can go in and make a play or two. That's kind of how they tried to use Gavin Escobar the last couple of years. There's just not a lot of plays to go around because Jason Witten plays every snap. He doesn't like to come off the field. Early on, he's not gonna get a lot of playing time. He just really needs to learn behind a guy like Jason Witten. The question is where does Rico go from here? I think that the bottom line for Rico Gathers is the fundamental side of the football. He's gonna have to learn how to play with leverage at the line of scrimmage. They think he can develop into a strong blocker, similar to maybe a Martellus Bennett. But he's gonna have to learn how to play with leverage, how to use his body in football. Some of that you can translate from how he used his body as a power forward in basketball. But there's other things that he's gonna have to learn how to do. I think that's gonna be the question ... how quickly can he catch up to some of these other players he's competing against?

The next Jimmy Graham? Why former Baylor basketball player Rico Gathers was too good for the Cowboys to pass up

Project coordinators

Jon Machota: Now, the guys that'll be in charge of trying to get this project complete are gonna be Steve Loney and Mike Pope. Mike Pope is the tight ends coach; Steve Loney is one of their offensive assistants. Both of these guys are quick to tell you that this isn't something that isn't gonna happen overnight. This is a project. Pope even joked. He was asked if he's ever taken on a project like this and joked that he's been married twice so 'I've taken on some projects.' I think it's gonna be interesting to see how these two are able to work with him. They're guys that have been in the league for a long time. They both have a lot of experience, but both will say they've never seen anything like this.

Brandon George: I thought it was interesting (Baylor basketball coach) Scott Drew talked about, in your story, how he had NFL teams calling about Gathers before his last basketball season there. Loney also said that UTEP basketball coach Tim Floyd kind of did the same thing. Early in the year, Floyd gave Loney a list of three college basketball players he thought had a chance to play in the NFL and Gathers was one of the names mentioned. To Gathers' credit, I think it's big that he actually went in Scott Drew's office and kind of told him going into the season 'this is what I want to do. This is where I think my future is.' This isn't a guy that's kind of made this decision overnight. This is a guy who's really thought about this.

Jon Machota: They Cowboys had four sixth-round picks. They used their last one on Rico. The Cowboys didn't think he'd get to free agency. They thought this is a guy who might go later after we're done in the sixth or possibly in the seventh. The Cowboys didn't have a seventh-round pick. They didn't want to risk him going to free agency. Obviously, you had to have guys in the organization that said that they saw some upside in him. With his athletic ability and what he's shown on the basketball court, I think they're gonna give him every opportunity to make it as a tight end. But Stephen Jones has said it and Rico has said it's a possibility down the line that they could move him to defensive end. I don't see that happening anytime soon. I think they'll give him a couple of years at tight end.

Brandon George: I think they have to give him two years. He's on a four-year deal. The good news is he's a late sixth-round pick. They're obviously not committed to this guy for a whole lot of money. They could cut bait at any time if he doesn't pan out. Obviously, that would be an even bigger move for them to try to put him on the defensive side of the ball.

Twitter: @jonmachota, @DMN_George