The Dallas Cowboys have a No. 1 wide receiver, even if he doesn't know it yet as the team would have you believe there won't be one.

It was a foregone conclusion they'd grab at least one wideout in this year's NFL Draft, and they steadily expanded their view to cover both potential early-, mid- and late-round picks. It was a smart play in the event things happened during the draft that forced them to adjust on the fly, which it inevitably did, and the team could ill-afford to walk away from three days and seven rounds of selections without grabbing another impact WR at some point.

Only days after owner Jerry Jones made it clear there were no replacements for Dez Bryant currently on the roster, they made the call in the third round to select Colorado State star Michael Gallup, dropping him into a void left behind by the release of the All-Pro. The rookie will have cavernous shoes to fill considering what Bryant did for the organization over the course of his eight-year NFL career, but Gallup is a physical presence who has the tools to get the job done.

As the team approaches the back end of OTAs, no one is a bigger believer than new wideouts coach Sanjay Lal, who already sees a lot of Bryant in Gallup.

"I like the violence with which [Gallup] plays," said Lal, via Brandon George of The Dallas Morning News. "He plays like a man. Very similar [to Dez Bryant]. Dez is bigger, but Michael can get bigger & stronger, but he plays with that kind of style.

"As he matures he’ll be even better."

That's a lofty comparison but it's justified in watching Gallup's film from Colorado State. He himself, like Bryant, also prefers to go and get the ball versus allowing it to come to their body, but the rookie is focused on making his own mark as opposed to being seen as anyone's replacement.

“I’m not really coming to replace anybody,” Gallup said prior to OTAs firing up, via Todd Archer of ESPN. “I’m coming down here to compete, find my role on the team, help us win ballgames.”

The native of Monroe, GA boasts a 6-foot, 202 lb. frame isn't the ideal height for a receiver you'd consider playing outside the hashes at the NFL level, but it's not exactly a deal-breaker, either. Used as just that during his two-year stay at Colorado State, he was able to use his improved route-running and above-average vertical to help make up for it in a big way, routinely dominating opposing defensive backs with his physicality and ability to inhale the catch from outside of his body.

He also has the speed to burst past the second level, as seen in his 40-yard dash time where he very nearly delivered a sub-4.5s sprint.

The definition of an athlete in its purest form, Gallup lettered in four sports during his high school days (football, baseball, track and basketball). He pulls a skill from each sport seemingly on-demand, and can be a handful to cover.

There's no denying Gallup can deliver at the NFL level, having racked up a massive 2,685 receiving yards and 21 touchdowns in only 26 games with the Rams, en route to earning First-Team All-Mountain West honors and a 2017 Consensus All-American nod in the process. A junior college transfer that has had to work his way up to the big stage, don't discount the intangible of his will to prove everyone wrong. He needs polish, but for the right team he could easily become a serious weapon.

He'll compete with Allen Hurns and others, but go ahead and pencil him into the X role with Hurns at the Y -- making the future very difficult for an injured Terrance Williams, who is also the subject of an open criminal investigation.