FRISCO -- Since Cole Beasley stands about 5 feet, 8 inches, most think it would be difficult to find him while he's running among giants on Sunday afternoons.

Rookie quarterback Dak Prescott says that's not true.

"He finds a way to get open," Prescott said. "Beasley is always open."

Is that true?

"Maybe not always," Beasley said with a smile, "but I'd like to think more often than not."

He was certainly open late in the fourth quarter Sunday inside Levi's Stadium. With the Cowboys leading the San Francisco 49ers 24-17 and looking to run out the final minute and a half, Prescott somewhat surprisingly stepped back to pass. Beasley was the target near the line of scrimmage. The fifth-year receiver out of SMU caught the pass and immediately turned up field. A key block from tight end Jason Witten opened up space.

When he was done running, Beasley had recorded a career-long 47-yard reception and the Cowboys had done something they never did last season -- win a game with both Tony Romo and Dez Bryant in street clothes.

Dallas has been turning to Beasley throughout the first quarter of the season. The team's leading receiver is on pace for career highs of 92 receptions and 1,116 yards.

Beasley, who set career marks last season with 52 catches for 536 yards and five touchdowns, insists he's not doing anything different.

"It doesn't feel any different," he said. "Maybe I just prepared better for this season than I have in the past. Maybe. But other than that, no. I'm just playing football and focusing on my job and what I have to do. Just playing fast."

The 27-year-old's lack of size doesn't bother offensive coordinator Scott Linehan. Elite quickness and a unique feel for the game are how Beasley causes headaches for defensive coordinators.

"He has the separation ability where at the top of the route, he gets away from people and he gets more open," Linehan said. "Some guys are kind of open, but he gets really open once he wins man coverage."

He can also take a hit, and a joke.

In the first quarter against the Chicago Bears on Sept. 25, Beasley was drilled by safety Adrian Amos, knocking him off his feet and back about 3 yards. A viral video of the play quickly followed on Twitter. But instead of Beasley landing on the AT&T Stadium turf, the clip showed Beasley getting knocked back in time, past Martin Luther King Jr. giving a speech and past dinosaurs in a scene from the movie Jurassic Park.

Beasley saw the video after the game while waiting for his bacon cheeseburger meal in a Whataburger drive-through.

"I thought that was one of the funniest videos I've ever seen," he said. "I showed my wife and we were both just dying laughing in the car."

Rookie cornerback Anthony Brown often finds himself shadowing Beasley in practice. After an organized team activities session in June, Brown said Beasley was more difficult to defend than any of the Big Ten receivers he faced at Purdue.

So Brown isn't exactly surprised by Beasley's breakout start.

"He's very quick and explosive out of his breaks," Brown said, "and then he's in the slot, so he's got a lot of room to work with. It's hard to get a hand on him. Once he gets going, there's no stopping him.

"He's one of the hardest guys to cover in this league in the slot, hands down."

Linehan agrees.

"He's not the tallest guy, but he's got a lot," Linehan said. "He gives us an unbelievable matchup we'll take any time."

Twitter: @jonmachota

Cole Beasley through his first four games of the season:

2016: 23 receptions, 279 yards, 0 touchdowns

2015: 18 receptions, 174 yards, 0 touchdowns

2014: 8 receptions, 75 yards, 0 touchdowns

2013: 12 receptions, 114 yards, 1 touchdown

2012: 3 receptions, 22 yards, 0 touchdowns