The Cowboys spent a majority of the offseason looking for players to step up at the receiver position. Third-round pick Michael Gallup might be the guy.

It’s been a little less than three months since the Cowboys spent the 81st overall pick on former Colorado State wide receiver, Michael Gallup. In about three weeks the Cowboys will be heading to Oxnard for training camp providing Gallup his first chance to show his skill-set off to the Cowboys coaching staff. During the NFL Draft process, Gallup was looked at as one of the top receivers in the class by many, but he fell to the Cowboys in the third round.

When watching Michael Gallup play, he plays very similar to Vikings wide receiver Stefon Diggs. Both players perform best when on the move, in space, and after the catch. Both players also went in the middle rounds of the draft. When comparing the two players, you’ll notice they have more similarities than you may have thought.

Below are the measurables and combine numbers for Michael Gallup and Stefon Diggs. When comparing the two you’ll see both players are very similar size, and both tested very similar at the combine and their pro days.

Measurable Michael Gallup Stefon Diggs Height 6' 0¾" 6' 0" Weight 205 lbs 195 lbs Arm Length 31½" 31¼" Hand Size 9¼" 10" 40 Yard Dash 4.51s 4.46s Vertical Jump 36" 35" Broad Jump 122" 115" 3-Cone Drill 6.95s 7.03s 20 Yard Shuttle 4.37s 4.32s

Gallup who was taken with the 81st overall pick, and actually looks to be the superior athlete according to the numbers taken from the combine and his pro day. But Diggs has been a quality player since entering the league as a fifth-round pick in 2015. Diggs, who has completed three seasons with the Vikings, has 200 receptions, 2,472 yards, and 15 touchdowns in his first three years. While the numbers do show plenty of similarities, the tape does too, and that’s what matters most. If Michael Gallup can produce at a similar level that Diggs has recently, the Cowboys would have struck gold in the third round of the 2018 NFL Draft.

Here Stefon Diggs beat the Chicago cornerback Marcus Cooper with a perfectly executed post route for an easy touchdown. The post is a route that Gallup ran at Colorado State and one he showed off a lot in Mobile, at the Senior Bowl.

This is a slant that Michael Gallup ran while at Colorado State with more of deeper angle to the endzone. While the slant route and post route are a bit different, the similarities between the way Diggs and Gallup run routes is obvious. Both players are also heavily involved in the screen game, which is something the Cowboys will look to do a lot with their new toy.

The Cowboys aren’t a team who use the screen play a lot, but it’s something we will likely see more of in 2018 with Tavon Austin and Michael Gallup on the roster. If used correctly wide receiver screens can be very effective, especially if you’re a team that runs the football well.

Contrary to their size, both players are very good at going up and getting the ball in the red zone. Both Gallup and Diggs are very dangerous weapons in the red zone and can be thrown fades, slants, or screens for easy touchdowns. Both Diggs and Gallup are very good at using their frames to shade defenders away from the ball and their athletic ability to out athlete defensive backs.

Hard to imagine 6-foot-0, 200-lb receivers being big red zone guys, but both of them have no issue “going up and getting” the football.

Whether you pay attention to measurables, analytics, or just the tape, it’s hard to ignore the resemblance between both Stefon Diggs and Michael Gallup. The Dallas Cowboys offense needs Michael Gallup to show in a big way in his rookie season, and with so much uncertainty surrounding the position having a third-round pick step up and play to a “Stefon Diggs” level would be huge for the success of the 2018 Cowboys offense. Those expectations may be high, but there ones the former Colorado State receiver is certainly capable of living up to.