The Rico Gathers project continues to progress and the latest comment from a Dallas Cowboys player might jumpstart the hype train around the 6-foot-6, 280-pound tight end.
The Cowboys spent a sixth round pick on the former Baylor basketball player in last year's draft, despite Gathers not playing football since high school. Gathers spent the entire year on the practice as he learns the game and adjusts the NFL. It appears that growth is going well, as future Hall of Fame TE Jason Witten had high praise for Gathers.
"Rico has made some unbelievable strides," Witten told the Dallas Morning-News. "Think about the challenge of coming in last year and not playing football since eighth grade. Physically, he's got all the traits. He's big. He's strong. He's athletic. He's rangy. He can catch. He's really improved with the concepts of our offense and what the responsibilities are. So, I told him and will continue to tell him to dive into that process. The process is talked about a lot over [at The Star]. But I think for all of us, especially young players, just dive into that. And the results will come that you want. But you just have to stay after it, and especially at tight end because there's a lot of demands on that position in this offense. I think he's getting more comfortable with that and I hope he continues to have a good offseason."
Gathers, wisely, is trying to learn everything he can from Witten.
"He's the model for the Cowboys," Gathers said. "Iron Man, that's what they call him, right? I just look up to him. Every time I look at our film I'm looking at him mostly, just dissecting his every move and stuff like that. When you got an ideal model of what you want to be like right in your same locker room, you just try to pick apart everything that he does."
Gathers will get a chance to keep improving during OTAs and minicamp, as both James Hanna and Geoff Swaim are recovering from injuries. If he can reach his potential, the Cowboys might have their eventual Jason Witten replacement.
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