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Cowboys get a power forward, draft Baylor hooper Rico Gathers

Rico Gathers was a heck of a player at Baylor. It was in basketball, but that was good enough for the Dallas Cowboys.

In the sixth round of the NFL draft the Cowboys took a power forward who they hope can become a tight end, selecting Gathers. It's an intriguing pick, considering Gathers hasn't played football since middle school.

(Getty Images)
(Getty Images)

There are a couple things working in Gathers' favor. First, he's a great athlete. He's 6-foot-8, 275 pounds, and his strength and agility is one reason he was a tremendous rebounder and inside player for Baylor's basketball team. Gathers averaged 8.6 points and 8 rebounds per game in college.

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Second, others have paved the way for him. Antonio Gates never played college football, and he's probably going to the Pro Football Hall of Fame. Jimmy Graham played one season of football at Miami and has become an NFL star.  Julius Thomas became a red-zone force with the Denver Broncos and signed a huge contract with the Jacksonville Jaguars after just one season of college football. All of them played college basketball.

This year's tight end class isn't great, so why not spend a sixth-round compensatory pick on a great athlete who might end up hitting big? Dallas won't be expecting Gathers to play right away, so they can work with him and teach him football. You can't teach 6-8, 275 pounds with great athletic ability. He's a fun developmental pick.

And if he doesn't work out with the Cowboys, they can call the Dallas Mavericks and see if they could use any rebounding help.

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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!