Cowboys 2026 UDFA scouting: DJ Rogers scouting report

NFL Combine/Pro Day

Awards

N/A

Scorecard

Overall**–**50.6
Speed- 83
Acceleration- 48
Agility- 79
Strength- 44
Catching- 70
Route Running- 68
YAC Skills- 50
Pass Blocking- 68
Run Blocking- 59
Discipline- 95

THE GOOD

• Can line up attached, in a wing, or as a Y-off and execute multiple assignments
• Shows good feel for settling in zones and presenting an easy target on play-action
• Generally secures what’s thrown to him and finishes plays through contact
• Effective on sticks, flats, crossers and seams
• Willing blocker with enough size to be used on the edge of the formation
• Showed steady growth in TCU meaning he’s developing consistently
• High character player and willing to anything demanded of him, including special teams work

THE BAD

• He’s not the type of TE who consistently separates like a big slot or creates easy explosive plays on his own
• After the catch he’s more get what’s there than make multiple players miss
• Route tree is fairly basic
• Blocking is functional, not dominant
• Not a true tone-setting inline blocker who moves people, NFL edges can compress him if his pad level and hand placement aren’t perfect

THE FIT/PROJECTION

Rogers’ best NFL fit is as a TE3/TE4 in-line player who can handle the dirty work and be a reliable checkdown target off play-action. He’s more a complementary, assignment-sound tight end than a detached mismatch.

On the Cowboys specifically, the depth chart reality is steep with Jake Ferguson as the clear starter, and Dallas is already carrying with Luke Schoonmaker and Brevyn Spann-Ford, plus depth bodies like Princeton Fant and fellow rookie Michael Trigg. That likely puts Rogers in a bubble fight where his most realistic early outcomes are TE4/TE5 competing for a final roster spot or practice squad position, and his clearest way to stick is special teams and blocking reliability.

SUMMARY

DJ Rogers is the type of tight end Dallas often adds after the draft with a steady, coachable, low-maintenance player who does a little of everything and gives you a chance to stabilize the bottom of the tight end room. He isn’t the move tight end who’s going to live in the slot and win like a big receiver, but he does bring a functional NFL body, reliable hands, and the kind of week-to-week consistency you want from a TE who can be active on game day without tipping your hand. At TCU in 2025, he finally got starter volume and responded with a clean, dependable season, showing he can work seams, sit in zones, and be a quarterback-friendly target on play-action boots and checkdowns.

Rogers’ value comes from reliability and role clarity. He’s at his best as a traditional in-line tight end who can attach to the formation, chip and release, and win on simple concepts while giving effort as a blocker. He fits the do-the-job tight end mold who can handle multiple assignments without needing to be featured.

The limitations are equally clear however. He’s not a high-end separator or explosive YAC threat, so he probably doesn’t climb into a primary receiving role, and his best roster argument will come from special teams and blocking dependability. For the Cowboys, that likely means he enters camp competing for a back-end TE spot, with his clearest path being if he can prove he can block, cover kicks, and catch the ball when it’s thrown to him.

PRO COMPARISON

Jonnu Smith

BTB OVERALL RANKING

393rd

CONSENSUS OVERALL RANKING

372nd