Bryant handling transition to NFL perfectly

IRVING, Texas

A college prospect with top 10 talent was heartbroken when sliding to the No. 24 pick in April’s NFL Draft. That same wide receiver spent this week working with the first-team offense of a bona fide Super Bowl contender.

The Dez Bryant rollercoaster hasn’t stopped. In fact, the ride has just begun.

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No player has ever faced such intense pre-draft scrutiny for off-field issues.

Concerns about Bryant’s maturity, family history and whether he could handle the pressures and temptations inherent in being an NFL player were compounded by his perpetual tardiness for class at Oklahoma State and an NCAA suspension that derailed his junior season. Bryant even claimed Miami Dolphins general manager Jeff Ireland asked if his mother was a prostitute during a pre-draft interview.

There’s only one way for Bryant to put his past to bed -- by giving people something else to talk about. He’s off to a good start so far.

You can’t ask anything more of a rookie than what Bryant has done since joining the Dallas Cowboys. There are the occasional dips while trying to learn a pro offense -- especially considering he played less than 2½ college seasons -- but Bryant hasn’t gotten discouraged. When he tired at a rookie minicamp, Cowboys offensive coordinator Jason Garrett said Bryant didn’t “hide behind the water jug. He wanted as much (practice) as he could get.”

Bryant was a nightmare for opposing defenses at Oklahoma State. At 6-foot-2 and 225 pounds, he is a mismatch waiting to happen against smaller defensive backs.

“He’s got great talent. The scary thing is he doesn’t even know it yet,” Cowboys wide receiver Roy Williams said after a recent OTA practice. “Once the light bulb comes on, watch out. His hands ... He shakes my hand and his fingertips come up to my elbows. He just snatches the ball. Once he learns how to run routes instead of thinking about it, he’s going to be unstoppable.”

The fact that Williams is gushing about a player who could ultimately take his starting spot speaks volumes for how well Bryant has ingratiated himself. Bryant wears No. 88 but hasn’t displayed any Michael Irvin-style bravado.

“I’m trying to work my way in,” Bryant said in front of his locker at Cowboys headquarters. “I’m not where Roy, Miles (Austin) or any of the other receivers are at. I’m just a rookie.”

If it were only that simple.

Bryant’s peers won’t face the same intense scrutiny as they try to make their mark. Bryant and his background -- a mother with a drug-dealing past who gave birth to him at age 15, the lies he told NCAA officials when investigated for improper contact with an agent -- will once again become national news should he slip up.

Yet in some ways, this is the best thing that could have happened for Bryant in the long term. Cowboys coaches say he has arrived on time for every meeting. Bryant usually arrives to practice early and stays late to catch extra passes and punts. Bryant is said to hang with a large entourage off the field -- which can often be a harbinger of trouble to come -- but that isn’t an issue yet and may never become one. His criminal record remains spotless.

At age 21, Bryant is well on his way to truly becoming an adult.

“He’s yes-sir, no-sir,” Cowboys wide receivers coach Ray Sherman said. “He pays attention. He asks questions if he doesn’t understand something. He’s been great.

“He’s done an outstanding job dealing with what he’s dealt with. For a young man not to blow up on somebody or come out and say things, he’s kept everything in check. He’s done a tremendous job of just focusing on what he has to do and let everyone know, ‘I’m fine. The family is fine. Let’s just move on. I want to play football.’ It’s very impressive.”

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Bryant said prayer and his positive nature kept him from imploding while being picked apart in the pre-draft process.

“I know what kind of guy I am and the people who know me do, too,” Bryant said. “I feel like I’m doing a good job moving on. I’m here with the Dallas Cowboys, my dream team. Everything is great.”

A ticket to NFL greatness may be next.

Alex Marvez will co-host with Gil Brandt from 8 to 11 pm e.s.t. Friday night on Sirius NFL Radio, Channel 124.