Dez Bryant

If he slipped by the Broncos, Bryant was projected to fall no lower than the 27th pick to the Dallas Cowboys.

After dropping because of character concerns, the Cowboys traded up with the New England Patriots, moving from the 27th to the 24th position to select Bryant.

Desmond Demond Bryant (born November 4, 1988) is an American former professional football wide receiver in the National Football League (NFL).

Desmond Demond Bryant was born on Galveston Island at The University of Texas Medical Branch on November 4, 1988.

He and his family later moved to Lufkin, Texas, where he attended Lufkin High School.

While at Lufkin High School, he played high school football for the Panthers football team.

As a junior, he caught 48 passes for 1,025 yards and 16 touchdowns.

Bryant led Lufkin to a 14–1 record, including an appearance in the 5A Division II state semifinals, where they lost 46–28 to Todd Dodge's Southlake Carroll.

In his senior year, Bryant had 53 receptions for 1,207 yards with 21 touchdowns, and was an All-State selection.

Lufkin finished the season with an 11–1 record, after losing 38–25 to Round Rock in the area round of the playoffs.

After the season, Bryant participated in the Offense-Defense All-American Bowl.

He was named an All-American by Parade and SuperPrep.

Bryant competed in track and field and was one of the state's top competitors in the triple jump (top-jump of 14.17 m).

As a standout hurdler, he had personal bests of 14.56 seconds in the 110-m hurdles and 40.70 seconds in the 300-m hurdles.

He was also a member of the 4 × 100-m (42.62) and 4 × 200-m (1:28.35) relay squads.

Regarded as a four-star recruit by Rivals.com, Bryant was listed as the no. 9 wide receiver prospect in the class of 2007, and the second from Texas behind only Terrence Toliver.

Recruited by numerous major programs, including most Big 12 schools, Bryant took official visits to Texas A&M, Oklahoma State, and Texas Tech, before committing to the Cowboys on January 29, 2007.

Bryant attended Oklahoma State University from 2007 to 2009 and was a member of the Oklahoma State Cowboys football team coached by Mike Gundy.

On September 1, Bryant made his collegiate debut against Georgia and had one reception for seven yards in the 35–14 loss.

On September 22, against Texas Tech, he had five receptions for 51 receiving yards and his first collegiate receiving touchdown, a five-yard reception from Zac Robinson, in the 49–45 victory.

On October 20 against Kansas State, he had three receptions for 37 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns in the 41–39 victory.

On November 10, against Kansas, he set a school record for receiving yards in a game by a freshman with 155 in the 43–28 loss.

In the 2007 Insight Bowl, he recorded nine receptions for 117 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns in a 49–33 win against the Indiana Hoosiers.

As a freshman in 2007, he finished second on the team with 43 receptions for 622 receiving yards and six receiving touchdowns in 12 games.

On September 6, against Houston, he had nine receptions for 236 receiving yards and three receiving touchdowns to go along with a punt return touchdown in the 56–37 victory.

On September 27, against Troy, he had six receptions for 118 yards and three receiving touchdowns in the 55–24 victory.

In the next game, against Texas A&M, he had 106 receiving yards, three receiving touchdowns, and a punt return touchdown in the 56–28 victory.

On October 18, against Baylor, he had 11 receptions for 212 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns in the 34–6 victory.

On November 1, against Iowa State, he had nine receptions for 171 yards and four receiving touchdowns in the 59–17 victory.

On November 29, against Oklahoma, he had six receptions for 91 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns in the 61–41 loss.

He played college football for the Oklahoma State Cowboys, earning consensus All-American honors in 2008.

On December 30, against Oregon in the 2008 Holiday Bowl, he had 13 receptions for 167 yards and a receiving touchdown in the 42–31 loss.

He finished the 2008 season with 87 receptions for 1,480 receiving yards and 19 receiving touchdowns, including two punt returns for touchdowns.

Bryant was ruled ineligible for the rest of the 2009 season on October 7 for violating an NCAA bylaw.

He failed to fully disclose his interaction with Deion Sanders, a former NFL player, to the NCAA.

He was considered the best wide receiver in 2009 and a possible Heisman Trophy contender before the suspension.

In three games, he finished with 323 receiving yards, four receiving touchdowns, and a punt return touchdown.

On November 5, 2009, Bryant announced his intentions to enter the 2010 NFL Draft.

He was widely believed to be the best wide receiver available.

He was selected by the Dallas Cowboys in the first round of the 2010 NFL Draft, where he earned three Pro Bowl berths and was named an All-Pro in 2014.