The Dallas Cowboys quickly found a player on the waiver wire that justified parting company with Steven McGee. His name is Colin Cochart, which most likely won't ring a bell. That's understandable, given that he has a total of five NFL receptions for 44 yards and one touchdown.

Cochart, who was with the Cincinnati Bengals through 2011, was an undrafted free agent out of South Dakota State. A quick look at his highlights from college will show you why the Bengals were intrigued by this prospect.

At S.D. State, Cochart was a versatile tight end who lined up in the slot, out wide, as an H-back and did a great deal of blocking as well. If you look closely at the video here, you will notice that he is very comfortable with physical contact. He makes plenty of catches in traffic, blocks aggressively and tenaciously and seems to be looking for additional people to hit on many plays.

Cochart was picked up by the Bengals in 2011 as a UDFA, but had he competed at this years NFL combine, here is where he would have stacked up.

Cochart ran a 4.71 40, faster than all but 11 other tight ends in this spring's combine.

He put up 29 bench presses of 225 lbs, better than all but one tight end this spring.

His 20 yard shuttle run was 4.23, better than all but six tight ends in the Combine.

His vertical leap is 35 inches, tied for ninth best.

His broad jump is 9'10", tied for 11th best.

What all of that tells us is that Cochart, who is 6'4" and 260 pounds, has the measureables that a tight end needs to succeed at the NFL level.

His bench press number, his vertical and his 20-yard shuttle are all numbers to be very happy with.

When you look at the tape on this guy, you see that he enjoys using his exceptional upper body strength as a blocker. He really gets after it.

The fact that he has some quickness and some hops is also a big plus. But those things don't do anything for you if you aren't willing to climb a ladder and go get jump balls, even if you know you're going to get hit.

That is why the tape on this guy is so encouraging; there are several jump balls that you see Cochart coming down with, not just in the end zone, but in the middle of field, where he knows he is going to pay a price.

Someone once said that power was strength plus the will to use it. Often times we get excited about what a guy does at the combine, but he doesn't pan out because he is unwilling to put in the work and take the punishment required to succeed in the NFL.

Cochart appears to be a guy who is willing to do what it takes.

He will provide much needed depth—and young depth—with a big upside. It's not unreasonable to think that he could give John Phillips and James Hanna some serious competition for the second tight end spot next summer.

In the mean time, Dallas has improved their depth and have given an young prospect an opportunity to learn from one of the best tight ends in the game.