Cole Beasley: The Man Who Catches Everything | News, Scores, Highlights, Stats, and Rumors

Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott are receiving the vast majority of the credit for the fact the Dallas Cowboys have shocked the football world with a 6-1 start. 

Beyond that rookie quarterback/running back duo, the offensive line gets a lot of love, too. Left tackle Tyron Smith, right guard Zack Martin and center Travis Frederick are all strong All-Pro candidates as we approach midseason. 

Meanwhile, with superstar Dez Bryant having missed time due to a knee injury, the team's leading receiver continues to fly under the radar. 

His name is Cole Beasley. Undrafted. Never been to a Pro Bowl. Just 5'8". Eight starts in his first four NFL seasons, and only three more thus far in 2016. But on pace for a 1,000-yard campaign. 

In terms of DYAR (defense-adjusted yards above replacement), Football Outsiders ranks him third in the league, behind only megastars Julio Jones and A.J. Green. In terms of DVOA (defense-adjusted value over average), he ranks first.

And Pro Football Focus ranks him as the sixth-best receiver in football while giving him the highest grade among Cowboys skill-position players (yes, higher than Prescott and Elliott). 

How is it that Beasley has become one of the most valuable pass-catchers in the NFL? Well, simply getting the opportunity is a factor. And the fact he's a possession receiver working with a rookie quarterback certainly helps. 

But the key for Beasley might simply be that he catches everything. 

Among the 84 wide receivers who have been targeted on at least 30 passes this season, Beasley ranks first with a catch rate of 80.4 percent. 

And that's no fluke. Among the 75 wide receivers who have been targeted on at least 200 passes since the start of 2013, Beasley again has the highest catch rate (73.7 percent). 

No, the 27-year-old isn't really a deep threat. But it's not as though all of those receptions are coming on screens and checkdowns. This year, he's averaging a respectable 12.0 yards per reception, and he's gained 15 or more yards on nine of his 37 catches. 

In fact, he gives Prescott and the Dallas offense 9.6 yards per target, which ranks 13th among those 84 receivers with at least 30 targets.

And there's little risk involved when you throw his way:

• Per PFF, only one of the 184 passes intended for Beasley in the last three years has been intercepted, and he's dropped just nine passes in his five-year career.
• With only one drop on 38 catchable passes this season, he's one of 20 qualified receivers with a sub-3.0 drop rate.
• In 2014, he was the only receiver in football with zero drops on 30 or more targets. 
• When throwing his way this season, Prescott has a passer rating of 133.5. No other receiver in football has produced a rating above 126.0. 

That's what happens when your routes are as crisp as anyone in the league and your hands hardly ever fail you. 

If the Cowboys continue to experience success, Prescott (and/or Tony Romo), Elliott, Smith, Martin, Frederick and Bryant will undoubtedly continue to hog Dallas-area headlines. But the Cowboys wouldn't be in this position without Beasley. And in order to make a run at their first Super Bowl in over two decades, they'll need him to continue to be the man who catches everything. 

Brad Gagnon has covered the NFL for Bleacher Report since 2012.