Jerry Jones impressed with rookie WR Devin Street

Rookie wide receiver Devin Street is one of four players who have caught Jerry Jones' eye during the first week and a half of the Dallas Cowboys' training camp. After entering May as one of my pre-draft favorites at the position, I can't say that I'm surprised. After putting together a strong showing in the team's first Blue-White scrimmage, Street is starting to get more attention from those who are covering the team.

Sunday's scrimmage was another step in the right direction as Street caught two touchdown grabs in 7-on-7 drills, including one in the back of the end zone. More importantly, he took a bubble screen at least 20 yards for a touchdown during the scrimmage. On these plays he showed an elusiveness and ability to create separation. These traits have caught Jerry Jones' attention early on.

"You can't help but be impressed with No. 15," "He's what we thought he was at our third receiver," Jones said. "He's getting a lot of reps here, but he's a real exceptional route runner for a rookie."

Route running is one of his attributes that stood out to me when I broke down his game tape over at DraftBreakdown.com. In college, Street was able to create separation at will due to his unique quickness for someone of his size. At 6-foot-3 and 198 pounds, you don't usually expect a wide receiver to get open and in space on slants, ins, and screens. However, that's exactly what Street did on the screen during Sunday's scrimmage and in practices before it.

Head coach Jason Garrett took notice of Street as well during Sunday's scrimmage. Garrett also pointed to Street's route running when describing what has set him apart.

"Devin's a mature guy," coach Jason Garrett said. "And really throughout the minicamps in the spring and throughout training camp he's shown that. He's a really aware guy. He's mature as a route runner. He's quarterback-friendly.

A quarterback-friendly wide receiver could pay huge dividends for an offense that struggled at times during to find a receiving threat outside of Dez Bryant during the 2013 season.

Where Street might end up being most Tony Romo-friendly is inside the red zone. Street's height combined with his 37-inch vertical make him one of the team's best options inside the red zone. For comparisons sake, Terrance Williams stands an inch shorter and registered just a 32.5-inch vertical at the NFL Combine and Dez Bryant flashed with a 38-inch vertical at 6-foot-2.

The knock on Street entering the NFL was that he lacked to straight-line speed to last in this league. Street ran an official 4.55 40-yard-dash, which most consider to be a slow time for his position. As we've learned over time, there's a difference between timed speed and game speed. Street believes that he's a prime example of that disparity.

"People call me slow sometimes but once I get out here it's about just playing fast," Street said. "Every time I get the ball in my hands, just try to score, go and give it 110 percent even if just on a block. I learned that from Larry. Larry was never the fastest guy timing wise, but he gets on the field and it's over. It's lights out."

Street is referring to Pitt alum Larry Fitzgerald who has worked with him during his last few years at college. Fitzgerald holds a now highly-publicized summer football camp that has proceeded breakout seasons in the past for big names such as Brandon Marshall, Dwayne Bowe, Greg Jennings, and Sidney Rice. Any additional pointers he can get from Fitzgerald should pay off in Street's development.

Adopting Fitzgerald's hard work mentality paid off for Street while at Pitt. In just 10 games in 2013, Street racked up 854 yards on 51 catches (16.7 ypc) while adding seven touchdowns. Over the course of his career, in 49 games, Street compiled 2,901 yards on 2012 catches (14.4 ypc) while adding 16 touchdowns. Those numbers don't usually accompany a player who is too slow to make big plays down the field.

Perhaps the most underrated attribute that Street brings to the Cowboys is his drive to improve day in and day out. Street received a lot of credit from his coaches and teammates after Sunday's scrimmage, but he wasn't satisfied with his own performance.

"I made a lot of plays out here today, but I missed one, so it wasn't a good practice for me," Street said.

For now, it's just Street who sets ridiculously high standards for himself. In time, the entire NFL might adopt a similar expectation of what Street brings to the table every week.

Follow Dan Schneier on Twitter @DanSchneier_NFL. He will be tweeting out nuggets from OTAs and training camp all offseason long. You can also "Like" him on Facebook, or add him to your network through Google.