Should Cowboys Draft Ashton Jeanty, Take RB Risk?

FRISCO — The Dallas Cowboys' made no effort to improve upon their backfield after last season. Tony Pollard walked in free agency, a loss they substituted with a reunion with veteran running back Ezekiel Elliott and a late free agency addition of Dalvin Cook.

Four games into the 2024 season, Rico Dowdle bears the torch for the league's worst running game 75.3 yards per game on 3.5 yards per carry. Elliott is slowly being phased out of the lineup and the team refuses to install Cook from its practice squad to change its look.

Unless they see a dramatic change through the remainder of the season, the Cowboys must opt for a complete overhaul of their backfield. The best way to perform that process? Add young and promising talent with room to develop.

In the crop of 2025 prospects, no player fits that mold better than Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty.

Jeanty has stormed into Heisman candidacy, leading all FBS schools in rushing yards (845) and touchdowns (13). The Boise State junior has shot up draft boards, landing a first round grade with some analysts.

CBS Sports' Josh Edwards slotted Jeanty at pick 24 in his most recent mock, going to the Dallas Cowboys in the first round.

Many remember the selection of Elliott in the first round with the number four overall pick. Initially, that selection looked like a bright move as he dominated the league, but slowly Elliott's role would diminish before he left in free agency last offseason.

It's hard to argue that being a bad pick at the time and it certainly brought an influx of excitement to the Cowboys those few seasons. But Dallas and its leadership have made it clear in recent years that they value their picks almost above all else.

A first-round gamble on a running back would seem a bit out of character for this group. Right? What about "the devaluation of the running back'' and all of that?

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That is usually the case, but the running back corps will be in desperate need of upgrades. Using a high pick to address an area of need is a sensible and rational course of action. Additionally, the higher Jeanty's profile rises, the more intriguing his celebrity becomes and the brighter his "Star" shines.

Connect the dots from there. ... with an additional understanding that a) in 2016, Dallas used a first-round pick on Ezekiel Elliott, which was never a problem until it came time for his (bloated) second contract and b) Dallas has long had a pipeline to the Boise State talent. There is a connection there.

Regardless, the Cowboys' main focus is the Pittsburgh Steelers this Sunday, where there run game could continue its early season struggles. But at 2-2, they remain a contender in the NFC with sights still on a return to the postseason.