Mel Kiper’s latest mock has the Cowboys going with a running back in the first not named Ashton Jeanty.
It is not hard to find a mock draft that has the Dallas Cowboys taking Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty at number 12 overall. Generally. we always reach a point in the draft process where a target becomes very well-connected to the Cowboys, but that tends to happen much closer to draft time. Given who Ashton Jeanty is and who the Cowboys have been, people have been drawing the line between them for a few months already and we are still only in February.
When you add to this mix that the Cowboys have a head coach now in Brian Schottenheimer with a history with running the ball, and what the league looked like this past season, the math continues to check out at every step of the process.
But what if Ashton Jeanty is well gone by the time that Dallas is on the clock?
Mel Kiper has the Cowboys taking UNC’s Omarion Hampton at 12 overall
There is a contingent of people who do not want to see the Cowboys take Ashton Jeanty, even if he were to fall to 12 overall. It is certainly possible that he may not given the type of player he has shown himself to be, although the draft process still has a lot to unveil to us before names start getting written down on cards.
However you feel, Jeanty was not an option for the Cowboys in Mel Kiper’s latest mock as he had gone to the Las Vegas Raiders six picks earlier. Kiper appears to really believe that Dallas is set on running back though as he has the Cowboys taking UNC’s Omarion Hampton.
12. Dallas Cowboys
Omarion Hampton, RB, North Carolina
I’ve talked to people in the NFL who have Jeanty and Hampton neck and neck for RB1, and there are even some who prefer Hampton. And I look at Dallas’ decision to hire Brian Schottenheimer as coach and can’t help but think about his father, Marty, and all those run-heavy offenses he had over 21 seasons in the same job for four different teams. One would think some of that will rub off on the Cowboys’ new coach, even with Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb in the offense.
But to jump-start the run game, the Cowboys actually need a legit running back. Rico Dowdle was decent (1,079 yards), but he’s a free agent and Dallas will likely want to upgrade. Plus, this team has been known to use early picks at the position in the past, including drafting Ezekiel Elliott at No. 4 in 2016. Hampton is a home-run hitter who had 1,660 yards and 15 rushing TDs in 2024.
Omarion Hampton has in no way been as connected to the Cowboys as Ashton Jeanty, but he is a wildly talented player. NFL Media’s Daniel Jeremiah has Jeanty as his third overall player, but still thinks highly of Hampton as he has him at 19.
Hampton does not seem to be as prolific as Jeanty, but that may say more about the latter than the former. The Cowboys can very much benefit from Hampton and his own level of explosiveness, but the bigger takeaway here may be that NFL draft experts really think that Dallas is going to go running back in the first round even if Jeanty is gone.
It may sound shocking to see two running backs going so high in the draft given the narrative around the position and its level of worth in recent history. Interestingly enough, the last time that two running backs went in the top 12 was actually only two years ago when Bijan Robinson went to the Atlanta Falcons (8) and Jahmyr Gibbs went to the Detroit Lions (12).
While that was the case, running back is still in a precarious spot overall relative to the draft. This is when the first running back was taken off of the board dating back to Dallas selecting Ezekiel Elliott at fourth overall.
- 2024: 46th overall – Jonathan Brooks to Carolina Panthers
- 2023: 8th overall – Bijan Robinson to Atlanta Falcons
- 2022: 36th overall – Breece Hall to New York Jets
- 2021: 24th overall – Najee Harris to Pittsburgh Steelers
- 2020: 32nd overall – Clyde Edwards-Helaire to Kansas City Chiefs
- 2019: 24th overall – Josh Jacobs to Oakland Raiders
- 2018: 2nd overall – Saquon Barkley to New York Giants
- 2017: 4th overall – Leonard Fournette to Jacksonville Jaguars
- 2016: 4th overall – Ezekiel Elliott to Dallas Cowboys
On some level it has felt like Jeanty to Dallas was inevitable, but this is an interesting emphasis on the position being the pick almost no matter what. Maybe the Cowboys are that hellbent on re-establishing the run or maybe this is your standard chum in the water during the week of the NFL combine.
