With RB being a ‘must have’ for the Cowboys in the draft, here are 6 ways they could pull it off

The Cowboys need to make sure to leave the NFL Draft with a running back.

The Dallas Cowboys need a running back. That’s a weird thing to say, considering this team has been fortunate to lean on standout runners DeMarco Murray, Ezekiel Elliott, and Tony Pollard, over the last decade. The fun stopped last season as the Cowboys decided to skimp at the position and rely on undrafted free agent Rico Dowdle to do the heavy lifting.

Now, even Dowdle is gone, and the Cowboys are left figuring out how to improve the running back position with the answer residing in the upcoming draft. When will they pick a running back? It’s hard to say, but looking at the choices in this draft, here could be how the Cowboys decide to approach the running back position.

PLAN A – The gift

For the first couple of months of draft talks, there was a great debate about whether Boise State standout running back Ashton Jeanty was worth the 12th overall pick. It wasn’t so much a knock on Jeanty, but just how some aren’t interested in using premium draft capital on a non-premium position.

Now, with the draft almost upon us, that discussion is likely moot as it’s pretty evident that Jeanty has achieved superstar status and is not likely to be there when the Cowboys pick. Most mocks have him going to Las Vegas at sixth overall, and if he sneaks past them, Chicago will probably take him at 10. There is a small chance Jeanty slides to Dallas and if he does, the Cowboys shouldn’t hesitate to select him. An elite talent at one of the team’s biggest needs. It’s a no-brainer.

PLAN B – A second round surprise

The next tier of running backs consists of North Carolina’s Omarion Hampton and Iowa’s Kaleb Johnson. Hampton gets all the buzz, but they are very similar runners. Both show great vision, can bounce off of would-be tacklers, and know when it hit the gas. They are also both effective out of the backfield as receivers.

Some have mocked Hampton to Dallas at 12, which is a huge uber-reach. Let’s hope that doesn’t happen. While 12 is way too early, it wouldn’t be surprising to see him go late in the first round. Unless something crazy happens, he’s out of range for the Cowboys in the second round. However, that might not be the case with Johnson. He’s projected to go in the middle of the second round and is in striking distance of where the Cowboys pick. While it’s not flashy, landing Johnson should give the Cowboys a forget-it and set-it running back to rely on in 2025.

PLAN C – Let’s get this over with

The Cowboys could just end the suspense of the running back saga by picking a running back at 44, as there will be good options available. If they miss out on the top three, they shouldn’t fret because the Ohio State boys should be right there for the picking. It’s possible one of them might get selected before they are on the clock, but at least one should be there. TreVeyon Henderson and Quinshon Judkins are ranked 42nd and 54th, respectively, from NFL Mock Draft Database.

Henderson and Judkins are both good players, and it’s hard to pick a favorite. Henderson is the more electric runner as he has slightly more speed and ran for 7.0 yards per attempt vs. Judkins’ 5.5 ypc. But Judkins is a more disciplined between-the-tackles runner who has been very consistent over the last three seasons. He’s also a more physical runner who can convert the short-yardage stuff. Either of these Buckeye backs would be solid picks for the Cowboys in the second round.

PLAN D – Patience pays off

If the Cowboys haven’t selected a running back after the first two rounds, it’s okay. There should still be several good options available. Players like Tennessee’s Dylan Sampson, UCF’s R.J. Harvey, and Miami’s Damien Martinez are all expected to still be available in round three. And there’s probably a couple of others you might have on your list of potential targets for the Cowboys at this spot in the draft.

While they are good players who have the potential to be a staple of a team’s running game, they also come with more questions. Some are a bit undersized, some lack wiggle, and backs taken this late typically have a specific skillset and are more suited to be a complementary piece in a timeshare. And that’s fine if the team that drafts them has other options on their roster. For the Cowboys and their low-cost free agent investments, that’s a big unknown.

PLAN E – The Day 3 magic act

There’s no way the Cowboys would exit the first two days of the draft without adding a running back, right? Well, many of us thought the same thing last year, yet that’s exactly what they did. This basically threw the idea of drafting a running back to the curb because the team had no fourth-round pick, and the pickings were slim when you get to round five.

In this draft, the Cowboys again have no fourth-round pick, meaning they must pull the trigger on a running back before the end of Friday. If, for some reason, they don’t manage to do that, they will need to work the phones and figure out a way to get themselves back into the fourth round. If they pulled that off, they still might be able to find a quality option like Oregon’s Jordan James, Georgia’s Trevor Etienne, or Virginia Tech’s Bhayshul Tuten, but let’s hope it doesn’t come to that.

PLAN F – Double dip in the fifth round

This running back class is deep. And while it isn’t wise to look for RB1 this late in the draft, there’s nothing wrong with going back to the well if one of their higher-ranked guys is still available at pick 149 or 174. It could be one of the fourth-round guys we already mentioned, or a hidden faller like Kansas’ Devin Neal, Oklahoma State’s Ollie Gordon II, or Georgia’s Trevor Etienne. With the talent dying down at other positions at this point in the draft, taking a flyer on another back isn’t the worst idea.