The NFL draft will take place later this month. In this series, dallas cowboys He's at every position as the team prepares to make a selection in Detroit. The third installment will be made as follows:
Last year, the Cowboys seemed likely to draft a running back, but waited until the sixth round to add Deuce Vaughn.
They cannot afford to be so passive again.
Dallas is almost certain to select a running back for the second year in a row. After letting Vaughn go as the 14th player, investments this month should come much faster, showing an urgency that reflects the team's offseason emphasis on both improving the run game and the current state of the backfield. ing.
I need more juice.
Since Tony Pollard signed with the Tennessee Titans, no one under contract has handled 100 carries in an NFL season. In fact, Rico Doodle, Hunter Luepke and Vaughn were the only players to play in a professional game last year.
There's still a chance they could sign a veteran. Ezekiel Elliott and Dalvin Cook are two names to keep an eye on. But you need a young back with plenty of tread.
This is widely considered to be a weaker draft class at running back than in previous years. All the cowboy has to do is find it.
players on the roster
Rico Doodle: He is also reliable in pass protection and special teams. In his “wow” moment in Week 3, he forced four Arizona Cardinals defenders to miss in space. An ankle sprain slowed him down in the second half of the year, but he ran better than Pollard down the stretch.
Hunter Lübke: A sophomore fullback who can also play on special teams. He performed well in short-yardage situations before a disastrous goal-line scramble in a loss to Miami in December.
Deuce Vaughn: He and Jerick McKinnon were the only NFL running backs to have at least 20 carries without evading a single tackle in 2023. Finished with 23 carries for 40 yards and a 1.7 average. Despite his excellent mental makeup, there are still concerns about his size at 5-6, 173 pounds.
others: Malik Davis, Snoop Connor
Strengths
This section is the setting for applying lipstick to the pig.
Let's not get carried away. As currently constructed, he is one of the least proven Cowboys backfields in the league. That doesn't detract from what the group can accomplish. An innovative candidate may emerge. But that's not something the front office can count on.
Doodle and Luebke will be active on game day by contributing on special teams and being involved in offensive situations.
It's a shame the Cowboys didn't give Dowdle more chances last season. Pollard could have benefited from having his role reduced, and Dowdle deserved a chance to show his impact when healthy.
Weakness
The Cowboys want a committee in the backfield.
However, none of them have experience in a workhorse role at the NFL level.
Doodle's single-game career high is 12, while Vaughn has eight. Connor is 5 years old. In each game in which he reached his individual benchmark, the team won by at least his 20 points.
This is a bunch of misfits that the rest of the NFL has overlooked, downplayed, and overall ignored. The Cowboys invested little guarantee money to assemble Crews, but their inexperience in high-leverage situations and overall lack of explosiveness made the addition necessary.
3 draft targets
Jonathan Brooks, Texas: If he doesn't tear his anterior cruciate ligament in November, he could be out for the first time. Cowboys team physician Dr. Dan Cooper performed the procedure. Will he be able to enter the third round at 87th place overall?
Bucky Irving, Oregon: He averaged 6.5 yards per carry in two seasons with the Ducks. Positive quickness and contact balance. He will catch 56 passes in 2023. He lacks home run speed (4.55 seconds in the 40-yard dash).
Trey Benson, Florida State: Third fastest time among running backs at the combine (4.39 seconds). Like the other names on this list, the Cowboys were scheduled to take him on a 30-game visit this week.
conclusion
Perhaps the biggest obstacle for the Cowboys in filling their running back need is how obvious that need is to 31 other clubs. The selection will be telegraphed on the second or third day of the draft. So could another team be forced to jump over Dallas in a trade?
More on the Cowboys Draft Needs Series
— quarterback
— offensive lineman
Read more Cowboys coverage from the Dallas Morning News here.
