The Dallas Cowboys' rushing attack has shown improvement in recent weeks — aided by consecutive 100-yard showings by Rico Dowdle against the Giants and Bengals — however, Mike McCarthy's club still ranks bottom-five in the NFL with only 91.2 rushing yards per game entering Week 15.
Naturally, Heisman Trophy finalist and Boise State's 2,600-yard, 30-touchdown running back Ashton Jeanty has been pegged as a potential solution for Dallas, appearing frequently next to the Cowboys' name in 2025 mock drafts.
In Athlon Sports' first-round NFL mock draft, analyst Luke Easterling had the Cowboys picking No. 13 overall, but elected to go in a much different direction. Instead, Jerry Jones and company were predicted to select Missouri wide receiver Luther Burden III.
"It's hard to blame any mock that has Ashton Jeanty here instead, but this year's running back class is deep enough to give Dallas plenty of strong options on Day 2," Easterling wrote, projecting Jeanty to land with the Minnesota Vikings at No. 28.
"That should allow them to grab another explosive weapon for their offense in Burden, who could be a huge steal as Dak Prescott's No. 2 target across from CeeDee Lamb if he's still on the board here."
Burden, a 5-foot-11, 205-pound junior from St. Louis, had his best collegiate season in 2023 when he tallied 86 catches, 1,212 yards and nine touchdowns in 13 games. His receiving stats were down in 2024 but the explosive wideout still managed to record at least eight touchdowns for the third straight season.
Like Athlon, Bleacher Report considers Burden a first-round talent with "shades of Curtis Samuel & Randall Cobb." The Cowboys could certainly be in the market for some help at the position behind their $136 million star, as Brandin Cooks is set to become a free agent in March while Jalen Tolbert has only one season remaining on his deal.
