You might have noticed that the best collegiate player in the country here in 2024 is not a quarterback. Typically, discussions around first-round NFL picks and potential Heisman Trophy winners boil down to discussions about who’s the best QB in the nation. But this time around, it’s Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty, and we can only assume (hope) that the Cowboys have taken notice.
Jeanty has been the most dominant player this season, and has the chance to go down as the best running back in college football history. He has 1,248 yards rushing in just six games, with 17 touchdowns, leading the nation in both categories. He is averaging 9.9 yards per carry and 208.0 yards per game, giving him a shot at eclipsing Barry Sanders’ all-time record of 2,628 yards on the ground in one season.
And he just happens to be from Texas, having starred at Lone Star High School as a receiver and a running back. Thus, it probably should not be a surprise that, when it comes to NFL teams he’d like to join next spring, the Cowboys were one of two he named.
Ashton Jeanty a ‘Hometown Hero’ in Dallas
That would be a welcome development in Cowboys Nation, considering the state of the team’s last-ranked running game. Speaking on a livestream this weekend, with the Vandals on a bye, Jeanty was asked where he’d like to play in the NFL.
“Bears? Y’all got a back already, y’all got De’Andre Swift. I’m not gonna lie, Chicago’s too cold. It’s too cold. I can’t do that,” Jeanty said initially.
“Chiefs, you know what I’m saying? Be a Super Bowl contender every year? Come on now.”
And then Jeanty turned his attention homeward.
“Dallas Cowboys, I’m not saying they’re not a good fit,” he said. “I’m not saying that at all, you know? And I’m from Frisco, I played in their practice stadium. I would be a hometown hero if I was there.”
Indeed, Jeanty was a star at Lone Star, playing both running back and wide receiver. He was just a three-star recruit coming out of high school, according to 24/7 Sports, and chose Boise State over Kansas, Tulsa, Air Force, Army, Tulane, Navy, Penn, North Texas, Louisiana, Dartmouth, Texas State, New Mexico and Sam Houston State.
Cowboys Rarely Pick RBs in 1st Round
The prospect of adding Jeanty got the attention of Cowboys fans who saw his “hometown hero” comment.
As “Hunter lovewell” wrote on Twitter/X, “I would prolly cry bro we need a back like him, would make the entire offense better, teams can just sit in pass defense all game cus our run game is atrocious.”
And “Terry” posted: “We need a RB now !!!”
“Oskar Baker Fan” posted, “I need Jeanty in a cowboys uniform like I need air.”
Ah, but there were naysayers, too—not about Jeanty’s talent or his fit with the Cowboys, but those who doubt whether Cowboys owner Jerry Jones would not fumble an opportunity to draft Jeanty if it presented itself. The Cowboys, like most franchises, do not typically use first-round picks on running backs.
They’ve only done so once in the last 15 years, and that was to take Ezekiel Elliott in 2016.
Jeanty is a special case, though. Not only could he be a first-rounder, but he could even be a Top 10 pick. At Pro Football Focus, Jeanty is listed as the top running back in the draft, and is also the No. 9 overall prospect, ahead of quarterbacks like Cam Ward, Carson Beck and Shedeur Sanders.
Still, teams avoid running backs in the first round. No matter where the Cowboys pick next April, there is a good shot they’ll have the opportunity to bring Jeanty home.
