If you’ve followed the history of NFL mock drafts for any length of time, you’re probably aware that whatever is predicted by pundits in early December is almost certain not to come to fruition in April. That’s been the case for the Cowboys over the years, but there is a different wrinkle emerging in 2025.
And that wrinkle is truly an odd one. It seems everyone wants the Cowboys to pick Boise State star Ashton Jeanty, the nation’s leading rusher and one of its top Heisman Trophy candidates.
No doubt, Jeanty is a nifty fit. He has rushed for 2,288 yards and 28 touchdowns on 312 carries, all of which lead the nation. The Cowboys, pretty famously, attempted to go cheap at the position to open the year, and have been saddled with a running game that ranks 31st in yardage and yards per carry, and 32nd in running touchdowns because of it.
Thus the great mass of the NFL mock-making world sees Jeanty as just too easy a player to assign to the Cowboys to pass up.
Ashton Jeanty Landing at No. 13?
From CBS Sports: “Jeanty is the best running back prospect in this class, and I don’t think Jerry Jones will be able to stay away in Round 1. Immediate, plus starter for the Cowboys offense.”
From The Sporting News: “The Cowboys will channel their pick of Ezekiel Elliott for another top feature back. Jeanty is the complete package to clean up all their running and receiving limitations at the position.”
From The Ringer: “Jeanty would provide a much-needed spark for the Cowboys offense, which, outside of wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, has conspicuously lacked difference makers at the skill positions this season. Dallas has to get some help for Dak Prescott if it hopes to get out of its funk in 2025. Jeanty is a special talent; he has gyroscopic balance through contact and home-run-hitting speed, which would give Dallas some juice on the ground.”
From USA Today: “Expect college football’s leading rusher to be linked to his hometown team throughout the pre-draft process. Jeanty, has a legit chance to join Bijan Robinson as only the second back selected in the top 10 picks since 2019… Jeanty is the kind of figure who could recalibrate not only the league’s 31st-ranked rushing attack but also the offense at large.”
Cowboys Likely Have Other Ideas
It’s all well and good, really, that so many foresee Jeanty in a Dallas uniform. The problem is that there are three moving parts here, and the likelihood that all three will line up just so is very slim.
The first moving part is other teams. It would be remarkable, really, if a team picked Jeanty in the Top 10, but then, his numbers and dominance have just been that good. If, say, the Bengals continue their funk this season, would Jeanty get past a team like that?
The second moving part is the Cowboys’ brain trust. They made clear how they feel about running backs entering the season, when they let Tony Pollard go, brought back a much-diminished Ezekiel Elliott and made Rico Dowdle the only qualified runner on the roster.
The third moving part links back to the second because the Cowboys have so many other needs on this roster, along both the offensive and defensive lines, as well as at wide receiver, that it is difficult to imagine them using a relatively high first-rounder on a running back. The Cowboys have plenty of opportunities to add running back depth later in the draft and in free agency–that top pick might be better used to address a higher-leverage spot.
