The Dallas Cowboys, Ezekiel Elliott staring contest continues
By Chris Hill
The Dallas Cowboys selected Ohio State Running Back Mike Weber in the 7th round of 2019 NFL Draft. Weber might be one of the draft’s biggest steals.
One thing we know about Will McClay, the Cowboys vice president of player personnel, is he has a nose for talent and finding guys who fit Dallas’ scheme. McClay is the mastermind behind a franchise that has drafted very well and was ranked the NFL’s #1 drafting team in a nypost.com article by Brian Costello.
According to NFL.com, running back Mike Weber’s NFL Combine measurables are very similar to Elliott’s with both running a 4.47 40 yard dash, and Weber having a slightly higher vertical than Elliott, 33.5″ to 32.5″. What this shows is each player possesses explosiveness and straight line speed to turn short runs into game-breakers.
At 5-foot-10, 211lbs, Weber has the size to run between the tackles and now has to mesh with the zone blocking scheme employed by the Dallas Cowboys elite offensive line. If he can gain a feel for the one-cut style of running necessary, he has the best chance to emulate the type of running style we saw from Elliott as a rookie.
As training camp goes on, and especially one the preseason games start, I suspect Weber will get a high dose of carries to give the coaching staff some confidence in his readiness for live game action. I’m excited to see what he brings to the table wearing the star.