The Dallas Cowboys are only 3-3 and remain in contention for the NFC East crown, but fans have quickly lost faith in the 2024 season. While the playoffs are within reach for Dallas, wins have been hard to come by and their three losses have been utter blowouts.
A variety of Cowboys talking heads believe the team is in a "soft rebuild." In other words, they are willingly taking a step back or resetting for 2025.
For that reason, many Cowboys fans have turned their attention to the 2025 NFL Draft. That leaves plenty of time to debate which position the front office will target in the first round.
With a glaring need at running back, the ever-polarizing debate has already announced its return to social media. There are a few RBs that can potentially go in round one, but one prospect in particular is a virtual lock to be a first-rounder: Boise State phenom Ashton Jeanty.
On a recent live stream, Jeanty discussed his NFL future and circled the Cowboys as a team he would love to play for.
Boise State star Ashton Jeanty said he wants to play for the Cowboys
Jeanty also said he would like to play for the Kansas City Chiefs being that they are always in contention for a Super Bowl. He spurned the Chicago Bears due to Chicago's frigid climate. More notably, Jeanty knows the kind of impact he would make on the Cowboys.
Ashton Jeanty to the Cowboys? 👀 pic.twitter.com/RTioJtQmMB
— SleeperCFB (@SleeperCFB) October 20, 2024
A former four-star recruit, Jeanty is from Frisco, TX, which is where Cowboys headquarters is located. He attended Lone Star High School in Frisco and has played in Dallas' practice facility. Jeanty's "hometown hero" belief could manifest itself in six months.
Jeanty is the midst of a record-setting junior season at Boise State. In just six games, he's accumulated 1,248 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns. The Heisman Trophy favorite is within reach of Barry Sanders' single-season NCAA rushing record of 2,628 yards as well as Sanders' single-season NCAA record of 37 rushing TDs.
While Jeanty might not meet the "generational talent" criteria, he's considered a future superstar by various draft experts for a reason.
Being that RBs can be found at any point in the draft, the idea of taking Jeanty in round one won't resonate with many Cowboys fans. With that said, teams that have spent a first-round pick on a running back in the last several years have gotten a solid return on investment.
Christian McCaffrey, Ezekiel Elliott, Josh Jacobs and Saquon Barkley are some of the most notable success stories in that regard. Second-year studs Jahmyr Gibbs and Bijan Robinson are knocking on that door as well.
We admittedly don't love the idea of taking a RB in the first round, but the Cowboys' last two first-round picks - DT Mazi Smith and LT Tyler Guyton, respectively - were both project players coming out of college. Their slow-moving developments have really hindered Dallas.
If a surefire star like Jeanty is available, why not draft him?