It was no surprise to see the Dallas Cowboys pass on a running back at No. 12. Ashton Jeanty was already off the board, and the Cowboys clearly didn’t view Omarion Hampton as a worthy player of that spot. But it was a bit of a shock to see them ignore the position entirely in the first four rounds of the draft.
Maybe we shouldn’t have been surprised, as Dallas has not selected a running back inside the top 125 picks since drafting Ezekiel Elliott at No. 4 in 2016. That is nine drafts in a row where the Cowboys have ignored running backs early. There was a time when the Cowboys really valued the running back position, but that is no longer the case in Dallas.
However, the Cowboys are really fired up about Jaydon Blue, their first selection on Day 3 of the NFL Draft. A speedster from Texas, Blue ran a 4.38 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine, which was the second-fastest in the class. The Cowboys were trying to trade up for Blue, hoping to get into the fourth round to select him, but were unable to get a deal done.
Luck went their way as they were able to stand pat in the fifth round and select Blue ahead of some other very talented backs, including D.J. Giddens, Damien Martinez, and Devin Neal. According to Nick Harris of the Fort-Worth Star Telegram, there were multiple offensive coaches who believed Blue was the third-best back in the class behind only Jeanty and Hampton.
The Cowboys think very highly of new RB Jaydon Blue
Now that feels like a bit of a stretch considering Blue never had 800 rushing yards in a single season at Texas, but there is no doubt he is an incredibly talented back. Blue averaged a whopping 5.4 yards per rush during his collegiate career (214 carries) and hauled in 56 passes over the last two seasons despite playing with several NFL receivers.
Blue still needs a lot of refinement when it comes to running between the tackles and holding onto the football, but there is no doubt he has a ton of upside to be a difference-maker in the NFL. Blue is expected to be a part of a running back by committee approach as a rookie with Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders likely handing a bigger workload.
However, the Cowboys are hopeful that Blue can grow into his role and eventually become the most important and explosive back in the committee. Clearly, the front office and coaching staff are fired up about having him on the roster, and we should expect to see him on the field sooner rather than later in Dallas.
Could Blue be the next Tony Pollard in Dallas? The Cowboys are certainly hoping so, and there are a lot of similarities in their game. We’ll see if they can turn another Day 3 pick at running back into a Pro Bowler with their heavily invested offensive line.