Analyst projects Dallas Cowboys landing dynamic running back in second round of 2024 NFL Draft

The Dallas Cowboys are in desperate need of some help in their rushing attack.

The Cowboys lost running back Tony Pollard to free agency, and while many expected Dallas to push for Derrick Henry or Saquon Barkley to replace him, the team did not even pursue either player.

Right now, Deuce Vaughn and Rico Dowdle are the top two halfbacks on the Cowboys’ depth chart, and it seems hard to imagine Dallas heading into the season with that running back room.

That’s why many are expecting the Cowboys to try and select University of Texas running back Jonathon Brooks in the NFL Draft this month, and ESPN’s Field Yates is projecting that Dallas will take him in the second round at No. 56.

Brooks racked up 1,139 yards and 10 touchdowns while averaging a robust 6.1 yards per carry this past season. He also caught 25 passes for 286 yards and a score.

The catch is that Brooks tore his ACL late in the season, which may scare some teams away from drafting him. However, there are some who view Brooks as the most talented halfback in this draft class.

Media pundits and fans have been predicting that the Cowboys will end up landing Brooks for some time now, so we will see if that comes to fruition in a little over a week.

Dallas has certainly had an unenviable offseason, with linebacker Eric Kendricks representing the club’s only free-agent signing.

The Cowboys have also been unable to get extensions done with quarterback Dak Prescott, wide receiver CeeDee Lamb and edge rusher Micah Parsons thus far.

Dallas has considerable financial constraints and is tight against the cap, so it may need to rely heavily on the draft in order to fill out the roster.

We’ll see if Brooks falls to the Cowboys.