Boise State Broncos running back Ashton Jeanty. Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images

Cowboys make 'easy decision' in latest mock draft

By Bruce Ewing | Last updated Feb 4, 2025 12:07 PM ET

Despite an obvious need at the position, the Cowboys failed to take a running back in the 2024 NFL Draft, but according to a pair of recent mock drafts, they’ll get a good one in 2025.

With the 12th pick in the upcoming draft, Mason Cameron of Pro Football Focus believes Dallas will select Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty.

"Sometimes, the simplest answer is the right one," Cameron says. "It’s rare for a prospect of this caliber and fit to fall outside the top 10, making this an easy decision."

How good is Jeanty? Good enough to finish second in this year’s Heisman voting while earning 309 first-place votes. Good enough to rush for 4,769 yards in three years as a Bronco, including 2,601 yards and 29 touchdowns in 2024, numbers that made him a unanimous All-American and helped him win the Doak Walker Award as college football’s top running back.

Ashton Jeanty. 54 yards. Touchdown.

CBS Sports#BleedBlue | #BuiltDifferent | #HEI2MAN https://t.co/CNJv8VJMZH pic.twitter.com/uEnQhZ2tJl
— Boise State Football (@BroncoSportsFB) October 13, 2024

Ryan Wilson of CBS Sports also has the Cowboys taking Jeanty but does raise concerns about his pass-catching abilities. Jeanty’s best year as a receiver came in 2023 when he had 43 catches for 569 yards and five touchdowns. His PFF receiving grade led all FBS running backs that year but he fell off with only 23 catches for 138 yards and a score last season.

Still, at 5-foot-9 and 215 pounds, Jeanty has a dense, compact frame with excellent balance that makes him hard to bring down. He even appeared in The Athletic’s annual College Football Freaks List where Bruce Feldman noted Jeanty had topped 22 mph in several games and squatted over 605 pounds before strength coaches prevented him from going any heavier.

One way or another, Dallas needs to draft a running back. Rico Dowdle rushed for 1,079 yards as the team’s lead back last year but he’s about to become an unrestricted free agent. Currently, Malik Davis and Deuce Vaughn are the only running backs signed for next season.

The Cowboys haven’t drafted a first-round running back since Ezekiel Elliott in 2016 and he went on to become the third-leading rusher in team history. If Cameron and Wilson are right, Jeanty could do just as well and become the team’s next franchise back.

Bruce Ewing

Bruce Ewing is 183 pounds of twisted steel and Happy Meals. His work has appeared on Yardbarker, 5th Down Fantasy, Inside the Iggles and MSN. Give a Philly fan a break and follow him on Twitter/X at @fantasybruce.

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