Cowboys Rookie Aims To Be 'Next Great' with Lofty Goal

For the next few months, no position will be as closely monitored on the Dallas Cowboys practice field as the running back group.

It's a full crop of new faces, and many of them have unique skillsets that could earn them snaps throughout this season.

Free agent veterans Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders join a duo of rookie draft picks in Jaydon Blue and Phil Mafah. The returners include fan favorite Deuce Vaughn and fullback weapon Hunter Luepke.

Most of the excitement from Cowboys Nation circles around Blue in this group. The former Texas Longhorn and fifth-round pick ran a blazing 4.28 40-yard dash during the scouting process - which is one of the fastest times in the entire NFL Draft.

At the NFLPA Rookie Premier, Blue gave a strong prediction for how his rookie season will go.

"Offensive Rookie of the Year, I think that'll be me," Blue said when asked to predict the rookie awards this season.

Of course, we still need to determine who will be the Cowboys' Week 1 starter ... but Blue believes he will get plenty of opportunities to impact the team this season.

What Blue brings to the table isn't just his incredible breakaway speed, it's his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield. He totaled six receiving touchdowns for the Longhorns last season, and believes the attention he puts on that phase of the game is what sets him apart.

"I take a lot of pride in being able to run routes and catch the ball," Blue said to Kay Adams at the rookie event.

"I've been doing it since maybe 14, 15 years old. I played 7-on-7 and I played strictly receiver ... When I go train, I do a lot of receiver stuff, because some of the running back stuff is natural to me.

"I'm trying to take my receiver game to the next level so I can be the next great running back to come out of Dallas."

Dallas grabbing Blue - who many thought was a steal in the fifth round - comes at a perfect time.

The Cowboys are desperate for a revamped run game and new head coach Brian Schottenheimer has preached that philosophy from his first day on the job.

Blue spent a lot of time playing behind stars Bijan Robinson and Johnathon Brooks in college before he took over the Texas run game last season. While he may not enter the NFL as an immediate starter, he believes he can mesh well with the other first-time Cowboys ball carriers.

"Great room. They've been there, done it. Five, seven years. Both [Williams and Sanders] are great guys, and I'm learning from them now," Blue said.

"We're going to get super close in that room. That's something our coach emphasized in that room, so I'm ready to get started with those guys."