The Dallas Cowboys' offseason is in full swing. They've already parted ways with offensive coordinator Kellen Moore and replaced him with Brian Schottenheimer. Roster turnover has begun, and will continue for the next few months. However, we all know the big star of the NFL offseason. It's the reason we watch Senior Bowl practices in Mobile, combine drills in Indy, all of it. The big party that will be thrown April 27th-29th in Kansas City. Of course, I'm talking about the NFL draft.
With the NFL draft comes takes from pundits who spend the whole year prepping. Perhaps the most recognizable of these people is Mel Kiper, who has been doing it longer than anyone else. The Super Bowl is mere days away, so Kiper put out his first full mock draft of the first round.
With the Senior Bowl just finished, the Combine a ways away, and Pro Days not on the mind, we can focus on mock drafts for a while. The Cowboys hold the 26th overall pick, and there's plenty of directions the Cowboys could go with their selection. However, Kiper honed in on one player for the Cowboys, so let's discuss his fit in Dallas.
26th overall pick: Bijan Robinson, RB, Texas
The reasoning Kiper gives for his choice of Texas star running back Bijan Robinson is two-fold. First, he questions whether pending free agent Tony Pollard would return to Dallas to play second fiddle to Ezekiel Elliott or find a starting role somewhere else.
Second, and speaking of Ezekiel Elliott, Kiper mentions he may be a player the Cowboys cut to find cap space. If neither Pollard nor Elliott return, that leaves the running back room looking desperately thin. Thus, Kiper reasons, taking the best running back on the board is a good option.
This logic adds up, and it would make sense that the Cowboys would look to bring in a premier running back in this scenario. They'd be missing Elliott's rushing ability along with the multi-faceted approach Pollard brings in the running and passing game. Robinson is incredibly talented, and could reasonably fill both of these roles, though he'd likely be paired with a cheap free agent to take the load off him.
This also adds up with Jerry Jones' history, considering his love for drafting big-time running backs. All in all, the fit makes sense, it's just a matter of who gets their voice heard in the war room. Kiper mentions he considered going with a defensive tackle for the Cowboys given their issues stopping the run. In the end, it could come down to who has the best combine and pro day, and who's available.
No other team would need a running back bad enough to reason selecting one in the first round, so you figure Robinson will be there if the Cowboys want him. However, if they reason that defensive tackle is the bigger issue, there's a calculus to be done. Bijan Robinson may not be there for their second pick, so the valuation has to be done between Robinson and his counterparts.
There's always the possibility of taking a defensive tackle at 26 and then trading up in the second round for Robinson. However, this seems unlikely. It's a big gamble to take for a running back, which is a position that doesn't hold as much value as it used to.
In the end, the Cowboys war room will be, once again, one of the most watched in the league. Stay tuned to see if Jerry does what Jerry does.
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