The Dallas Cowboys have talked the talk about wanting to run the football every offseason since hiring Mike McCarthy as their head coach. And every year they leave their quarterback Dak Prescott to throw for 4,500 yards and 35 touchdowns, or get injured trying to. In 2023, Dallas took a defensive lineman in the first round of the draft and didn't take a running back until the sixth, where they selected feel-good story Deuce Vaughn. Last year, they didn't even draft one, leaving undrafted free agent Rico Dowdle to be the primary back with past their prime veterans Ezekiel Elliott and Dalvin Cook to rotate in for touches.
This offseason, head coach Brian Shottenheimer has built a coaching staff that focused on improving the rushing attack. Offensive coordinator Klayton Adams was the offensive line coach for the Arizona Cardinals last year when they had a resurgence in their offensive line and running game. Kansas State offensive coordinator Conor Riley came to the Cowboys to be their offensive line coach after their offense averaged 215.5 rushing yards a game and six yards per attempt. They drafted two offensive linemen in the last draft and traded for receiver Jonathan Mingo, a larger wide receiver who blocks well. The pieces are in place, and the running back draft class is loaded with talent. Dallas could wait and get a solid back later or try to get a significant impactful back early on, and one of these five might be the pick.
5. RB Kaleb Johnson, Iowa
Height: 6-foot, Weight: 225 RAS: N/A
Kaleb Johnson is an old-school, north and south power back with possibly the best vision in the class. He has excellent balance through contact and always picks the correct path to maximize yardage. He has plays where he looks like Derrick Henry running over tacklers, like a screen pass against the Nebraska Cornhuskers where Johnson broke five tackles for a 72-yard touchdown. He isn't a speed back, but he was second in the NCAA with 861 breakaway yards and fourth in yards after contact. The 2024 consensus All-American doesn't offer much in the passing game, but he can be trusted to carry the ball 25 times a game and be productive while not giving the ...
