This offseason, the Dallas Cowboys have been fairly quiet when it comes to the running back situation. Dallas re-signed Ezekiel Elliott, allowing Tony Pollard to join the Tennessee Titans in NFL free agency.
All of this has fueled conjecture that the Cowboys may select a running back early in the 2025 NFL selection. Owain Jones of the Pro Football Network predicts that the Cowboys will select Ohio State Buckeyes running back Quinshon Judkins with the 23rd choice in his early 2025 mock draft. The pick order is based on the most recent Super Bowl odds.
“Quinshon Judkins exploded onto the college football scene as a freshman and has been one of the top running backs in the country over the last two seasons, racking up 3,006 scrimmage yards and 34 scrimmage touchdowns,” Jones detailed in a July 13, 2024, article titled, “Owain Jones’ 2025 NFL Mock Draft: James Pearce Jr. Headlines Travis Hunter Leads an Exciting Defensive Class Ahead of Carson Beck.
“A powerful rusher with quick acceleration and long speed, the Ohio State transfer has the contact balance to fight through contact while also seeing wide space. Judkins has the profile to be a prominent back in the NFL and the resume to be a first-round pick.”
Potential Dallas Cowboys Target Quinshon Judkins Posted Back-to-Back Seasons With 1,000 Rushing Yards & 15 TDs
Judkins spent his collegiate career at Ole Miss before joining Ohio State’s crowded running back corps this offseason. With the Rebels, the playmaker rushed for 1,000 yards and 15 touchdowns in back-to-back seasons.
Judkins’ greatest season came in 2022, when he rushed 274 times for 1,567 yards and 16 touchdowns. Last season, Judkins had 271 touches for 1,158 yards and 15 touchdowns in 13 games. Judkins also added 22 receptions for 149 yards and two touchdowns through the air.
It will be interesting to see how Judkins performs in the Ohio State offense. According to the Pro Football Network’s mock draft, Judkins is the only running back picked in the first round. Additional choices for the Cowboys are Oklahoma State star Ollie Gordon, Boise State’s Ashton Jeanty, and Judkins’ Ohio State colleague TreVeyon Henderson.
Cowboys Predicted to Trade for a Veteran Running Back
In terms of 2024, not everyone believes the Cowboys will stop adding running backs. Alex Ballentine of Bleacher Report expected that the Cowboys would make another move, possibly trading for a veteran player.
“A trade may make more sense. “Dameon Pierce would be a logical target,” Ballentine explained in a July 11 post headlined, “7 Bold Predictions for 2024 NFL Training Camp.” “He had a successful debut season with the Houston Texans, but he lost his role to Devin Singletary last year, and the Texans signed Joe Mixon this offseason.
“A veteran like Miles Sanders would also be an interesting choice. He lost the backfield in Carolina last season, but had 1,347 yards from scrimmage in his 2022 season with the Eagles.”
This idea is consistent with what owner Jerry Jones alluded about when the team passed on drafting a running back. Jones suggested that the team could make a midseason move.
“I’ve seen teams win the Super Bowl with running backs that they traded for midseason,” Jones told reporters on April 27. “So, the point is that this thing’s a long way from being over as to how you’re going to line up against X next fall.”
Leave a Reply