Cowboys draft: 2 running back options in the 5th-round for Dallas in the 2024 NFL Draft
Which running backs will the Cowboys be looking at late in the draft in your opinion?
The Dallas Cowboys will have a new lead running back this season. This upcoming season will be the first time in a decade that they don’t have a Pro Bowl running back on the roster. Starting with DeMarco Murray (Pro Bowls in 2013, 2014), then Ezekiel Elliott (2016, 2018, and 2019), and finally Tony Pollard (2022), the Cowboys have been fortunate enough to have a talent in the backfield that fans are excited about.
/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/73269197/1900746845.0.jpg?w=640&ssl=1)
There’s a good chance that changes this season. Unless the team hits on a new rookie back in the upcoming draft, the Cowboys backfield should be rather underwhelming. If the team opts to use one of their Day 2 draft picks, then maybe that Pro Bowl streak will continue, but if other positions gobble up those draft resources, the running back spot will be neglected.
Adding insult to injury is the Cowboys don’t have a draft pick from 87 to 177, a whole 90 picks of nothingness. If they don’t strike by 87, there won’t be much talent to choose from later. Today, we’ll look at a couple of the best remaining options that could still be there when the Cowboys are back on the clock with their compensatory pick at the end of the fifth round.
FIFTH ROUND, pick 177
Tyrone Tracy Jr., PURDUE (draft projection = 167)
This converted running back spent his first four years of college playing wide receiver for Iowa before joining Purdue in 2022. He spent two years with the Boilermakers where they converted him to running back. Last season, he rushed for 716 yards at 6.3 yards per carry. Tracy Jr. has some nice appeal as a playmaking weapon but he doesn’t possess many of the tools needed to be an effective every-down running back. Here are my film study notes on Tracy Jr.:
Speed/quickness – fast, long strider
Vision – doesn’t display good vision, will give up too early on run plan and pop outside, good when he knows where he’s going (zone), less good when he has to react (gap), his indecisive processing slows his change of direction where he doesn’t maximize runs
Toughness – decent contact balance, can take on hits, and keep on running
Receiving game – versatile weapon – runner – receiver – return guy, former WR with route running experience who will be a mismatch in the receiving game, good pass protector
Best fit – good zone scheme runner, but not-so-good in gap schemes, likely limited to a third-down back
