Best chance in years to grab a top RB

[boysfanindc]

For the way this team is built, Zeke is the most impactful player on the board from game 1 on. He can run, block and catch equally well right now. His skillsets compliment our dominant OL.

He may not be other teams' BPA (because their OL is not that good), but he is the BPA for us now and in the future.

He'd give us no less than 1,500 yards, 10 TDs and be able to protect Romo out the gate - even as a rook. What other players can impact us better than that? That's why in my eyes, he's the BPA.

So you are saying not taking Moss (consensus BPA at the time) is the same as not taking Zeke (BPA in your mind for the Boys)?

I am not sure the NFL or Boys agree with you.

But now I see how you got there.

 

[thunderpimp91]

Here's my knock on taking a RB at #4 this year... Reggie Bush...

Reggie Bush was touted as being a once in a generation talent when he was selected with the 2nd pick of the 2006 Draft by the N.O. Saints. Although he was a decent back, he by no means ever lived up to those glamorous expectations. Granted, the Saints didn't have the OL that the Cowboys do today, but if the Saints could do it all over, would they?

I'll let the stats speak for themselves. http://www.pro-football-reference.com/players/B/BushRe00.htm

I understand that you can't compare Reggie Bush with a player who has never played a snap in today's NFL, but I feel that we're better served by taking a different skill position (QB, CB, DE) with the 4th. A 2nd or 3rd round talent RB will look like a #1 behind our line. In a trade back scenerio, if he's the best available, I say go for it. But not at 4. 4 should be spent on a player we have on our roster for a decade.

I don't get the argument here. Since there was a bust at RB the cowboys should never take a RB? By that argument Jadeveon Clowney means we cant take a DE. Mo Claiborne means we cannot take a CB. Ryan Leaf means we cannot take a QB.

If a 3rd round talent looks like a #1 behind this o line then what does a 1st round talent behind this line look like? I understand a lot of people are happy with the production of McFadden last season. 4.6 YPC is pretty good...but if you can improve upon that then why not? Our options are likely to be either take a RB and possibly go from a good to great running game or take a guy like Bosa and go from a bad to moderately bad pass rush.

And finally Zeke Elliott is only 20 years old...why can't he be on the roster a decade?

 

[Texas_Pete]

So you are saying not taking Moss (consensus BPA at the time) is the same as not taking Zeke (BPA in your mind for the Boys)?

I am not sure the NFL or Boys agree with you.

But now I see how you got there.

Yes. I feel with this kid in our backfield, Romo doesn't take the same beatings he's endured these last few seasons. He'll give us offensive balance. Teams that commits 8 in the box will have to deal with Dez (who will play with a chip on his shoulder this year). Our defense benefits (TOP keeps them fresh to finish games).

Romo had his best year in 2014, in my opinion. Zeke will allow Romo to duplicate that season, and allow Romo to play another 3-4 years. Think about how Terrell Davis impacted Elway in his latter years. I think Zeke will have that level of impact, especially running behind our OL.

 

[boysfanindc]

Yes. I feel with this kid in our backfield, Romo doesn't take the same beatings he's endured these last few seasons. He'll give us offensive balance. Teams that commits 8 in the box will have to deal with Dez (who will play with a chip on his shoulder this year). Our defense benefits (TOP keeps them fresh to finish games).

Romo had his best year in 2014, in my opinion. Zeke will allow Romo to duplicate that season, and allow Romo to play another 3-4 years. Think about how Terrell Davis impacted Elway in his latter years. I think Zeke will have that level of impact, especially running behind our OL.

Don't always agree with Machota, but he sums up how I feel this time.

Jon Machota: He's not Adrian Peterson. But I think he's a Pro Bowl running back, especially behind this offensive line. He's a complete back, coming from a program that won a national championship. His resume speaks for itself. To me, there's no question he's the best back in this class. The only problem is the idea of taking a running back at No. 4. I think it's a little too high. The perfect scenario would be to find a trade partner, move down a few picks and get him there. But I don't think the Cowboys will do that. I'm predicting that Dallas will get its running back in rounds 2 or 3. ... One other note on Zeke. If the Cowboys drafted him at No. 4, I predict that they have similar success as 2014 if everyone's healthy. They'll control the clock, score a ton of points and greatly reduce how much their defense is on the field. But is that enough to get the Cowboys a Super Bowl? As good as the Cowboys were in 2014, they weren't winning the Super Bowl. Not with that defense. You can win a ton of games in this league with an outstanding offense, but to win a ring, eventually that defense will have to win you some games. Is this current group capable of doing that? I think some upgrades are still needed on that side of the ball.

 

[USMarineVet]

I don't get the argument here. Since there was a bust at RB the cowboys should never take a RB? By that argument Jadeveon Clowney means we cant take a DE. Mo Claiborne means we cannot take a CB. Ryan Leaf means we cannot take a QB.

If a 3rd round talent looks like a #1 behind this o line then what does a 1st round talent behind this line look like? I understand a lot of people are happy with the production of McFadden last season. 4.6 YPC is pretty good...but if you can improve upon that then why not? Our options are likely to be either take a RB and possibly go from a good to great running game or take a guy like Bosa and go from a bad to moderately bad pass rush.

And finally Zeke Elliott is only 20 years old...why can't he be on the roster a decade?

That's why I stated you can't compare him to Bush because he's never played a snap. I'm just pointing out that I can't remember a RB in recent history who was amped up more than Bush, but never even came close to his expectation. I'm simply stating that at 4, IMO, you need to use that pick on a guy whose going to be on the team for a long, long time. RB is very iffy on that as we've all seen. The price is simply too high at 4. I didn't say I was against him in a trade back scenerio, if you read my full post.

No doubt a 1st round talent such as Zeke would most likely outperform a 2nd round talent. That remains to be seen though. We've seen before how 2nd round or even UFA's have outshined 1st round talent; albeit a long shot. My point is if you're not going to address your biggest "need" on your team, and in my opinion that is not RB, you better be getting something in return to fill that need down the trough.

Regarding Zeke's age and durability, again, that remains to be seen. But history tells us the life expectancy of RBs are far below that of other positions. Is it possible he stays with the team for a decade? Of course. Is it likely he does and at a high level? No.

 

[thunderpimp91]

Don't always agree with Machota, but he sums up how I feel this time.

Jon Machota: He's not Adrian Peterson. But I think he's a Pro Bowl running back, especially behind this offensive line. He's a complete back, coming from a program that won a national championship. His resume speaks for itself. To me, there's no question he's the best back in this class. The only problem is the idea of taking a running back at No. 4. I think it's a little too high. The perfect scenario would be to find a trade partner, move down a few picks and get him there. But I don't think the Cowboys will do that. I'm predicting that Dallas will get its running back in rounds 2 or 3. ... One other note on Zeke. If the Cowboys drafted him at No. 4, I predict that they have similar success as 2014 if everyone's healthy. They'll control the clock, score a ton of points and greatly reduce how much their defense is on the field. But is that enough to get the Cowboys a Super Bowl? As good as the Cowboys were in 2014, they weren't winning the Super Bowl. Not with that defense. You can win a ton of games in this league with an outstanding offense, but to win a ring, eventually that defense will have to win you some games. Is this current group capable of doing that? I think some upgrades are still needed on that side of the ball.

I agree with the majority of this. What I don't understand is how people say that if we take Zeke we can duplicate the 2014 success, but at the same time say he isn't worth the #4 pick. If he can have that big of an impact on your team hes worth the #4 pick.

 

[Texas_Pete]

Don't always agree with Machota, but he sums up how I feel this time.

Jon Machota: He's not Adrian Peterson. But I think he's a Pro Bowl running back, especially behind this offensive line. He's a complete back, coming from a program that won a national championship. His resume speaks for itself. To me, there's no question he's the best back in this class. The only problem is the idea of taking a running back at No. 4. I think it's a little too high. The perfect scenario would be to find a trade partner, move down a few picks and get him there. But I don't think the Cowboys will do that. I'm predicting that Dallas will get its running back in rounds 2 or 3. ... One other note on Zeke. If the Cowboys drafted him at No. 4, I predict that they have similar success as 2014 if everyone's healthy. They'll control the clock, score a ton of points and greatly reduce how much their defense is on the field. But is that enough to get the Cowboys a Super Bowl? As good as the Cowboys were in 2014, they weren't winning the Super Bowl. Not with that defense. You can win a ton of games in this league with an outstanding offense, but to win a ring, eventually that defense will have to win you some games. Is this current group capable of doing that? I think some upgrades are still needed on that side of the ball.

Saw that and cannot refute. This probably is the thinking of our front office.

 

[thunderpimp91]

That's why I stated you can't compare him to Bush because he's never played a snap. I'm just pointing out that I can't remember a RB in recent history who was amped up more than Bush, but never even came close to his expectation. I'm simply stating that at 4, IMO, you need to use that pick on a guy whose going to be on the team for a long, long time. RB is very iffy on that as we've all seen. The price is simply too high at 4. I didn't say I was against him in a trade back scenerio, if you read my full post.

No doubt a 1st round talent such as Zeke would most likely outperform a 2nd round talent. That remains to be seen though. We've seen before how 2nd round or even UFA's have outshined 1st round talent; albeit a long shot. My point is if you're not going to address your biggest "need" on your team, and in my opinion that is not RB, you better be getting something in return to fill that need down the trough.

Regarding Zeke's age and durability, again, that remains to be seen. But history tells us the life expectancy of RBs are far below that of other positions. Is it possible he stays with the team for a decade? Of course. Is it likely he does and at a high level? No.

Fair enough. I didn't get the bush comparison, but I think I see where you're coming from a little better. We're probably not too far off in our opinion of zeke. I'm probably higher on him than you but I tend to downplay the rb longevity and you can find rbs later on arguments.

 

[willia451]

Don't overthink it. Just take Zeke. If we had Zeke, we could go back to playing ball control offense and win TOP. Get ahead in games. Puts more pressure on their offense to play catch up. And we get more ints because of it. Defense is on the field less so they don't get gassed.

Its all connected.

 

[thunderpimp91]

Don't overthink it. Just take Zeke. If we had Zeke, we could go back to playing ball control offense and win TOP. Get ahead in games. Puts more pressure on their offense to play catch up. And we get more ints because of it. Defense is on the field less so they don't get gassed.

Its all connected.

Agree. I was all about letting Murray walk after the 14 season and I was wrong. I'm sure romo not playing was a major factor but the little things we didn't get out of the running game were huge. 3rd and short failures for example. If you bring in zeke you bring back the 14 season formula.

 

[CowboyChris]

If we had the #7 pick in the draft, the majority here would be fine with taking Zeke there, but just can't accept him at #4...i don't buy into that type of thinking. only way i would pass on Elliott is if one of the Qb fell to us.

 

[USMarineVet]

Fair enough. I didn't get the bush comparison, but I think I see where you're coming from a little better. We're probably not too far off in our opinion of zeke. I'm probably higher on him than you but I tend to downplay the rb longevity and you can find rbs later on arguments.

I would LOVE Zeke. I just cringe when I watch our porous defense, especially late in games. Drafting our Offensive Line was gut wrenching for me. I know we needed to do it. I'm glad we did it. But we all want the shiny new toy at the skill positions and that wasn't it. Time to fix the defense. But if we can get Zeke with a trade down, this draft is filled with players who can help us on the defensive side of the ball. Add in a couple 2nd rounders or a 2nd and a 3rd to add to our existing picks and we've got something going here. And I'm sure we both agree on that.

 

[USMarineVet]

If we had the #7 pick in the draft, the majority here would be fine with taking Zeke there, but just can't accept him at #4...i don't buy into that type of thinking. only way i would pass on Elliott is if one of the Qb fell to us.

I get you on that. I really do. But you have to try and gain on edge on your competition in the draft. Using your trade down to 7 as an example, the difference is 300 points. That's equivalent to a late 2nd rounder. If you can safely trade down and add a late 2nd rounder, why not do so?

You also have to remember that the value goes up just because it's the 4th pick and the way things in this draft are looking 2 QBs will likely be gone by #4. That leaves the best player in the draft on one side of the ball or the other available at 4. Teams that already have their QB in place will be very interested in our pick and may be willing to overpay for it.

Trading back 3 spots can still get you your guy and a whole lot more if you find the right trade partner. In this scenario, the only question would be would the Eagles be willing to move up to 5 or 6?

 

[CowboyChris]

I get you on that. I really do. But you have to try and gain on edge on your competition in the draft. Using your trade down to 7 as an example, the difference is 300 points. That's equivalent to a late 2nd rounder. If you can safely trade down and add a late 2nd rounder, why not do so?

You also have to remember that the value goes up just because it's the 4th pick and the way things in this draft are looking 2 QBs will likely be gone by #4. That leaves the best player in the draft on one side of the ball or the other available at 4. Teams that already have their QB in place will be very interested in our pick and may be willing to overpay for it.

Trading back 3 spots can still get you your guy and a whole lot more if you find the right trade partner. In this scenario, the only question would be would the Eagles be willing to move up to 5 or 6?

the key to trading back a little all depends on who's there at #4...which player would draw the most interest for a team to move up? Tunsil or Ramsey? because i think the top 2 will be QB's even if Cleveland doesn't want one and they trade down.

 

[theogt]

I wouldn't be upset if he was the 4th overall pick I suppose. Clearly he's an every down, do it all back that can also still take it to the house. Good balance, change of direction, good blocking, decisive but patient runner, excellent pass catcher, can get tough yards in the middle. It's a steep price for a position that can be filled more cheaply but he'd be a staple for the team for at least 5 years and probably for a decade.

That he's only 20 and looks so well rounded and solid is very appealing. Behind the Dallas line he'd be a perennial pro bowler and a fan favorite that would sell a ton of jerseys. I don't think anyone would question the value after a couple years.

 

[theogt]

Best chance to grab a top lb in years. How ofteb do you get this opportunity?

Best chance to grab a top pass rusher in years. How often do you get this opportunity.

Best chance to grab a top db in years. How often do you get this opportunity?

Huge question mark around that linebacker. And the pass rusher isn't what I'd consider elite. Then the DB is more a tweener corner/safety. I'd take any of the 4 of these guys but I don't see any of them as a no brainer over the others.

 

[Tass]

if it came down to that, I would take Goff...but i can imagine the trade down possibilities would be enormous.

Trade down, use our first two picks on Paxton Lynch and Derrick Henry.

That would be nice.

 

[Hoofbite]

If you're going off "best chance in years", the pick almost certainly has to be QB. Best chance in how many years to take a top QB? Almost 30?

 

[lostar2009]

That theory could easily go up in flames if McFadden and Dunbar get injured as their history suggests. I can't help but have my doubts Alfred Morris can be considered a sure thing either.

Ezekiel Elliott is the most capable RB in the current crop of RB candidates until proven otherwise. His presence in the Dallas lineup could assure us of a dependable ball control offense.

It's entirely possible that Zeke won't be taken by the Cowboys with the 4th pick, however, in consideration of the fact that defensive priorities appear to be our main focal point this year.

I would prefer the Cowboys to draft a RB thisyeae but not at 4.

 

[Dday22t]

We already saw what RB like Murray, taken in the 3rd round, can do behind this line, so why does it seem necessary to take one 4th overall?