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It's a shame when this happens, but it is exactly what may happen with Miami running back Duke Johnson and the Dallas Cowboys.
The Cowboys recently hosted a bevy of prospects from a number of different schools as a part of their 30 allotted national predraft visits. Six of those 30 spots went to running backs Todd Gurley, Melvin Gordon, Jay Ajayi, Tevin Coleman, T.J. Yeldon and Javorius Allen, which means the player that best fits Dallas' scheme, outside of Gurley, is conspicuously absent.
With many teams, the predraft visitors list is something you can just throw out, as they are used as smokescreens or a way to recruit undrafted free agent types. Nonetheless, the Cowboys take these visits extremely seriously, and they've selected numerous players that were part of their national visits, including eight of their last nine first-round picks.
Because of this draft tendency, it appears unlikely that the Cowboys will target Johnson in this year's NFL draft, which is really unfortunate, as he is the best running back fit for this team outside of Gurley.
Before we get into why Johnson is such a great fit, we must look at what Dallas typically does with their running backs. Then we can draw parallels between what the team does well and what Johnson does well.
How the Cowboys Utilize Their Running Backs
The Cowboys running game is heavily focused on zone schemes (outside and inside zones) with some power schemes (draw, counter and crack toss) sprinkled in as well.
The zone schemes work so well for Dallas because of the offensive line's ability to take a zone step and create good angles to get blocks on the second level. Namely, Zack Martin did a fantastic job of making backside blocks throughout the season, which created incredible cutback lanes for DeMarco Murray to take advantage of. Furthermore, Tyron Smith's ability to get across a defender's face and execute reach blocks, which he is one of the NFL's best at doing, created some huge creases in the running game.
We will get into the specifics of what a running back needs to do in the various zone schemes later, but in short, they must be able to read their keys, stay patient, identify the running lane, make one cut and explode through the line of scrimmage. This requires a great deal of intelligence, patience and explosiveness.
When the Cowboys aren't running the ball, they utilize their backs in the passing game often. Last year, Murray only stayed in to block on 20.1 percent of the pass plays he was in the game for, per Pro Football Focus. That means the other 79.9 percent of the time he was deployed as a receiver. Furthermore, Murray ran the ninth-most routes of all running backs, per PFF, and he had the third-most receptions on the Cowboys roster with 57, per NFL.com.
This demonstrates that a running back's ability to make an impact in the passing game as a receiver is crucial for the offense. In pass protection, the Cowboys ask their running backs to pick up blitzers and clean up any defenders that get past the offensive linemen.
Now that we have some understanding of how Dallas employs their running backs, let's take a look at how Duke Johnson fits into their scheme.
Duke Johnson's Fit with Dallas
During his time at the University of Miami, Johnson was an extremely productive back who was a first-team All-ACC selection in 2014 and left as the school's all-time leading rusher. This is no small feat, as Miami has had great running backs like Clinton Portis, Willis McGahee and Frank Gore, among others, carry the rock in Coral Gables.
Outside of Todd Gurley, Duke Johnson is the best zone runner in this draft class. Johnson showcased a graduate-level understanding of how to read his keys and get the most out of each zone run.
Let's take a look at an outside zone run against Georgia Tech as the primary example of Johnson's ability as a zone runner:
Because there isn't a predetermined running lane on zone runs, the running back has to read his keys to ascertain where he should run the ball.
On this play, Johnson's primary read is the play-side defensive end. If the defensive end gains inside leverage, Johnson will continue his path off the offensive tackle's back side and cut upfield through the C-gap. If the defensive end gains outside leverage, he will look inside, press the edge and cut upfield.
You also want to see the running back be slow to the line of scrimmage and fast through the hole. This means you want the running back to show patience to let his blocks develop, read his keys and identify a running alley, then burst through it.
On this play, Johnson initially shrinks his stride length as he reads his keys. His primary read gains outside leverage on the left tackle, but Johnson understands that he can't get through the alley into the C-gap. Therefore, Johnson presses the edge, which forces the defense to continue its pursuit to the outside. Then, Johnson executes a beautiful cut upfield as he accelerates through the B-gap and runs through a tackle for a first down.
At first glance, this play doesn't seem like much, as it was only a six-yard gain; however, Johnson showed all the tenets needed to be an outstanding running back in the Cowboys' zone-heavy running scheme. Each game Johnson has played is littered with more examples of making proper reads, showcasing patience, identifying running lanes and bursting through alleys.
While Johnson excels in all the areas mentioned above, he is also an extremely elusive running back who can string together multiple cuts to make defenders miss.
This play against Cincinnati is a great example of that:
On this counter play, Johnson does a great job of following the pulling left guard into the hole. From there, Johnson's elusiveness takes over as he makes two defenders miss on his way to an 80-yard touchdown run. Johnson showcased great vision and mental processing in locating defenders and determining how to best elude them. It's plays like that which separate Johnson from the rest of the pack in this draft class.
While Johnson is an extremely dynamic running back who understands the nuances of running various zone and power schemes, he is also a huge threat in the passing game.
Last year, Johnson was one of the best receivers out of the backfield in all of college football. Johnson averaged 1.69 yards per route ran, which was good for second nationally, per PFF.
Most running backs are only utilized in the screen game or on swing routes; however, Johnson has shown that he can do much more. He can run a variety of routes out of the backfield, and that puts him in advantageous matchups against slow-footed linebackers.
This play against Virginia Tech is a great example of what Johnson can do as a receiver out of the backfield:
This play illustrates how much of a mismatch Johnson is in the passing game. His subtle head fake as he cuts upfield on the seam route was perfectly executed, and it allowed Miami to get a valuable touchdown going into halftime.
While he was mostly used as a receiver on passing downs, Johnson was an above-average blocker in pass protection. At 5'9" and 207 pounds, Johnson isn't going to be a physical blocker, but he understands how to use his body to prevent defenders from getting to the quarterback.
This play versus Georgia Tech is a great example of that:
On this play, Johnson comes across the formation to make a great block on the free-running Georgia Tech linebacker. He does an excellent job of coiling his hips and then exploding into the linebacker, which knocks him back and effectively out of the way.
Now, with all of the traits mentioned above, why wouldn't Dallas be clamoring at the thought of Johnson lining up in the backfield with a star on his helmet? Cowboys insider Bryan Broaddus appears to have an explanation:
The problem with this explanation is that it's a bit archaic. Being a successful running back in a zone-blocking scheme is based on the running back's vision, not height.
Even if Broaddus is intimating that Johnson's small stature makes it harder for him to see, it doesn't make much sense, as many short running backs have succeeded in zone-blocking schemes. Look no further than the division rival Washington Commanders and Alfred Morris, who, just like Johnson, measured in at 5'9".
Johnson's skill set and the Cowboys scheme and personnel appear to be a match made in heaven. If Johnson is available in the second round when Dallas is on the clock, they should sprint to the podium and hand in the card with Johnson's name on it.
The Cowboys have a tall mountain to climb as they try to replace DeMarco Murray's production in 2015. Luckily for them, Johnson is at the bottom of the mountain and ready to climb.
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