Will McClay - Running backs in the NFL come from every round

[Reality]

Who is our RB1?

That's my point.

They should draft one or two guys in rounds 5 through 7 and then sign one or two undrafted rookies and find out during camp if one of them or one of the existing running backs is capable of being RB1 or a rotation of RB1s.

All that matters is you have at least one RB1 coming out of training camp every year. You don't need to know who is RB1 in April.

 

[Bigrandrn]

If only we stopped trading our 4th round picks…Cam Skattebo would have been good in the 4th.

 

[Reality]

And yet, five of the six leading rushers last season were 1st round picks.

The leading rusher and 2nd leading rusher in the league last season were 1st round picks.

The RBs for three of the four teams that played in the conference championships were 1st round picks.

Seven RB's have been SB MVP, six were 1st round draft picks,

Of the seven RB's to make the Pro Bowl in 2024, four are #1 picks, three are #2 picks.

Talent is an issue for RB squads.

Yes, you can find RB in any round. However, the highly productive RBs in the NFL, the ones you see often in the playoffs are generally taken in the 1st and 2nd rounds.

Or maybe the teams that drafted those guys focused heavily on running the ball, which the Cowboys and many other teams have not done in recent years.

Also, there is the breakdown from their normalized running patterns. Meaning, take out all of the sub-2-yard runs and the over-10-yard-runs and see what they give you on most plays.

A running back that runs for 150 yards on 30 carries in a game sounds great, but if that includes two 50+ yard runs, it means on the other 28 carries they gained 50 yards, or 1.8 YPC.

Rating running backs on "yards gained" is no better than rating offenses on total yards gained or defenses on total yards given up. They don't define the best or worst teams.

Roger Staubach won 2 Super Bowls and averaged 204 yards per game and scored 153 touchdowns and threw 109 interceptions. He is a HoF quarterback.

Troy Aikman averaged less than 200 yards per game but won 3 Super Bowls and is a HoF quarterback. He also had 165 career touchdowns and 141 interceptions in his career.

Tony Romo averaged 251 yards per game and scored 248 touchdowns and threw 117 interceptions.

Based on stats alone, Romo was a lot better than Aikman and Staubach, but you would be hard-pressed to find any Cowboys fan who thinks that was true.

Why? Because the stats that matter are not based on yards, touchdowns or even interceptions, but rather if they performed well when it mattered.

More times than not, Staubach and Aikman did.

The same goes for running backs. 70 yard runs are great, but not when the rest of their carries average 2-3 yards per carry the rest of the game.

 

[BobSacamano]

And yet, five of the six leading rushers last season were 1st round picks.

The leading rusher and 2nd leading rusher in the league last season were 1st round picks.

The RBs for three of the four teams that played in the conference championships were 1st round picks.

Seven RB's have been SB MVP, six were 1st round draft picks,

Of the seven RB's to make the Pro Bowl in 2024, four are #1 picks, three are #2 picks.

Talent is an issue for RB squads.

Yes, you can find RB in any round. However, the highly productive RBs in the NFL, the ones you see often in the playoffs are generally taken in the 1st and 2nd rounds.

And before last season?

Believe me, I get it. RB had a resurgence last year.

 

[RonWashington]

Neal is a good back. If he made it to 149 I would be elated. He isn't great at anything, but he is good at everything. He is a 7 out of 10 in almost every category you could think of.

He wouldn’t be a bad choice or Brooks who’s a load at 220

 

[RonWashington]

Am I off the wall but hasn’t Hunter Leupke earned more then a cameo appearance in this offense . Get him a swing pass in open space let him run over a safety .

 

[BoyzBlaster]

Yeah not really Will. You get what you pay for generally. We're looking at a role player round 5 and later.

 

[Gremell12]

Dj Giddens

 

[BHendri5]

That true because they really like Ollie Gordon from Oklahoma St. he was one of the top RB’s until a knee injury, he came back around the middle or end of this season but as we all know it takes a full year sometimes if you’re not Adrian Peterson.
Plus we may still get two out of the draft, no one’s talking about some other good RBs like Neal from Kansas.
Tuten is still there as well. Scotty said that he wants RBs that can do everything

 

[Coogiguy03]

Tell

I like Sampson from Tennessee, hopefully…..he is there in the 5th.

Tell me more about him

 

[Coogiguy03]

You can find any position in any round.
RBs arent a dime a dozen. Like with any other position the higher you pick them the better the odds 0f getting a great one.

We don't want a great one thanks to Zeke

 

[Hadenough]

I have said this for many years.

Running back is the one position you should throw numbers at, not high draft picks.

The Cowboys should draft one or two running backs in the 5th to 7th rounds and sign one or two undrafted rookie free agents every year.

You just need to hit on one of them every couple of years to maintain a solid running game without overpaying for it.

Late round RBs tend to be just jags. They needed a come away with a solid RB in the first 3 rounds. Problem was they fell behind the position because of where they were drafting. They have had a solid draft but it sure would of been nice had Hampton fallen to them in the 2nd.

 

[Joe Realist]

What about skattebo? He would bring some attitude.

 

[Western]

An alpha player (a running back, as well) needed on this team.
Go get him Jerry:

 

[phildadon86]

Who is our RB1?

You said we would get him last night.

How you feeling?

 

[phildadon86]

Of course they do. It's not a position you need to burn a first round on or second or third. Not when the players we drafted are available.

The Cowboys are killing this draft so far. You can find a RB in FA. Or via trade or even as UDFA.

Our fans can be pathetic.

Hahaha.

Are we?

This draft has been terrible.

I’ll ask you some questions that can prove it.

Who is Dak throwing to not named lamb with all of that time Booker is going to buy him in the pocket?

Who is running thru the holes created by booker? Williams?

They want to be a ground and pound run first team.

With no RBs.

Backs surely come from every round. But for every successful back after the top 3, there are 40 failures.

This team has no plan. They were yet again. Arrogant. They came into last night thinking Higgins or one of the Ohio state guys would fall.

When they didn’t, they panicked and tried to trade down when they couldn’t. Jerry and McClay got into it on live tv.

This is the team you’re defending. It’s all about entertainment.

If you think this team as it stands right now is better than last season. I have a bridge to sell you.

 

[Chuck 54]

Get a solid 2 down runner and then get Blue late as a third down back.

 

[buybuydandavis]

I have said this for many years.

Running back is the one position you should throw numbers at, not high draft picks.

The Cowboys should draft one or two running backs in the 5th to 7th rounds and sign one or two undrafted rookie free agents every year.

You just need to hit on one of them every couple of years to maintain a solid running game without overpaying for it.

I like your plan but the problem is they haven't followed it.

Gotta go back to 2019 for a real RB pick with Pollard, and even he was drafted more as a complementary RB.

And now we've got *nothing*. Doubling up this year definitely makes sense.

 

[The Natural]

Damien Martinez out of Miami is James Conner-esque. He’s not a home run hitter but he’ll wear defenders down with his physicality.

 

[Carson]

Damien Martinez out of Miami is James Conner-esque. He’s not a home run hitter but he’ll wear defenders down with his physicality.

Yep! I love Ollie Gordon as well