{"id":12463,"date":"2025-02-02T12:56:04","date_gmt":"2025-02-02T12:56:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=12463"},"modified":"2025-02-02T12:56:04","modified_gmt":"2025-02-02T12:56:04","slug":"2025-cowboys-draft-will-dallas-repeat-history","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=12463","title":{"rendered":"2025 Cowboys Draft: Will Dallas Repeat History?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Let\u2019s go back to April 28th, 2016. After a long season, the Dallas fanbase was split on the Cowboys draft plan. Will the team take Ezekiel Elliott, paired with a defensive player in the second round, or Jalen Ramsey, followed by Derrick Henry?<\/p>\n<p>Looking back now, the choice was clear: take the superstar cornerback and the still dominant, but lower-ranked running back.<\/p>\n<p>The Cowboys could have a Super Bowl right now if that draft included Ramsey, Henry, and Dak Prescott, as opposed to Elliott and Jaylon Smith.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">2016 Cowboys take Jalen Ramsey at No. 4 over Zeke and &#8220;settle&#8221; for Derrick Henry in Round 2 <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/lmdgX6DMJU\">https:\/\/t.co\/lmdgX6DMJU<\/a><\/p>\n<p>\u2014 Ian Hartitz (@Ihartitz) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/Ihartitz\/status\/1765801014139953629?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw\">March 7, 2024<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><br \/>\nOf course, Dallas can\u2019t go back in time and change their strategy, but they will have to make a similar decision soon. Will the front office target Ashton Jeanty in the first round, or a later-round running back in a stacked class at the position?<\/p>\n<p>April may seem far away now, but the work on the decision has already started, so let\u2019s look at how both options could work for the 2025 Cowboys draft.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" title=\"2025 Cowboys Draft: Will Dallas Repeat History? 1\" src=\"https:\/\/insidethestar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/02\/heaneynfldraft_cowboys-news_2025-cowboys-draft-will-dallas-repeat-history-2.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/insidethestar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/02\/heaneynfldraft_cowboys-news_2025-cowboys-draft-will-dallas-repeat-history-2.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/insidethestar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/02\/heaneynfldraft_cowboys-news_2025-cowboys-draft-will-dallas-repeat-history-2-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/insidethestar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/02\/heaneynfldraft_cowboys-news_2025-cowboys-draft-will-dallas-repeat-history-2-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/insidethestar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/02\/heaneynfldraft_cowboys-news_2025-cowboys-draft-will-dallas-repeat-history-2-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/insidethestar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/02\/heaneynfldraft_cowboys-news_2025-cowboys-draft-will-dallas-repeat-history-2-180x120.jpg 180w, https:\/\/insidethestar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/02\/heaneynfldraft_cowboys-news_2025-cowboys-draft-will-dallas-repeat-history-2-700x467.jpg 700w\" alt=\"2025 Cowboys Draft: Will Dallas Repeat History?\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" data-lazyloaded=\"1\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2>Repeating History: The Ashton Jeanty Route<\/h2>\n<p>If you\u2019ve been following the Cowboys\u2019 offseason moves, you know that they are prioritizing the running game right now.<\/p>\n<p>Hiring Brian Schottenheimer as head coach, former Cardinals offensive line coach Klayton Adams as offensive coordinator, and interviewing Texas Longhorns running back coach Tashard Choice are all strong indicators of that.<\/p>\n<p>Many are assuming the natural next step is shooting for the stars and drafting Jeanty with the 12th pick.<\/p>\n<p>Doing this would essentially be a repeat of the 2016 Elliott pick, as the front office would be choosing the high-profile running back with hopes that he extends their aging quarterback\u2019s career.<\/p>\n<p>While Tony Romo\u2019s career never had the chance to be preserved by Elliott, we can still admit the pick was good.<\/p>\n<p>He became one of the best running backs in franchise history.<\/p>\n<p>With Jeanty\u2019s talent and an increasing focus on the offensive line and running game, it is hard to argue that he wouldn\u2019t give a huge boost to the Dallas offense.<\/p>\n<p>If the Cowboys draft does run through Ashton Jeanty, you can expect a large workload for the Boise State alum and groans from half the fanbase as they recall the \u201cwhat if\u201d from 2016.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" title=\"2025 Cowboys Draft: Will Dallas Repeat History? 2\" src=\"https:\/\/insidethestar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/02\/heaneynfldraft_players-roster_2025-cowboys-draft-will-dallas-repeat-history.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/insidethestar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/02\/heaneynfldraft_players-roster_2025-cowboys-draft-will-dallas-repeat-history.jpg 1200w, https:\/\/insidethestar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/02\/heaneynfldraft_players-roster_2025-cowboys-draft-will-dallas-repeat-history-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/insidethestar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/02\/heaneynfldraft_players-roster_2025-cowboys-draft-will-dallas-repeat-history-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/insidethestar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/02\/heaneynfldraft_players-roster_2025-cowboys-draft-will-dallas-repeat-history-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/insidethestar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/02\/heaneynfldraft_players-roster_2025-cowboys-draft-will-dallas-repeat-history-180x120.jpg 180w, https:\/\/insidethestar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/02\/heaneynfldraft_players-roster_2025-cowboys-draft-will-dallas-repeat-history-700x467.jpg 700w\" alt=\"2025 Cowboys Draft: Will Dallas Repeat History?\" width=\"1200\" height=\"800\" data-lazyloaded=\"1\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2>Trench Building: Avenging The Past<\/h2>\n<p>If you really want to see the Cowboys\u2019 fanbase battle it out, see what would happen in the universe where they pass on Jeanty in favor of a prospect in the trenches.<\/p>\n<p>Some would love it, and shout about how running backs shouldn\u2019t be first-round picks, while others send very angry tweets toward Jerry Jones for passing on a big-name, superstar running back like Jeanty.<\/p>\n<p>The truth is, learning from the past and drafting a player in the trenches could prove to be the right move, especially if Dallas lands a talented second-round running back.<\/p>\n<p>They could aim for a player like Ohio State Tackle Josh Simmons, or Georgia EDGE Mykel Williams at 12, and focus on the skill positions later.<\/p>\n<p>There is no guarantee that a Cowboys draft class that forms the opposite from 2016 will become a better class; what it can do is ensure you\u2019re getting the most bang for your buck. Trends show mid-to-late round running backs are extremely effective.<\/p>\n<p>Of the NFL\u2019s top 15 rushers this season, just five were first-round picks.<\/p>\n<p>So, if the Cowboys can still build a dominant running game and improve on the offensive or defensive line in the first round, shouldn\u2019t they do that instead?<\/p>\n<p>You can certainly make that argument, though there is more nuance to it than that. No draft pick is a guaranteed success, and passing on Jeanty for a later pick could be a disaster if he turns out, but your \u201csteal\u201d doesn\u2019t.<\/p>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" title=\"2025 Cowboys Draft: Will Dallas Repeat History? 3\" src=\"https:\/\/insidethestar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/02\/heaneynfldraft_players-roster_2025-cowboys-draft-will-dallas-repeat-history-2.webp\" srcset=\"https:\/\/insidethestar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/02\/heaneynfldraft_players-roster_2025-cowboys-draft-will-dallas-repeat-history-2.webp 1200w, https:\/\/insidethestar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/02\/heaneynfldraft_players-roster_2025-cowboys-draft-will-dallas-repeat-history-2-300x169.webp 300w, https:\/\/insidethestar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/02\/heaneynfldraft_players-roster_2025-cowboys-draft-will-dallas-repeat-history-2-1024x576.webp 1024w, https:\/\/insidethestar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/02\/heaneynfldraft_players-roster_2025-cowboys-draft-will-dallas-repeat-history-2-768x432.webp 768w, https:\/\/insidethestar.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/2\/2025\/02\/heaneynfldraft_players-roster_2025-cowboys-draft-will-dallas-repeat-history-2-700x394.webp 700w\" alt=\"2025 Cowboys Draft: Will Dallas Repeat History?\" width=\"1200\" height=\"675\" data-lazyloaded=\"1\" data-sizes=\"(max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px\" \/><\/p>\n<h2>The Bottom Line: How Will Dallas Draft?<\/h2>\n<p>This first decision of the Schottenheimer era will tell us a lot.<\/p>\n<p>Will Jones and his new head coach make headlines and draft the Heisman trophy runner-up, or will they play the value game and wait out their next starting running back?<\/p>\n<p>History tells us that Dallas has no problem taking a running back at the top end of the draft, but that could change with Elliott\u2019s tenure ending without a Super Bowl victory, or even an NFC Championship appearance.<\/p>\n<p>If the Cowboys draft Jeanty, it could prove beneficial in the stat sheet, but not in their long-term postseason goals.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[Feb 2, 2025] Let&#8217;s go back to April 28th, 2016. After a long season, the Dallas fanbase was split on the Cowboys draft plan. Will the team take Ezekiel<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":12464,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12463","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-dallas-cowboys"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.7 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>2025 Cowboys Draft: Will Dallas Repeat History? - Breaking News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/breakingnews.azontree.com\/?p=12463\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"2025 Cowboys Draft: Will Dallas Repeat History? - Breaking News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"[Feb 2, 2025] Let&#039;s go back to April 28th, 2016. 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