Dallas Cowboys Mock Draft: All Six Picks (Adithya 1.0)

Tony Pollard, Running Back, Memphis

I know what you’re thinking, just hear me out! Out of the two running backs from Memphis that are in this draft class, I go with the one who produced less. That doesn’t sound very smart and I understand the confusion, but just hear me out!

The Cowboys are in need of a running back. After Ezekiel Elliott, no one is currently under contract. The Cowboys may choose to bring back Rod Smith, but even then, they’d be only carrying two running backs. To fill the last hole, they should look to the draft.

Last year, the Cowboys drafted Bo Scarborough in the seventh round. Scarborough is a solid between the tackles runner but other than that, his game was limited. He didn’t catch the ball particularly well nor could he find himself a spot on the special teams roster.

This year the Cowboys should look to find a running back that does more than back up Zeke’s back up. In a pass heavy offense, teams are starting to use running backs as receivers, either, out of the backfield or at the line of scrimmage. The Cowboys haven’t used their running backs as such, which makes it impressive that Zeke caught 77 passes this season.

With Kellen Moore as the new OC, there should be some more creativity in the offense. In an ideal situation, the Cowboys would implement a game plan where running backs can catch passes from different routes.

Even if they don’t implement such game plan, Pollard provides a different skill-set than the rest of the running backs. Pollard is a change-of-pace back that would be a solid complementary piece to Zeke. He’s elusive, quick, and surprisingly well built for his skill-set. He also has a fantastic catch radius.

In addition, the Cowboys could use him as a kick and punt returner, which is something the Cowboys will need if they choose not to re-sign Tavon Austin. This pick fills more holes for the Cowboys and gives them a different skill-set than that currently on the team.