Dallas Cowboys 7-Round Mock Draft: Post Combine

Dallas Cowboys Round Four – Tyjae Spears – Running Back – Tulane

Last month I had Tyjae Spears going to Dallas in this exact spot and even with the Cowboys Placing the franchise tag on Tony Pollard, I still believe that’s the case. I still stand by my statement that the Cowboys should not keep/pay both Ezekiel Elliott and Pollard even if Zeke takes a pay cut.

No matter what they decide, even if that’s keeping both Elliott and Pollard, Tyjae Spears would be an ample replacement in the year(s) to come. Elliott is on his last leg with the amount of mileage garnered over the last seven seasons and I can’t see the Cowboys paying Pollard a Zeke-like contract.

Spears suffered a torn ACL in early 2020 but has proven healthy since and led Tulane in rushing yards over the last two years. On top of that, he averages more than six yards per carry as an explosive runner with elite speed and a receiver with great hands out of the backfield. Tyjae has speed, vision, and balance that you just can’t teach which reminds me a lot of Pollard. The Cowboys have had the most success out of the backfield when Tony Pollard has the ball in his hands.

Replacing TP with Spears or pairing them together would bode well for Dak Prescott and the Cowboys. This offense lacks speed and homerun hitters outside of Lamb and Pollard, adding Sharp into the mix would assure another speedy weapon for years to come. This 2023 running back draft class is deep and Spears has a high chance of being here in round 4 as the 130th overall pick.

Although Spears has elite playing speed, I am concerned with how well he will hold up in the NFL. Each year the NFL seems to witness more gruesome and vicious hits as speed collides with power. Spears’ narrow build may limit him to a complementary piece but he’d be a threat on the outside every time he touched the ball.