Dallas Cowboys open to using No. 26 pick on running back

With Dallas Cowboys star running backs Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard‘s statuses up in the air for the 2023 season and beyond, the team could benefit from drafting a top running back high in the 2023 NFL Draft. The Cowboys have the No. 26 overall pick in the first round, which puts them around where Texas ball-toter Bijan Robinson could come off the board.

Asked about the team’s philosophy on first-round drafting and the durability of running backs, Stephen Jones explained Tuesday that they tend to aim for players with longevity in the top half of the first round.

However, he did not say the Cowboys are opposed to going for a running back if he’s high on the board and still available.

“If you’re taking a player in the top half, you’re hoping you’ve got a player who is going to be here for 10 years,” Jones told reporters. “And it’s tough for running backs to last 10 years. There’s not many Emmitt Smiths or guys that play that long. Normally, we’ve said we have 18 to 20 first-rounders on your board. Usually, when you’re picking 26, you’re pretty lucky if there’s still a first-rounder left on your board.”

“I think certainly if the right guy were there and you loved him and you needed him, then you’d take him,” Jones added.

Robinson carried a huge workload for the Longhorns in 2022. He racked up 1,580 rushing yards on 258 attempts. He also added 314 yards on 19 receptions.

Mel Kiper predicts Cowboys skip over Robinson for tight end

In ESPN NFL draft guru Mel Kiper’s latest mock draft, the Cowboys do something they haven’t done since 1997, which is draft a tight end in the first round.

With former fourth-round pick Dalton Schultz heading toward free agency, Kiper believes the Cowboys could take his replacement at No. 26 overall. He predicts Dallas taking not only another tight end but another Dalton – Utah star Dalton Kincaid.

Kiper’s pick is intriguing for multiple reasons, including the rarity of the Cowboys drafting a tight end high. In his latest scenario, Dallas passes over the player the draft analyst last predicted they would take – Texas’ Bijan Robinson. In the new mock draft, the Cowboys take Kincaid and the Buffalo Bills take Robinson at No. 27 overall.

Kincaid could be the guy to step in for Schultz. However, Dallas has several other tight ends on the roster already, including 2022 fourth-rounder Jake Ferguson. He had 19 catches on 22 targets in the regular season.