The Cowboys failed to win a historically weak NFC East in 2020. That puts a lot of pressure on Dallas to avoid a big mistake in the 2021 NFL Draft.
It’s fair to say that Mike McCarthy’s first season in charge of the Cowboys didn’t go as planned. Dak Prescott went down to an early-season injury that effectively torpedoed Dallas’ hopes of becoming a Super Bowl contender. The team’s season ended with an ugly loss in the regular-season finale that officially eliminated them from playoff contention.
The good news in Dallas is that Prescott should return as the team’s starting quarterback in 2021. The team has work to do to get him under contract, but the odds still favor him leading the Cowboys offense for years to come.
The bad news is that there are still a lot of other roster issues that require attention this offseason. That puts a lot of pressure on Jerry Jones and his front office entering April’s NFL Draft. The Cowboys need to avoid selecting any of the following three players with the No. 10 overall pick if they want to maximize arguably their most valuable offseason asset.
3. Najee Harris, Running Back, Alabama
When Prescott went down, the Cowboys tried to lean more on their ground game than ever before. Quietly, Ezekiel Elliott turned in a very mediocre 2020 campaign. This offense needs more than four yards per carry out of their top running back. That could tempt Dallas to add another talented running back in this year’s draft.
Round 1 is not the place for the Cowboys to make that type of move. Najee Harris is one back getting Day One buzz on the back of his sensational collegiate season for Alabama. He’s a physical runner that can also catch the ball out of the backfield at a high level. Those qualities should permit him to become a very good pro.
Dallas has too many holes to spend a top-10 pick on a running back. Harris is a good prospect, but he’s not elite. He shouldn’t be in consideration for the Cowboys on Day One.