5 prospects the Cowboys should draft over Ashton Jeanty in Round 1

The Dallas Cowboys suffered another loss Monday night dropping their record to 3-7. Quarterback Dak Prescott is on Injured Reserve joining several key players that have been out of the lineup at one point or another this year.

With each loss Dallas finds themselves climbing higher and higher up the draft order. As of Monday, the Cowboys would have the No. 9 pick in the NFL Draft and they are sliding.

With their propensity for flash and a poor rushing offense, the popular early mock draft selection for Dallas has been Boise State RB Ashton Jeanty. Jeanty feels like one of the rare running back prospects worth a top-10 pick in today's day in age. But how far would be too far?

In 2016 the Cowboys selected Ezekiel Elliot with the fourth pick of the draft. Taken after him there were several players at more "premium positions" who have gone on to have just as many, if not more, All-Pro and Pro Bowl selections. Just some of those players are Jalen Ramsey, Chris Jones, Joe Thuney, Laremy Tunsil, Michael Thomas, and Ryan Kelly. (I intentionally didn't include Tyreek Hill because as a fifth-round selection, it's tough to criticize Dallas)

If the Cowboys keep "rising" through the draft order, how early is TOO early to select Jeanty? At what point do they need to go with a premium position? And how many players in this year's draft are actually better than the highly-talented back?

CB Travis Hunter, Colorado

Travis Hunter is a true junior out of Colorado by way of Jacksonville State who has been a full-time starter since his freshman year. Playing corner and wide receiver he’s listed at 6-foot-1, and 185 pounds. From West Palm Beach, Florida he went to Collins Hill HS in Georgia. 247 Sports had him as the number one overall player in the nation while ESPN had him as number two. 

There will be a sliding scale for teams and how they deploy Hunter because is expected to have a role there in the NFL on offense as well. There will likely be a small set of teams that view him as a corner only, but a majority will likely have him in some role of the offense.

Let's say, conservatively, the Cowboys don't view Hunter as a wide receiver and are grading him as a corner only — that's still worth drafting over Jeanty. Hunter has the physical traits and instincts to be a very impactful player on the defensive end. With top-5 corner potential, a defense can do a lot of things around that. Especially with a player of Trevon Diggs's caliber across from him.

WR Tetairoa McMillan, Arizona

Tetairoa McMillan (T-Mac) is a true junior out of Arizona out of Servite HS in Anaheim, California. The 6-foot-5, 210-pound McMillan was a four-star by 247 Sports and their third-best player in the state.

McMillan is a big-bodied player capable of getting open on the outside or from the slot. That would be a great compliment to CeeDee Lamb, who has really broken out as a superstar after Dallas started moving him around. McMillan would be able to draw attention away from Lamb, and vice versa if they were on the field together. Opening things up for Prescott who looks at tight windows the way William Dafoe looked at the Green Goblin mask.

McMillan is also good at contested catches because of his size and hands. Imagine the way Prescott throws the seam balls to his tight ends, now with "T-Mac" on the receiving end. He's also a good blocker which would help the run game without spending a top-10 pick on a running back.

CB Will Johnson, Michigan

Will Johnson is a true junior out of Michigan and has been a starter for the Wolverines going back to his freshman season. Listed at 6-foot-2, 202 pounds, Johnson was a four-star player out of Detroit, Michigan and Grosse Pointe South High School. 247 Sports had him as their number one player in Michigan and number four cornerback in the nation.

Johnson gives a slightly different flavor than Hunter as a corner because of their size. With an extra 20 pounds or so Johnson could potentially hold up better against the run, and match up more with the bigger receivers in the league.

Dallas has a mix of body types at the position already. Diggs, for example, is very similar to Johnson at 6-foot-1, 205 pounds. Jourdan Lewis, their other starter with DaRon Bland injured, is 5-foot-10, 188 pounds. (Lewis is also a "Michigan Man") It would be interesting, if Dallas had their choice, to see which corner they would go with if they had that chance. But either way, either of the corners we've looked at would be a smart move as a top-five pick.

DL Mason Graham, Michigan

Mason Graham is a true junior out of Michigan with over 1,100 snaps on the defensive line. From Anaheim, California, and Servite High School Graham is listed at 6-foot-3, 320 pounds. Graham comes from the Michigan defense that produced high-performing rookies like Aidan Hutchinson and, more recently, Mike Sainristill. The same defense that is succeeding so well for the Chargers under Defensive Coordinator Jesse Minter.

The Cowboys have had a problem with their defensive spine the last few years. And they are currently 27th in Run Defense DVOA. Dallas did try going with a Wolverine defensive tackle a couple of years ago in the first round in Mazi Smith, but this isn't the same type of player.

Smith was always going to be a plugger at best. But Graham has real juice and is much more of a one-gap penetrator. He has a very good first step and multiple pass-rush moves to get after the quarterback. But don't let the speed fool you, he can defend the run. With good anchor, instincts, and motor Graham is excellent at stopping the run. And a three-man defensive line of Graham-Micah Parsons-DeMarcus Lawrence would be a great building block for the defense moving forward.

OL Kelvin Banks, Texas

Kelvin Banks is a true junior out of Texas. He’s been the starting left tackle since his freshman season and is listed at 6-foot-4, 320 pounds. From Humble, Texas and Summer Creek High School 247 Sports had him as a five-star, the 30th national player, seventh in Texas, and third at tackle.

The offensive line play for Dallas has been a mixed bag. First-round Left Tackle Tyler Guyton has dealt with poor play and injuries. Veteran All-Pro Zack Martin has shown some signs of his age. And Right Tackle Terence Steele could be a cap casualty if the team decided to spend that money elsewhere. Banks could come in and be an insurance policy in any of those spots right away.

Banks plays the game like a guard. He gets a really good anchor and has a lot of pop when he gets his hands on a defender. He brings a lot of power in both the run game and in pass protection. We'll see where his official measurements come in after the season, but I think he has enough length combined with his technique to play tackle in the NFL. He does a great job of using his hands quickly to keep defenders at bay.

Going with Banks, or any of these other prospects, makes more sense for a top-five pick in the draft. Outside of that, and outside of these specific players, the case for Ashton Jeanty grows stronger. But if Dallas does end up picking in the first five selections again in 2025, these are the names they should consider before the Boise State running back.