The worst place for Ashton Jeanty to be drafted to might actually happen. Admittedly, I am taking my FanSided.com colleague Cody Williams' word for it. Not just because he wrote this, but because he is a diehard Dallas Cowboys fan. We spend the bulk of our time talking college football twice a week over on False Start, but I have to say I was stunned that he does not want Jeanty on America's Team.
This has more to do with the Cowboys having other pressing needs than to take a running back at No. 12 overall in the first round. I am of the belief that Cody would rather see the Cowboys pick a receiver like Tetairoa McMillan out of Arizona or an edge rusher out of Marshall like Mike Green than to take Jeanty off the board at No. 12. It is a deep running back draft. Cam Skattebo can be had in day three.
Here is the top 12 of Cody's galaxy brain NFL mock draft where every NFL team made the worst pick.
- Tennessee Titans: Penn State Nittany Lions edge rusher Abdul Carter
- Cleveland Browns: Colorado Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders
- New York Giants: Colorado Buffaloes cornerback/wide receiver Travis Hunter
- New England Patriots: LSU Tigers offensive tackle Will Campbell
- Jacksonville Jaguars: Penn State Nittany Lions tight end Tyler Warren
- Las Vegas Raiders: Miami Hurricanes quarterback Cam Ward
- New York Jets: Ole Miss Rebels quarterback Jaxson Dart
- Carolina Panthers: Texas Longhorns wide receiver Matthew Golden
- New Orleans Saints: Michigan Wolverines defensive lineman Mason Graham
- Chicago Bears: Arizona Wildcats wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan
- San Francisco 49ers: Georgia Bulldogs safety Malaki Starks
- Dallas Cowboys: Boise State Broncos running back Ashton Jeanty
I understand Cody's thoughts on this being a deep running back draft, as well as the Cowboys having other more pressing needs to address at No. 12. However, those are not the reasons why I can get behind his logic of saying Jeanty to the Cowboys could be a disaster. To me, this is all about their new head coach Brian Schottenheimer trying to win like his late father Marty did with some Martyball, 2.0.
Dallas is not ready to compete in the division with Philadelphia and Washington, so this is a waste.
Ashton Jeanty to the Dallas Cowboys could be a nightmare for everyone
Admittedly, I do not hate this landing spot as much as I do Cam Ward going to the Las Vegas Raiders. I would argue that Dallas will do its best to try and support Jeanty, as he would for the organization he plays for. What I am concerned about is Schottenheimer being over his skis as an NFL head coach. No other team that had a head-coaching vacancy even gave him an interview. I wonder why that is...
As clear as the water melting off a glacier, this is all about octogenarian owner Jerry Jones trying to maintain as much control as possible over his franchise. The Cowboys have been a shell of themselves ever since Jones' massive ego could not handle the fact that his early 1990s dynasty was a direct result of his former college teammate Jimmy Johnson being a master at the NFL Draft.
Regardless, Jeanty is the top of running back worth of going inside the top half of the first round. He could be coming off the board as early as No. 6 to the Las Vegas Raiders. He may not even make it to the Cowboys at No. 12 with the Chicago Bears looking at a running back as well as No. 10. You also have to wonder if level of comp will be something that comes back to haunt the Doak Walker winner...
It is in the back of everyone's mind, but Jeanty's Boise State Broncos competed at the Group of Five level and not in the Power Four. While he held his own vs. the best competition Boise State faced last year, if it were seemingly any other prospect, we might be holding his level of comp against him. I doubt anyone is going to do that, but he may not be as explosive vs. the best the NFL has to offer.
The pressure that goes along with the glitz and glamor often associated with Dallas can ruin anyone.