3 looming Ezekiel Elliott replacements Cowboys fans should watch on Saturday

The Dallas Cowboys have their quarterback and their number one wide receiver. But, they don't have much to call home about in their running back room. This offseason, they brought Ezekiel Elliott back and signed veteran Dalvin Cook. Rico Dowdle has taken a good amount of snaps through two weeks as well.

But none of these guys are a franchise running back. The Cowboys haven't had a legit franchise back since the early days of Ezekiel Elliott back in the late 2010's.

Luckily for the Cowboys, this College Football season has quite the crop of talented young running backs.

Cowboys' fans should tune in to watch these three college backs play this weekend. One of them very well could be Dallas' running back of the future.

3. RB Ollie Gordon II, Oklahoma State

If you would have polled the college football crowd before the 2024 College Football season and asked them who the top running back in the country was, the resounding answer would have been Oklahoma State running back, Ollie Gordon II.

Gordon, 20, has gotten off to a rough start to the season though, by his own lofty standards. Through three games, he's carried the ball 62 times for 216 yards and four touchdowns. This comes as defenses are keying in on the run and trying to make the Oklahoma State QB beat them rather than Gordon.

Last year, Gordon ran for over 1,700 yards and 21 touchdowns, to put it into perspective.

As a prospect, Gordon has great vision and solid speed. He's a large prospect that is also pretty shifty on carries in between the tackles. His breakaway speed is pretty solid as well. He's a bit simialr to what Zeke was as a prospect, though he isn't as highly touted as Zeke was coming out of Ohio State.

I would expect for him to be able to turn his game up a notch as the season goes on. As the defenses wear down, Gordon heats up. Keep an eye on him this weekend. Once he gets going, it's nearly impossible to stop him.

2. RB Ashton Jeanty, Boise State

The start that Boise State Running back Ashton Jeanty has gotten off to doesn't even seem possible.

He's carried the ball 45 times for 459 yards and nine touchdowns. That means he's averaging over ten yards a carry and that he's scoring a touchdown every fifth carry. Yes, he scored six of the touchdowns against a bad Georgia Southern team, albeit, it was a close game, but his other appearance was against the top ranked Oregon Ducks.

Against Oregon, Jeanty continued to show out, carrying the ball 25 times for nearly 200 yards and three touchdowns.

He could very well rush for over 1,800 yards and 20 touchdowns if he continues playing anywhere close to the way that he is right now. Obviously, it's hard to expect a player to rush for 10 yards a carry, but if he's anywhere close, he's going to be the Doak Walker Award winner this year.

He's the top back in the class, as of now, for good reason. He handles contact better than almost anybody in college football and he's going to be quite a treat to watch down the stretch of the year. Jeanty very well could be the next great Cowboys running back, if he's even available at their first selection.

1. RB Quinshon Judkins, Ohio State

If you want to find a running back that's comparable to Ezekiel Elliott coming out of college, it's Ohio State running back Quinshon Judkins. And no, this isn't solely because they both attended Ohio State.

If you want to find the rare combination of speed and power in a running back, look no further than Judkins. The Ohio State running back has legit speed in the 4.45 range that gives him the ability to break long runs on occasion, like we saw in Week 2, though it was called back with a hold. Judkins excels between the tackles though. He lives for contact, punishing defenders like the old-school style of bruising back.

Judkins splits carries with fellow draft prospect, Treyveon Henderson, so neither of these two will likely win the Doak Walker Award or lead the country in anything. But that doesn't matter. Stats aren't what makes you valuable.

Judkins should be available at Dallas' first pick, making him the most realistic option on this list.

With Ohio State's loaded offense, make sure you're watching Judkins whenever he's on the field. He's a complete difference maker that could be in the backfield with Dak Prescott sometime soon.