Ashton Jeanty is the top running back in this year’s NFL Draft. As the 2025 Draft approaches, the Dallas Cowboys have emerged as a popular contender to draft the Boise State superstar.
Jeanty, born in Jacksonville, moved to Texas as a child and played high school football in the Lone Star State. So, from that angle, a Cowboys selection would mean an awful lot.
But not so fast, said one Cowboys legend this week.
Emmitt Smith, a three-time Super Bowl champion, multi-time rushing champion, and the all-time rushing yards leader, is a Cowboys icon. Smith is one of the most popular Cowboys ever and his words strike a chord with everyone. So, when Smith backed down a bit on Jeanty going to Dallas, people listened.
Smith joined Maggie & Perloff on Radio Row in New Orleans Thursday morning, and cautioned why drafting him now would be a mistake.
“If he comes to the Cowboys right now, he’s going to get beat up. I don’t think we’re ready,” Smith said via On3. “We don’t have the right mindset. We don’t have the right commitments. I just talked about commitments and being [misaligned]. I think we are drafting exciting pieces… that would get fans, ‘Oh, we got Ashton Jeanty, oh, we’re going to be able to run the ball.’”
Smith’s caution is no disrespect to Jeanty at all. He appears more pragmatic than anything here, and he has a point. The Cowboys’ infrastructure needs to be aided. They need help on the line. A decade ago, they had a strong line that powered the run game. Smith’s response suggests that he’d do the same here first.
We’ll see how things go when Draft Day comes.
