Longhorns Country

Tashard Choice Thinks Texas Longhorns RB Jaydon Blue is 'Very Similar' To NFL Star

According to former Texas Longhorns running backs coach Tashard Choice, Jaydon Blue compares favorably to one of the NFL's best.
Matt Galatzan|
Texas Longhorns running back Jaydon Blue is tackled by Ohio State Buckeyes cornerback Jermaine Mathews Jr.
Texas Longhorns running back Jaydon Blue is tackled by Ohio State Buckeyes cornerback Jermaine Mathews Jr. | Tim Heitman-Imagn Images

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The Texas Longhorns broke a program record for the second season in a row over the weekend, with 12 players getting picked in the 2025 NFL Draft.

One of those players was running back Jaydon Blue, who was picked up in the fifth round by the Dallas Cowboys. Fortunately for Blue, Given the Cowboys' dire need for a running back, he could get a chance to see the field early and often in Dallas.

Of course it is typically hard to imagine a fifth round pick being a major contributor from the jump for any NFL team.

But according to former Longhorns running backs coach Tashard Choice, Blue could be an exception to that rule, comparing him favorably to one of the NFL's best running backs in Detroit Lions star Jahmyr Gibbs.

Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs celebrates a touchdown against Washington Commanders
Detroit Lions running back Jahmyr Gibbs celebrates a touchdown against Washington Commanders | Junfu Han / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

"They're very similar," Choice told Tommy Yarish of DallasCowboys.com. "Both are very explosive, make plays out of the backfield, and very smart. I think Blue is very, very smart, I think (Jahmyr) is the smartest running back I've ever coached."

Of course, that is a lofty comparison. Last season, Gibbs was one of the most productive running backs in the NFL, rushing 250 times for 1,412 yards and 16 scores, while catching 52 passes for 517 yards and four more touchdowns, totaling 1,929 yards from scrimmage.

And Choice, who now coaches Gibbs in Detroit, knows that Blue will have to put in a lot of work to reach that level in the NFL with Dallas.

"He's got to live up to being Jah, Jah is an animal," Choice said. "And so he's going to have to perform and perform at a high clip so that can be comparable. So now he's got to prove himself to see who he is in the NFL."

Fortunately, Blue should have a good shot to do just that, with a wide open running back room ahead of him, and an offense that is being specifically tooled both personnel and coaching wise to improve and excel in the run game.

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Matt Galatzan
MATT GALATZAN

Matt Galatzan is the Managing Editor and Publisher of Texas Longhorns On SI and Texas A&M Aggies On SI and a long-time member of the Football Writers’ Association of America. He graduated from the University of Mississippi, where he studied integrated marketing communications, with minors in journalism and business administration. Galatzan started in the sports journalism industry in 2014, covering the Dallas Mavericks and SMU Mustangs with 247Sports. He then moved to Sports Illustrated's Fan Nation network in 2020, eventually taking over as the Managing Editor and Publisher of the Longhorns and Aggies sites a year later. You can find Galatzan on all major social media channels, including Twitter on @MattGalatzan.

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