NFL analyst explains why Cowboys drafting Ashton Jeanty would be major mistake

There might not be a more popular pick in the pre-NFL Draft process than Ashton Jeanty to the Dallas Cowboys.

Over the previous weeks and months, Jeanty has been predicted to Dallas through countless mock drafts, and for quite some time, it seemed like it was just a matter of time before he ended up playing for his hometown Cowboys.

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Lately, however, Jeanty has been appearing as high as No. 6 overall to the Las Vegas Raiders, and is now seemingly like a longshot for Dallas at No. 12.

however, according to FOX NFL analyst David Helman, even if Jeanty is somehow available at No. 12, there are a handful of reasons the Cowboys should avoid him at all costs - starting with the obvious.

Boise State Broncos running back Ashton Jeanty runs against Oregon State | Brian Losness-Imagn Images

"Let's start with the obvious. There are simply too many other needs," Helman said. "Thanks to their bargain bin approach to free agency, the Cowboys enter the draft with several more pressing problems. Wide Receiver two comes to mind. They don't have a true secondary option behind CeeDee Lamb, but the cornerback depth chart scares me. Oh, by the way, Zach Martin just retired. There are a lot of issues to deal with before you worry about the running back position."

Helman isn't alone with this idea, either.

As more and more mock drafts are put out, the trend has indeed switched from running back to wide receiver for Dallas, indicating that may be the way the team is looking come draft night.

That said, Helman also believes that drafting a running back as high as No. 12 overall would be a massive reach, based on positional value alone. On top of that, there is also an ample amount of prospects at the position that should be available in Round 2, Round 3 and beyond for the Cowboys to chose from.

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"Ashton Jeanty is an incredible playmaker, and running backs have had a resurgence thanks to Derek, Henry, Saquon, Barkley, and Josh Jacobs, but what do all those guys have in common? They were on their second teams because they ultimately didn't get where they wanted to go with the teams that drafted them. When you have a number 12 overall pick, there are more valuable places that you can that you can spend it on than a running back."

"This is a wonderful year to need a running back. There are so many of them. Omarion Hampton, North Carolina, Kayla Johnson, Iowa, Dylan Sampson, Tennessee. I could go on and on and on. This is a deep running back class, you do not have to draft, one in the first round, for all of those reasons, if I were the Cowboys, I would look elsewhere with that number 12 overall pick."

Of course, Dallas might not even have the opportunity to draft Jeanty at No. 12, which would make all of this a moot point.

But if for some reason he is still available when Dallas is on the clock, Helman's points would certainly be worth considering before pulling the trigger on the Boise State playmaker.

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