Dallas Cowboys Draft Longhorns RB Bijan Robinson to Replace Ezekiel Elliott in NFL Mock
FRISCO - The Dallas Cowboys long ago constructed Ezekiel Elliott’s hefty contract with an escape hatch that is available in the spring of 2023.
And, it just so happens, the best running back in college football is available in the spring of 2023 as well.
In this 2023 NFL mock draft, Fan Sided predicts that the Cowboys will land “superstar weapon” Bijan Robinson, the University of Texas running back, with the No. 26 overall selection.
And we must admit: The concept is enticing. And many of the pieces fit.
Elliott's contractual out would still leave Dallas eating about $12 mil of cap room. And while Zeke could be retained in 2023 under the terms of the new deal (CowboysSI.com has reported that the Dallas front office likes that idea), electric Cowboys running back Tony Pollard will be hitting free agency.
So as much as the Cowboys like third-string UDFA rookie Malik Davis, the idea of targeting a running back in the future is part of the fit.
Also in play: The NFL trend to avoid paying running backs $15 million APY.
There was a time and a place and a reason, it can be argued, to have done that with Elliott. It's difficult, though, to scan the league's horizon and justify doing it again - and in the case of using the draft as the place to find a replacement, well, even a first-round pick comes relatively affordably.
Robinson, 20, is considered a “do-it-all'' back who at 6-foot and 220 is among the NCAA leaders in rushing yards, yards after contact and forced missed tackles.
The Cowboys can get plenty of mileage out of Pollard and Elliott (presently sitting out with a knee sprain) in 2022. But going forward? The NFL Draft is the way to quit paying premium prices ... while still employing a premium talent like Bijan Robinson.
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