Projecting Jaydon Blue’s season primarily based on historic Cowboys rookie working backs

One of many extra enjoyable and fascinating gamers the Dallas Cowboys chosen within the NFL draft final week was College of Texas working again Jaydon Blue. He’s additionally one of many solely actual offensive toys the group spent a draft choose on.

Understanding what will come of the Cowboys working again room is troublesome at greatest because the group has actually reworked it this offseason. Blue was drafted alongside Clemson runner Phil Mafah, however not earlier than the Cowboys signed Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders in free company. Malik Davis and Deuce Vaughn lurk as different would-be choices as effectively.

It goes with out saying that Blue’s dynamic skills as an outright working again, and within the passing recreation as effectively, will discover their approach into Brian Schottenheimer’s offense. For a little bit of enjoyable we’re doing our greatest at the moment to try to predict what his rookie season may seem like.

The “phrase” predict is a bit powerful, although.

Understanding Jaydon Blue rookie projections via the lens of historical past

Before everything, allow us to establish that Jaydon is certainly a pass-catching weapon. The very best season we’ve got seen from a Cowboys working again in latest historical past was Tony Pollard in 2022 and he figured effectively into the passing recreation that 12 months. His 371 yards and three touchdowns had been each profession highs for him within the receiving division.

Earlier than we glance again at Dallas Cowboys historical past allow us to look again at what Jaydon Blue simply completed close by in Austin.

Throughout the 2024 faculty soccer season there have been solely 9 gamers who met the minimal thresholds of 130 speeding makes an attempt, 700 speeding yards, 40 receptions and 350 receiving yards. Jaydon was considered one of them.

Stathead

You will need to perceive that we’re referencing Tony Pollard for extra purpose than simply his 2022 marketing campaign with the Cowboys. Think about that Blue was taken at 149 general within the fifth spherical of the draft. He marked the primary working again who the Cowboys chosen inside the highest 150 since Pollard went at 128 within the fourth spherical again in 2019. Clearly previous to Pollard it was Ezekiel Elliott in 2016 at quantity 4 general. From a draft capital standpoint, that is the best stage of funding that the group has made in a while.

Understanding that context, take into account that Pollard himself solely met one of many 4 minimal standards that we simply talked about with Blue throughout his personal closing collegiate season (Pollard had 458 receiving yards at Memphis in 2018). From a manufacturing standpoint he had much less occurring than Blue does, though just like Blue’s scenario at Texas there have been additionally lots of different proficient backs who Pollard shared a backfield with throughout his time in class.

Pollard clearly joined a Cowboys group that had an Ezekiel Elliott with two speeding titles to his identify via three seasons at that cut-off date. He was used sparingly as a rookie which presents a possible glimpse at what we may see from Blue in 2025.

Beneath is a listing of each participant in Dallas Cowboys franchise historical past who noticed at the least 80 carries all through the course of their rookie season. Pollard made it onto that record and will function a very good guideline of statistical manufacturing for Blue, even with no modern-day Zeke within the backfield to soak up the majority of consideration.

Stathead

Clearly Blue won’t have a season just like Elliott, however DeMarco Murray in 2011 is one other fascinating comparability to probably draw a line in direction of. In Murray’s rookie season the Cowboys had been additionally coping with a first-time head coach who was calling the offensive performs in Jason Garrett the best way they’re presently with Brian Schottenheimer. That Cowboys group was additionally attempting to re-make their offensive line in the best way that the present group hopes to emulate.

That’s the place the similarities dry up a bit as Murray and Blue are hardly the identical sort of participant. It’s onerous to see Blue leaping into the NFL and taking 164 carries instantly, even when the remainder of the working again room is a little bit of a thriller proper now.

Nonetheless although, ball-parking issues a bit it looks as if we are able to count on round 90-100 carries at minimal. Involvement within the passing recreation will definitely issue into that, however that may be a little bit tougher to foretell as that’s so typically the results of circumstances on a play-to-play foundation.

If we perceive that some marriage of the rookie seasons Pollard and Murray put forth is the place Blue will dwell then 100ish carries appears proper for someplace round 700 yards. That might hardly be a nasty factor if the Cowboys had been selecting up the slack some place else.

The place is that else? In Javonte Williams, Miles Sanders or Phil Mafah? That’s unknown. There are lots of solutions to be discovered.