Heading into the 2025 NFL Draft, the Dallas Cowboys’ one clear area of weakness was their running back room. It was led by now-departed Rico Dowdle, who posted just 1,079 rushing yards and two touchdowns. After his departure, the Cowboys were desperate to make upgrades, and while they brought in four through free agency and the draft, they are mediocre at best.
The Cowboys have one of the most expensive rosters in the NFL, and if the CeeDee Lamb-Dak Prescott-Micah Parsons era needs to yield some results, one analyst believes Dallas needs to target a star running back.
Dallas Cowboys Predicted To Select Consensus RB1 of the 2026 NFL Draft
The additions of Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders, while decent, do not offer a ton of upside for the Cowboys. Both players haven’t been at their best in some time and saw their roles reduce as the 2024 season wore on.
The Cowboys also added Jaydon Blue and Phil Mafah in the latter rounds of the draft. Blue offers the most potential for the Cowboys of the four, but it remains to be seen how he’ll produce in the NFL.
If the Cowboys want a potential superstar in their backfield, perhaps they’ll target Jeremiyah Love in the 2026 NFL Draft. That’s exactly what PFSN’s NFL Draft analyst Brently Weissman has Dallas doing in his latest 2026 NFL mock draft, as he argues that running back is still a glaring need for the Cowboys.
“The Cowboys currently have the weakest running back room in the NFL, and it’s not particularly close,” Weissman wrote. “This team has been at its best when they are able to run the rock and be physical upfront and allow Dak Prescott to win off of play action.
“Jeremiyah Love is the best back in this class by a long shot and will be a Heisman finalist this upcoming fall with another strong season. His power, vision, and breakaway speed make him a dynamic runner.”
I’m pretty comfortable calling Notre Dame RB Jeremiyah Love a blue chip prospect already. Ridiculous athleticism pic.twitter.com/RjWU9MdFHy
— Drew Beatty (@IronCityFilm) June 10, 2025
At 6’0″, 212 pounds, Love is a deadly creator. He’s a slippery, slashing free-strider with hyper-elite vertical burst and an unflappable center of gravity that allows him to cut and gash through arm tackles and routinely refind his feet.
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Love burst onto the scene last season with an incredible campaign for Notre Dame, posting 1,125 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns to go with 28 receptions for 237 yards and two scores through the air.
He ranked 18th in FBS in yards after contact per attempt, forced 62 missed tackles (16th), finished 11th in breakaway rushing yardage, and ranked 21st in breakaway run percentage. That kind of big-play threat would take pressure off Prescott and potentially serve as the final piece to help Dallas return to the glory days of America’s Team.