Getty Clyde Edwards-Helaire
The Dallas Cowboys are leaving no position unchecked as they roll through their spate of virtual pre-draft meetings.
The team posted to its Twitter account on Monday a snippet of their video interview with LSU running back Clyde Edwards-Helaire, a potential Day 2 pick in next week’s NFL draft.
Taking part in the remote sitdown: Cowboys owner/general Jerry Jones, vice president of player personnel Will McClay, offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, and new RBs coach Skip Peete.
Have you ever heard of froggin’?
@LSUFootball RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire explains in his #NFLDraft interview with the #DallasCowboys. #StayHomeStayStong
A three-year contributor for the Tigers, Edwards-Helaire totaled 2,103 yards and 23 touchdowns on 370 career carries, averaging 5.7 yards-per-tote. He added 69 receptions for 595 yards and one TD from 2017-19.
CEH put himself on the map last season, converting 215 rushes into 1,414 yards (6.6 YPC) and 16 scores, and earning first-team All-SEC honors en route to a national championship.
A powerful yet shifty runner who boasts a three-down skillset, Edwards-Helaire is a top-five RB prospect among the incoming class. Some consider him the overall RB2 behind Georgia’s DeAndre Swift and ahead of Wisconsin’s Jonathan Taylor. Standing a diminutive 5-foot-7 but weighing a rocked-up 207 pounds, he clocked a 4.6 forty time and logged a 39.5-inch vertical jump during February’s Scouting Combine, entrenching himself as a likely second-round selection.
NFL.com draft expert Lance Zierlein compares Edwards-Helaire to former Falcons star and current free agent Devonta Freeman.
“Compact, sudden back who runs low to the ground with power and balance to break tackles and the agility to bob, weave and shake them in tight quarters,” Zierlein wrote in his scouting profile. “Edwards-Helaire runs with instinctive eyes and quick-cut foot speed. He doesn’t really have tells or tendencies and can alter the rush track when needed, which makes him so unpredictable for defenses. While he can create for himself, he’s better off working inside-out as NFL linebackers might be able to outflank him on pure outside runs. He has pop behind his pads but lacks short-yardage size. He has the talent to become a good, three-down back in time, but needs to improve in pass protection.”
Good as Edwards-Helaire is, the Cowboys — led by Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard — simply have no need for a high-profile back. And they cannot afford to make luxury choices with other, pressing roster holes (cornerback, safety, linebacker, tight end) requiring immediate prioritization.
Chalk this up to a matter of due diligence.
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Pollard to See More Snaps at WR?
The 2019 fourth-rounder proved to be a dual-threat playmaker as a rookie, in what little we saw of the former Memphis stud. He averaged 5.3 YPC on 86 attempts (455 yards, two TDs) and 7.1 yards-per-grab on 15 receptions (107 yards, TD). Pollard, however, took a strict backseat to workhorse Elliott.
That probably changes in 2020. ESPN’s Todd Archer recently posited that Pollard will get more burn at wideout under new, offensive-minded head coach Mike McCarthy and incumbent OC Moore.
“With Ezekiel Elliott on the roster, Pollard will not get a lot of work. But he could be a multifaceted player in coach Mike McCarthy’s offense who could compare to Ty Montgomery,” Archer wrote. “Montgomery was a receiver who moved to running back. Perhaps Pollard can do the reverse, as he played receiver at Memphis.”
Coinciding with the growing buzz, a video emerged on Twitter depicting Pollard running routes and snatching balls, working out alongside Cowboys safety Donovan Wilson.
Cowboys teammates Donovan Wilson and Tony Pollard were working out together on Saturday.
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