Getty Cowboys potential draftee Audric Estime (right).
Depending on where you look, you’ll get some very different versions of how this year’s running-back class stacks up in the NFL draft. That’s especially important for the Cowboys, who could very well be the first team to splurge on a running back on Day 2 of the draft.
Currently, with running back Tony Pollard having departed in free agency, the Cowboys’ running back room is built around fourth-year career backup Rico Dowdle, who was re-signed last month. Projections around whom the Cowboys will select to fil the void vary widely, with Jonathon Brooks of Texas being the top option.
Trey Benson and Blake Corum also get mentions. But Bleacher Report is zigging where others are zagging—they’re seeing Notre Dame star Audric Estimé as the choice for the Cowboys.
As the site’s Gary Davenport wrote in an article titled, “2024 NFL Draft: Best Landing Spots for Top RBs to Contribute as Rookies:”
“Estimé is a capable pass-catcher and one of the better pass-protecting backs in this year’s class. In other words, he possesses the skill set to be a three-down back—or at the very least be the lead back in a committee attack.
“There isn’t a team in the NFL with a bigger need in the backfield than Dallas.”
Audric Estimé Leaves Scouts Split
But to be sure, Estimé is not a sure thing as an NFL prospect. Far from it. Bleacher Report has him ranked as the top running back in this year’s class, and it is easy to see why. He is a big bruiser, a 5-foot-11, 221-pound fireplug who can grind between the tackle—a sort of anti-Pollard, in a way. He would make a good tandem with Dowdle in that respect.
But Pro Football Focus has Brooks as the top running back in this class, the No. 56 player available in the draft. Estimé is much, much lower—the No. 9 running back and 116th player in the class.
Mel Kiper of ESPN is a little more generous to Estimé, ranking him No. 6 among running backs behind Brooks, Tennessee’s Jaylen Wright, Benson, Corum, and MarShawn Lloyd of USC.
One potential benefit of locking in on Estimé is that the Cowboys could, potentially, wait to use a Day 3 pick on him. But the issue there is that the Cowboys do not have a fourth-round pick, having sent it to San Francisco in the deal for quarterback Trey Lance last summer.
That means, barring a trade, the Cowboys pretty much need to get their running back in the third round, where they possess the No. 87 pick.
Cowboys Had Good Meeting
Estimé’s draft stock was severely knocked down by a poor showing in the 40-yard dash at the combine, when he posted a 4.71 time.
A scouting report at The Huddle noted, “He’s a bowling ball that can fit nicely into a backfield committee looking for early down help running the ball and breaking the goal line.
“His lack of speed is concerning at the NFL level and it could be a limitation. His 40 time rated in the bottom 4% of all running backs in combine history. He later ran a 4.58 at the Notre Dame Pro Day, but a major plus with the NFL Combine is that all the players can be compared to each other in an objective environment.”
Estimé did meet with the Cowboys during the combine, he said, and cmae away encouraged.
“I just like the energy the Cowboys had,” Estimé said, per SI.com. “They are very energetic guys and had smiles on their faces. I’m a guy that is always smiling and they were smiling right back at me. They are a very football-savvy team that knows a lot about football. I’m a guy who always wants to be informed. I feel like in that system I’ll be able to learn every day and maximize my ability.”