Analysis

3/14/23

8 min read

RB Athletic Archetype Guide: Dallas Cowboys

By Nic Bodiford

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Welcome to The 33rd Team’s Athletic Archetypes series. These pieces will break down the preferred, position-specific athletic profiles utilized by NFL general managers. The purpose of the series is to help identify team-specific 2023 NFL Draft targets at the running back position.

NFL Combine data will be used whenever possible. Pro-day data will be used in a supplementary capacity if and when a player chooses not to participate in a combine drill or if the combine data is not available. Pro-day data is marked using an asterisk except for arm length and hand length, which is always collected at pro days.

NFL Draft Scout is the primary data source, with Relative Athletic Score used as the preferred backup. 

Other Archetypes: ARZ | ATL | BUF | CAR | CHI | DEN | DET | GB | KC | LAC | LAR | LV | MIN | NE | NO | NYG | NYJ | PHI | SF | SEA | TB | WAS

Cowboys RB Prototype

GM Jerry Jones, Stephen Jones (2014 - Present)

Sample size: 17 NFL running backs

• Jerry Jones purchased the Dallas Cowboys in 1989 and quickly named himself general manager. He is also the team president. 
• Stephen Jones is Jerry’s son. Stephen is the executive vice president, CEO and director of player personnel. Stephen has held the latter role since at least 2014. 
• The table below reflects Jones’ preferred athletic archetype at the running back position from 2014 to present.

• In 2017 and 2018, Dallas experimented with the extreme ends of their running back prospect weight thresholds. 
• Jahad Thomas (2017) weighed just 190 pounds and is one of Dallas’ two sub-202-pound running backs. Bo Scarbrough (2018, 228 pounds) and Jordan Chunn (2018, 239 pounds) are the sample’s two heaviest members. 
• Chunn was an all-around outlier as his 1.63-second 10-yard split is tied for the slowest mark, his surprisingly tiny 8.25-inch hands were the smallest, both his 4.50-second short shuttle and 32-inch vertical are second worst in their respective events and his nine-foot broad jump is seven inches lower than the rest of the field. 
• Dallas accepts a wide weight range for their running backs as body mass index (BMI) makes little difference to them. Tony Pollard (6-foot, 210 pounds) and 2022 rookie Malik Davis (5-foot-10, 202 pounds) respectively hit 28.5 and 29.0 on the BMI scale, while the stalwart Ezekiel Elliott (6-foot, 225 pounds) offers a more traditional 30.5. 

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• Neither Scarbrough nor Chunn made the team, though, indicating 225 pounds is likely the 2023 NFL Draft maximum. 
• The Joneses had good luck in adding 6-foot-or-taller running backs dating back to the early 2010s (Demarco Murray and Darren McFadden), and the trend continues today (Elliott and Pollard). 
• Dallas prefers running backs with a minimum 30-inch arm length. The gangly Demarco Murray (32 inches) was surely an influence.
• Five running backs’ hands were sub-9.25 inches, but none made the team. 
• The 40-yard dash is not important to Dallas. Their accepted range is massive.
• A 10-yard split ranging from 1.54-to-1.58 seconds is ideal for Dallas, as 10 of 17 running backs fall within this range. Running backs like Rico Dowdle (1.62), Corey Clement (1.62) and Alfred Morris (1.63) are the most successful Dallas runners who failed to hit the 1.58-second minimum.
• Dallas is extremely forgiving with the short shuttle. The slower threshold hovers around 4.40 seconds, just below the relative athletic score’s 35th percentile.
• Dallas has shown a proclivity for sub-7.00-second three-cone drills for over a decade. The team appears ready to make allowances as needed, though. Murray (7.28 seconds) finished outside the ideal range and Elliot opted not to participate. 
• Four of eight running backs acquired since 2019 have hit 7.01 seconds or better, though.
• Since 2019, five of eight running backs hit at least 10-foot-1 in the broad jump. 
• Dallas loves springy running backs; 12 of 17 jumped at least 33.5 inches in the vertical jump, 10 cleared 35 inches, and five jumped better than 37 inches. 
• The vertical jump and the 40-yard dash are the only NFL Combine and pro-day activities that Dallas requires running backs to participate in. Requiring the 40-yard dash is used solely to acquire a player’s 10-yard split. The acceptable range of times for the full 40 yards is too wide. 
• The bench press is irrelevant for Dallas. 

Physical Traits Cowboys Will Target

• Roughly 5-foot-10 — the team notably has a propensity for running backs standing at least 6-foot though
• Weighing between 202-to-225 pounds
• Arms at least 30 inches long — clearing 31 inches is a plus
• Hands measuring at least 9.25 inches
• A 10-yard split between 1.54-to-1.58 seconds
• A 7.00-seconds-or-better three-cone drill
• At least a 10-foot-1 broad jump
• At least a 35-inch vertical jump, likely 36 inches or higher

Potential 2023 RB Targets

Players with strong archetype correlation are asterisked.

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• *Bijan Robinson, Texas: 5-foot-11, 215 pounds, 31.125-inch arms, 9.75-inch hands, 1.52-second 10-yard split, 10-foot-4 broad jump and a 37-inch vertical jump. (scouting report).
• *Zach Evans, Mississippi: 5-foot-11, 202 pounds, 31.625-inch arms and 10.25-inch hands, 1.58-second 10-yard split, 7.08-second three-cone drill, 10-foot-1 broad jump and a 33.5-inch vertical jump. (scouting report).
• *Israel Abanikanda, Pittsburgh: 5-foot-10, 216 pounds and 32-inch arms, 1.54-second 10-yard split, 10-foot-8 broad jump and a 41-inch vertical jump. Abanikanda’s 8.25-inch hands could be an issue but he fumbled just two times in three years at Pitt, assuaging potential ball-security concerns. (scouting report). 
• *Zach Charbonnet, UCLA: Charbonnet is the perfect Dallas-running back prospect. 6-foot, 214 pounds, 32-inch arms, 9.875-inch hands, 1.54-second 10-yard split, 10-foot-2 broad jump and a 37-inch vertical jump. His 7.16-second three-cone is within the forgivable range. (scouting report).
• Tyjae Spears, Tulane: 5-foot-10, 201 pounds, 10-inch hands, 1.57-second 10-yard split, 30.75-inch arms, 10-foot-5 broad jump and a 39-inch vertical. His 7.27-second three-cone beats the absolute minimum by 0.01 seconds. (scouting report).
• Chase Brown, Illinois: 5-foot-9.5, 209 pounds, 31-inch arms, 10-inch hands, 10-foot-7 broad jump and a 40-inch vertical. His 1.53-second 10-yard split beats the ideal threshold by 0.1 seconds (scouting report).
• Sean Tucker, Syracuse: 207 pounds, 30-inch arms and 9.5-inch hands. He skipped the NFL Combine. He will need to participate in the 40-yard dash and vertical jump and Syracuse’s Pro Day to remain on Dallas’ draft board. At 5-foot-9, he is an inch below Dallas’ lower threshold, which could disqualify him (scouting report). 
• Hunter Luepke, North Dakota State: 6-foot-1, 31.5-inch arms and 9.625-inch hands, 1.58-second 10-yard split, 7.03-second three-cone drill and a 36.5-inch vertical jump. The fullback’s 9-foot-9 broad jump should not be disqualifying.
• Roschon Johnson, Texas: 6-foot, 219 pounds, 32-inch arms, 9.625-inch hands, 10-foot-2 broad jump. His 1.52-second 10-yard split beats the ideal threshold, but his 31.5-inch vertical falls short. Aside from his vertical, Johnson is a solid fit for Dallas. (scouting report)
• Evan Hull, Northwestern: 5-foot-10, 209 pounds, 30.625-inch arms, 9.25-inch hands, 10-foot-3 broad jump, 37-inch vertical jump and a 6.90-second three-cone drill. His 1.53-second 10-yard split beats Dallas’ threshold.
• Deneric Prince, Tulsa: 6-foot, 216 pounds, 31.25-inch arms, 9.25-inch hands, 1.53-second 10-yard split, 6.97-second three-cone drill, 10-foot-4 broad jump and a 35.5-inch vertical.
  

Measurements for Cowboys RBs

Athletic Testing for Cowboys RBs

*Corey Clement improved his broad jump to 10 feet and his vertical jump to 32 inches at his Pro Day.

**Tony Pollard improved his broad jump to 10 feet, 5 inches and his vertical jump to 36.5 inches. He also produced 18 bench-press repetitions at his Pro Day.

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Nic Bodiford

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Nic Bodiford contributes to The 33rd Team's fantasy football department and works elsewhere as an analyst and editor in written, video and audio mediums. These works can be found at Pro Football Focus, 4for4, Nerdball and Fake Teams. Nic moonlights at Legendary Upside by editing Pat Kerrane's weekly article, The Walkthrough.