The Cowboys have a coach, and no matter your opinion on new guy Brian Schottenheimer, fact is, they could bring back Tom Landry himself and it would not matter if they don’t upgrade the roster heading into 2025. Given the way the team has flopped in free agency, there might not be much hope for the Cowboys there. But the draft is still a shining beacon of hope for the roster.
And while there is a strong sense that, at No. 12, the Cowboys will go ahead and pick Boise State star running back Asthon Jeanty, there is also a clear need for other spots on the roster to be filled. If the Cowboys can manage to not bungle the free-agent/trade period in March, they could easily address the running back spot at a cost-efficient price.
That would free them up to do something more difficult in the draft: Find a productive No. 2 receiver to pair with CeeDee Lamb.
As it stands, Brandin Cooks is the Cowboys’ No. 2, and is heading into free agency. It’s hard to imagine that Cooks will be back, at age 31 and coming off an injury-racked season. The team has given chances to Jalen Tolbert, who is useful, but not a No. 2. And there is a chance that Jonathan Mingo, acquired at last year’s trade deadline, could snap out of his career-long funk and become productive.
Cowboys go WR in Kiper’s Mock
At ESPN, draft guru Mel Kiper Jr. sees things the same way. Jeanty figures to be an option, especially if the Cowboys do nothing in free agency. But a better answer might be Missouri star Luther Burden III, and that’s Kiper’s Cowboys pick.
Wrote Kiper this week: “I think it’s possible the Cowboys will take Jeanty, and there’s no arguing that they need a boost to the run game. But I imagine they’d first try to fix that hole in free agency. …
“Putting Burden’s valuable after-the-catch ability opposite CeeDee Lamb would open things up for Dak Prescott. Dallas has been looking for a reliable one-two receiver punch in the offense for a while; it hasn’t had two WRs over 700 receiving yards since 2021, when Amari Cooper was still in town. Burden has the explosive traits to change that.”
Luther Burden Had a Down Year at Missouri
Now, if you go by the numbers alone, Burden clearly took a step backward this season, with just 676 yards as a receiver on 61 catches. He added 115 yards rushing and two touchdowns on just nine carries.
The drop-off, though, was more a function of the poor play from quarterback Brady Cook, who had a bad year. The Tigers offense struggled to get Burden, who has been compared to 49ers star Deebo Samuel for his toughness and versatility, the ball.
Missouri coach Eli Drinkwitz said of Burden: “”Game on the line, 4th-and-17, he really doesn’t even run the route that he’s supposed to but he just has what he calls ‘Luther instincts’ … He’s always been a gamer. In St. Louis, he’s known as ‘Touchdown Luther.’ If you want a touchdown you just have to get the ball to Luther.”
