Dallas Cowboys' late-round draft pick could be the key to get new offensive coordinator Klayton Adams exactly what he wants
Three times during the 2024 college football season, Jaydon Blue was responsible for home run plays that went at least 45 yards. Now, he's a Dallas Cowboys player after being selected in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft. Though Blue isn't a three-down back that will immediately become RB1 on the team, he will […]
Three times during the 2024 college football season, Jaydon Blue was responsible for home run plays that went at least 45 yards. Now, he's a Dallas Cowboys player after being selected in the fifth round of the 2025 NFL Draft.
Though Blue isn't a three-down back that will immediately become RB1 on the team, he will give the Cowboys something they've been missing on their committee: Explosion and big-play ability out of the backfield.
Not only has the Cowboys offense been lacking explosiveness but it's exactly what offensive coordinator Klayton Adams was talking about hours before the start of Day 3 while visiting the team's official "Draft Show" prior to the fourth round.
“Creating explosives in the running game is a recipe for creating explosives in the passing game," Adams said Saturday morning. “When somebody can impose their will on you in the run game, it’s a disease for the entire [opposing] team.”
Adams—a first-year offensive coordinator—is coming from Arizona, where he coached the offensive line of an explosive Cardinals rushing offense that mixed and matched plenty of concepts to generate big gains. His previous offense ran counter, power, and gap scheme runs at one of the highest rates in the NFL, yielding plenty of good results.
Running the football, Arizona ranked 2nd in yards per attempt, 6th in EPA/attempt, and were the second-most explosive unit per Sports Info Solutions. Adding an explosive runner like Blue should help Adams get the explosives he wants.
Prospect Name Scouting Report
Jaydon Blue, RB, Texas
Age (Birthday): 21 (01/08/2004)
A to Z Sports Expected Draft Position: 128
Pre-Draft Round Projection: 4th
Jaydon Blue was at one time the highest rated running back recruit in the nation. However, due to the COVID-19 pandemic he chose to sit out his senior year of high school and fell down many expert rankings boards. That didn't stop him from committing to the Texas Longhorns and eventually becoming their most productive running backs down the stretch in 2023 and for much of the 2024 season.
He's a bit undersized at 5'9", 196 pounds, but he's a burner with speed and excellent contact balance. The expected draft range for Blue has been all over the place this spring, but those who have followed him for a long time understand his upside could live somewhere around Bucky Irving (successful with the Buccaneers). However, many smaller backs like him just don't pan out, so there's plenty of risk with an early or even mid-round investment here. – Travis May
Career Projection: Boom Bust Starter Potential
