Ashton Jeanty to Cowboys in ESPN's 2025 NFL Mock Draft amid Ezekiel Elliott Buzz

Boise State running back Ashton Jeanty's 17 rushing touchdowns in six games have him on track for both a historic junior college season and a potential spot in the first round of the 2025 NFL draft.

The latest mock draft by ESPN's Jordan Reid projects Jeanty going to the Dallas Cowboys with the No. 15 pick of the upcoming draft.

The Cowboys have recorded the fewest rushing yards of any team in the NFL with 463 yards in six games, while Jeanty leads the the FBS with 1,248 rushing yards.

Adding Jeanty would revitalize a backfield that has plodded through the first six weeks of the season.

Ezekiel Elliott, who rejoined Dallas on a one-year deal, has been the subject of some reported frustration while receiving limited touches during the Cowboys' 3-3 start to the season.

Elliott recorded 14 total carries for the Cowboys in a Week 5 win over the Pittsburgh Steelers and a Week 6 loss to the Detroit Lions, while his backfield partner Rico Dowdle recorded 20 in Pittsburgh alone.

Clarence Hill Jr. of DLLS reported ahead of Week 6 that Elliott said he had spoken to Cowboys coaches about dissatisfaction with his usage. Elliott then received more touches than Dowdle in the first half of a blowout loss to the Lions, after which head coach Mike McCarthy said Dowdle "definitely needs to touch the ball more."

That situation is not likely to continue into the 2025 season given that both Elliott and Dowdle are playing on expiring contracts. The only member of the Cowboys backfield signed past this season is 23-year-old Deuce Vaughn, who has recorded just seven touches this season and was a healthy scratch in Week 6.

That will likely leave the Cowboys in the position of rebuilding their backfield next spring for the second straight season amid the team's ongoing struggles to replace Tony Pollard, who signed with the Tennessee Titans last offseason.

Despite the departure of Pollard, the Cowboys did not select a running back in the 2024 NFL draft, a choice team owner Jerry Jones said was made in part because of the team's faith in Elliott.

Given the results so far this season, the Cowboys might take a different approach as they head into the 2025 draft with the goal of building a stronger offense around Dak Prescott.

Jeanty could find further success in Dallas, where he would get the opportunity to play behind an offensive line that grew stronger this season with the additions of rookies Tyler Guyton and Cooper Beebe.

The Cowboys could meanwhile benefit from the addition of a running back who further added to his early Heisman Trophy buzz by recording his third 200 rushing-yard performance of the season on Saturday against Hawaii. Should the team peg Jeanty as a potential successor to Pollard, Dallas could decide to target him with a first-round pick in April.