3 reasons Cowboys drafting Bijan Robinson wouldn’t be a mistake

The latest NFL mock draft from ESPN’s Mel Kiper has the Cowboys taking Mel Kiper Jr. While some fans may shudder at the thought, it’s not an awful idea.

Particularly with how ineptly the playoff run ended for the Dallas Cowboys in San Francisco, fans have been frustrated and searching for answers. They’ve blamed Dak Prescott, blamed Mike McCarthy, blamed the roster, and so on. At the end of the day, though, the consensus is that this team needs help to get over the hump.

So when ESPN’s draft guru Mel Kiper released his first mock draft of the offseason on Wednesday (subscription required), some fans were a bit shocked to see the pick for Dallas: Texas running back Bijan Robinson.

Given how sour things have turned with Ezekiel Elliott, this seems like a stunning pick, especially given other needs on the roster. At the same time, as Kiper noted, it also makes sense given Jerry Jones’ affinity for running back and players from the state of Texas. And those factors that make it a legitimate possibility have some fans scared it could actually happen.

Don’t be scared, though. As harrowing as drafting a running back in the first round may sound, the Cowboys drafting Bijan Robinson wouldn’t necessarily be a mistake.

Cowboys mock draft: 3 reasons taking Bijan Robinson isn’t a mistake

3. Cowboys could reset the RB room entirely with Bijan Robinson

You could make the argument that the Ezekiel Elliott contract is among the worst in the NFL. He’s set to count $16.72 million against the cap in the 2023 season and, as a pre-June 1 cut, this is the first year the team would save money cutting him — but would also incur $11.86 million in dead cap to do so.

However, what’s being overlooked is that designating Elliott as a post-June 1 cut would make things much more feasible as they would save $10.9 million with only $5.82 million in dead cap, a much more palatable deal. Drafting Robinson would make that possible rather than trying to cut him early to sign a free agent or re-sign Tony Pollard.

And speaking of Pollard, while he’s been exceptionally productive in the past two seasons, there’s a reason that the Cowboys have been hesitant to give him a full workload. He’s not proven to be an every-down type of back, which is likely the type of money he’ll demand in free agency. On top of that, he’s also coming off of a broken leg suffered in the 49ers loss and subsequent surgery.

Rather than making a financially unwise decision to cut Zeke early and potentially paying up to re-sign Pollard, Dallas could let Pollard walk, draft Robinson and then cut Elliott after June 1. That makes the most financial sense and also still solidifies the Cowboys running back room.