FRISCO — When the NFL Draft process started, analysts and projections drilled the Ashton Jeanty to the Dallas Cowboys prediction with the No. 12 pick. Jeanty, a Frisco native, seemed destined for a return to The Star where he played most of his high school football.
Unfortunately, the top running back prospect's impressive strides through the pre-draft evaluations have elevated his stock in such a way that he will likely come off the board before the Cowboys are on the clock.
Certainly it is a disappointment after Jeanty had campaigned so hard for a Cowboys future. That's not to say he will not gladly capitalize on the opportunity to play for another team. But as he told Kay Adams, there is just something special about the star on the silver helmet.
"Really to play for any team in the NFL would be great, but the fact I grew up here... just a little different."
That ultimately led to Adams asking about Jeanty's visit with the Cowboys and specifically Jerry Jones. The owner, general manager and team president left him with a rather humorous and crazy first impression.
"I came in the room and he was holding this like... championship belt and just looking at it and I was like 'where's this gonna go?'" he laughed. "Maybe he thinks I could be a champ or something,"
Jeanty added that the belt was from a boxing event held at AT&T Stadium.
Clearly from Jeanty's interaction there is a connection there. But again, any future with the star prospect on the Cowboys likely involves the team trading up on draft day. That seems pretty unlikely as of now.
Whether it is Jeanty, another running back or a player at a different position, the pressure is on for the Cowboys to nail the No. 12 pick. With so many options, this decision will not be so easy as to wait on one player to fall into their lap.
They will have multiple options and must make the correct choice.
