"He’s going to get beat up" - Cowboys legend Emmitt Smith drops eye-opening comments on Ashton Jeanty's fit in Dallas

Modified Feb 07, 2025 14:59 GMT

NCAA Football: Fiesta Bowl-Penn State at Boise State - Source: Imagn — Cowboys legend Emmitt Smith drops eye-opening comments on Ashton Jeanty's fit in Dallas - Source: Imagn

Dallas Cowboys legend Emmitt Smith doesn't think Ashton Jeanty will fare well in the NFL. Smith was a star running back in the NFL, so he knows what it takes to play the position in the league. Smith was a key part of the Cowboys winning three Super Bowls, and he is advising the team against drafting Jeanty in the first round.

On Thursday's episode of "Maggie and Perloff," Smith said:

"If he comes to the Cowboys right now, he's going to get beat up. I don't think we're ready. We don't have the right mindset. We don't have the right commitments. I think we are drafting exciting pieces. Exciting pieces that will get fans 'Oh, we got Ashton Jeanty, oh we're going to be able to run the ball.'

"OK, you try to tell me Ezekiel Elliott and Rico Dowdle could not carry that team? No. There was no commitment to run the football."

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Smith doesn't believe the Cowboys are ready for a true star running back. Instead, he says the team needs to focus on building in the trenches and give Dak Prescott more weapons.

With that, Emmitt Smith says using a first-round pick on a running back doesn't make sense for the Cowboys right now.

Jeanty rushed for 2,601 yards and 29 touchdowns at Boise State in 2024. His efforts landed him a runner-up spot on the Heisman Trophy list.

Ashton Jeanty says it would be special to play for Cowboys

Ashton Jeanty has been linked to the Cowboys in several mock drafts. The Broncos star running back believes it would be a "great opportunity" to play for the Cowboys.

"I think it would be dope, a lot of great people there, a lot of talented players," Jeanty said about what it would mean to be a Cowboy, via DallasCowboys.com. "Potentially to be a part of that, I think that would be a great opportunity."

Jeanty played high school football in Frisco, Texas, so he thinks playing for the Cowboys would be special.

"It would be special, growing up in Frisco, spending a lot of time out there, I think it would be cool to have the star on my helmet again," Jeanty said. "Playing for Lone Star, I had a star on my helmet as well, so it would be a dope moment if that were to happen."

The Cowboys have the 12th overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft.