Five possible draft replacements for DeMarco Murray in Dallas

[fortsbest]

I need to take back my Coleman hate...Langford is really a guy that fits into the not special category right alongside Cobb.

He may not be the pick, but I like everything I saw in from Coleman so far. I may not be quite the beast type Murray is, but the runs I've seen, he looks like he finds a hole and goes. With our line, that seems to fit what we need.

 

[boozeman]

From Rotoworld...

ESPN's Steve Muench believes Boise State RB Jay Ajayi would be an ideal fit for the Cowboys in Round 2.

"Ajayi is a bigger back (6-0, 221 pounds) who gives blockers enough time to get into position and hits the gas as soon as he locates a seam, so he would make the most of playing behind Dallas' offensive line," Muench wrote. The analyst cited average speed, heavy collegiate workload, health concerns and fumbling concerns as reasons that he could potentially drop to Dallas' second-round slot. All that said, he likes Ajayi a lot -- and with good reason. "He doesn't just take what his blockers give him, either, as he's shown the ability to make the first defender miss and pick up yards after contact," he wrote. "As far as the passing game is concerned, he's an above-average route-runner for the position, he has good hands and he produces after the catch. He also made strides as a pass-blocker last year."

USC RB Javorius "Buck" Allen is a "bigger back the Cowboys could consider late in the third round and would do well to land if he were to slip into the fourth," postulates ESPN's Steve Muench.

Allen could be a cheap and effective compliment to free-agent RB signing Darren McFadden. "There's room for improvement in terms of his reading lead blockers, but he does a nice job of reading the front five and he has a good feel for cutback lanes," Muench wrote. "There's also a lot to like about his ability to contribute on third down. He shows the ability to pluck the ball out of the air as a pass-catcher, and also shows good instincts when he gets into space. He's also an effective cut blocker in pass protection." The 6-foot-1, 220-pounder, who has drawn comparisons to Tennessee Titans' Bishop Sankey, rushed for 1,489 yards and 11 touchdowns last season, adding 41 receptions for 458 yards and a score. "Allen runs behind his pads and falls forward at the end of runs, but he doesn't have great power for a bigger back, and he doesn't always run angry ... he also has to do a better job of taking care of the football," Muench wrote.

LSU RB Terrence Magee "could turn into [a] Day 3 steal," believes Steve Muench of ESPN.

If the Cowboys pass on running backs until late in the draft, the analyst sees Magee as a realistic fit to pair with Darren McFadden. "He's a patient runner with outstanding vision, and his height will make it tough for linebackers to track him running behind the Cowboys' offensive line," Muench wrote. "He doesn't have overwhelming power, but he runs hard between the tackles and he has the low center of gravity to pick up yards after contact. Finally, he doesn't have big hands or a great deal of experience catching the ball, but he caught the ball well given the opportunity at LSU and did likewise during the East-West Shrine game practices." The 5-foot-9, 217-pound Magee is undersized and not a burner, but he's already shown he can be productive in a complimentary role, doing so at LSU the last few years behind Bengals' 2014 second-round pick Jeremy Hill and true freshman Leonard Fournette, respectively.

 

[ravidubey]

Javorius "Buck" Allen.

Just watched his highlights and... holy shit

Might not he super fast, but the kid is a natural.

 

[Cowboysrock55]

Javorius "Buck" Allen.

Just watched his highlights and... holy shit

Might not he super fast, but the kid is a natural.

Dude looks like the most average back I could imagine. He doesn't really knock people over. He looks kind of slow. You rag on Randle, but this dude is the epitome of taking what the O-line gives him and not an inch more.

 

[ravidubey]

Dude looks like the most average back I could imagine. He doesn't really knock people over. He looks kind of slow. You rag on Randle, but this dude is the epitome of taking what the O-line gives him and not an inch more.

I did say he was not fast, which is what will drive down his draft stock for sure.

Well you did manage to find his second worst game :). I'm not calling him an all-timer or anything just liked his highlight reel. And Randle couldn't do what Allen does at the 1:00 and 3:00 minute marks if he was armed.

I also think Allen is a very natural receiver-- he swivels and catches in one motion and keeps his feet moving upfield without any awkwardness.

 

[Cowboysrock55]

I did say he was not fast, which is what will drive down his draft stock for sure.

Well you did manage to find his second worst game :). I'm not calling him an all-timer or anything just liked his highlight reel. And Randle couldn't do what Allen does at the 1:00 and 3:00 minute marks if he was armed.

I also think Allen is a very natural receiver-- he swivels and catches in one motion and keeps his feet moving upfield without any awkwardness.

I wasn't looking for a specific game. I just looked up some youtube footage and that game came up. I like watching an actual game film because you get the idea of what a player can do in college against a defense that you know. When you watch a highlight tape it can be very deceiving.

For example here is a "highlight reel" of Randle from college. Watch the run he does at the 1:31 mark. Looks pretty crazy awesome.

 

[ravidubey]

I wasn't looking for a specific game. I just looked up some youtube footage and that game came up. I like watching an actual game film because you get the idea of what a player can do in college against a defense that you know. When you watch a highlight tape it can be very deceiving.

For example here is a "highlight reel" of Randle from college. Watch the run he does at the 1:31 mark. Looks pretty crazy awesome.

I remember watching some of these runs after the 2013 draft hoping he could get some of that same blocking. He definitely did in the small doses the coaches gave us.

Highlight reels can be deceiving, but they can also show you cases where a back made a difference by himself by making people miss and breaking tackles when the blocking just wasn't there.