3 NFL Draft landing spots for Texas RB Jonathon Brooks
The prospect who is considered by many to be the top running back on the big board (including Pro Football Focus) for the 2024 NFL Draft is the former junior Texas football standout Jonathon Brooks. The 6-foot and 205-pound Brooks has the size, physicality, and versatility to be a standout back in the NFL for a long career.
Texas football RB Jonathon Brooks could easily be an early Day 2 selection in the 2024 NFL Draft
In his first year as Texas's starting running back in 2023, Brooks rushed for over 1,000 yards and double-digit touchdowns. He was one of the Big 12's top running backs in a conference that featured the Doak Walker Award winner, Oklahoma State's Ollie Gordon II.
Brooks was well on his way to challenging for a spot as a finalist for the Doak Walker Award had he not suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 10 of the 2023 season against TCU. Before suffering that injury, Brooks was one of the top-graded running backs in the Power Five and boasted eight consecutive games with over 125 total yards from scrimmage.
It goes to show how valuable Brooks' skill set is as a modern running back in the NFL that he hasn't gotten to work out during the draft scouting process due to the knee injury he suffered last fall and he's still projected as the top rusher in this class.
Here are three viable destinations for Brooks in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Dallas Cowboys
It is a top priority this offseason for the Dallas Cowboys and head coach Mike McCarthy to find their next starting running back either via free agency or the NFL Draft. The Cowboys let back-to-back 1,000-yard rusher and their starter last season, Tony Pollard, walk in free agency after he registered a career-low four yards per carry in 2023.
The Cowboys have let its starting running back go in free agency in each of the last two offseasons, after former Ohio State star Ezekiel Elliott was released following the conclusion of the 2022 season.
While it certainly is a risky proposition for the Cowboys to rely on a back that is recovering from a torn ACL to be the answer as the starting running back, Brooks has all the tools to succeed in Dallas over the long haul.
Brooks' combination of size and speed, combined with his ability to catch balls out of the backfield and gash defenses running between the tackles, would be a valuable addition to a Cowboys' offense that lacked that try dynamic threat at times last season.