The looming 2016 NFL Draft presents an intriguing opportunity for the Dallas Cowboys. With the Los Angeles Rams and Philadelphia Eagles trading up to the No. 1 and No. 2 spots, respectively, and all but assured to select quarterbacks, either Jared Goff and Carson Wentz, or Carson Wentz and Jared Goff, the Cowboys need only wait through one team, the San Diego Chargers, before landing the second best position player in the entire draft process.
But what player do they have rated highest?
It's probably Florida State's all-purpose athletic marvel Jalen Ramsey. It's been reported before that that's the case, and it's unlikely to have changed following Ramsey's outstanding pro day display. However, if the Chargers, sitting at No. 3, snag Ramsey, where then do the Cowboys turn?
Well, according to a Friday report, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones knows what he'd do - he'd fulfill his personal "wish" of taking Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott.
Considering that the Cowboys failed to fill DeMarco Murray's oversized shoes last season - though yes, Darren McFadden played relatively well at times - it makes sense that the notoriously flashy Jones would want to pick up a guy in Elliott, who could fill those shoes and then some.
Elliott is, without question, the best ballcarrier in the 2016 NFL Draft. He's versatile, well-rounded and pass blocks as well as he runs over defenders.
In short, he's everything that an NFL team would want out of a running back - a younger, more athletic version of Murray.
But it won't just be Elliott's ability that decides if he lands with the Cowboys at No. 4. There's value to consider - the shelf life of NFL running backs is short and plenty of teams, the Cowboys included (though last season's frustrations may well have changed their tune), seem to think that they can find effective production later in the draft or on the cheap in free agency.
There's also opportunity cost to consider - if the Cowboys take Elliott, they're passing on the opportunity to take, say, Elliott's Ohio State teammate, Joey Bosa.
With Greg Hardy (hopefully) off to the land of misfit former NFLers, Randy Gregory suspended and DeMarcus Lawrence staring down the barrel of his own substance abuse ban, the Cowboys, already thin at defensive end and desperately in need of pass rush, are suddenly woefully bereft of talent on the edges of their defensive line.
Bosa, though he may not be an explosive athlete, already has an NFL body and professional technical skills. He's the kind of rare player who, though his overall ceiling my not be as high as some would hope, could come in immediately and produce.
It was only two years ago that Stephen Jones reportedly talked dear old dad out of taking Johnny Manziel with the Cowboys' first-round pick, choosing instead to tab steady, capable Notre Dame center Zack Martin over the flashy Mr. Football.
Through two professional seasons, the younger Jones has been proven right, time and again.
However, will shrewder heads prevail on draft night this time around? And really, which one of the two options - a stud running back and a potentially elite pass rusher - better fits the Cowboys' immediate and long-term needs?
