It's no secret the Dallas Cowboys will be looking to add at least one running back via the 2015 NFL Draft.
Tony Pauline of Draft Insider is reporting that the Cowboys and GM/owner/James Bond super villain Jerry Jones have, after doing their due diligence on nearly every option set to be available to them later this month, officially set their sights on Melvin Gordon, formerly of Wisconsin.
Pauline reports that the Cowboys are "very high" on Gordon and "are targeting him in round one."
Per Pauline, Jones could even be considering a trade up in order to ensure that Gordon winds up a member of the NFL's Dallas franchise, as other rumors have tied teams like the San Diego Chargers at No. 17 and the Baltimore Ravens at No. 26, to Gordon.
The Cowboys and Jones are currently slated to select at No. 27 in the first-round.
With last season's leading rusher in the NFL, DeMarco Murray, off to the rival Philadelphia Eagles in free agency, the Cowboys have a glaring need in the backfield and have been linked to any number of top ball-carrying prospects in late April's NFL neophyte meat market.
While no running back has gone in the first-round of the last two NFL drafts and the position is considered to have become somewhat "devalued" in recent years, there's no denying the game-changing abilities of a truly impactful running back and Gordon and his top tailback counterpart, Todd Gurley, are both potentially set to be taken in the initial round of the 2015 NFL Draft.
"This is one of those pick-your-flavor deals with Gordon and (Todd) Gurley," NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock told The Philadelphia Daily News recently. "They're the same height. Just a seven-pound weight differential. People are split on them. Gurley, who is coming off an ACL, is more of a home run threat. To me, Gordon is one of the best make-you-miss guys in tight areas I've ever seen. He's got patience, vision. He may not be flashy, but what sold me on this kid was the tough fourth-quarter yards he got against Minnesota with the game on the line. Both of these guys are first-round talents."
Mayock gives the slight edge to the 6-foot-1, 215-pound Gordon as the best back in the draft over Gurley.
"Angular, talented open-field runner who combines outstanding burst with a long stride to gain separation and hit the home run," writes Lance Zierlein of NFL.com. "He won't be able to outrun NFL defenders like he did in college and must develop more feel between the tackles. Gordon shines when his track runs over tackle or around the end and can put a defense to sleep around the corner."
While Gordon, like every NFL prospect, enters the league with questions about his overall game, there's no doubting he has the potential to wind up a key member of the Dallas offense, punishing would-be tacklers for years to come behind the already and still increasingly dominant Cowboys offensive line.
