Tag: 30 visit

Fowler: Cowboys, Ezekiel Elliott open to reunion, popular Texas RB also set for visit

From @ToddBrock24f7: There’s mutual interest in bringing Zeke back to Dallas, even as Texas RB Jonathon Brooks is scheduled for a 30 visit with the club.

There is reportedly mutual interest between the Cowboys and Ezekiel Elliott in bringing the three-time Pro Bowl running back to Dallas for the 2024 season.

ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler cited sources in a Saturday report, adding that while a deal has not been reached, both sides are apparently open to the idea.

The 28-year-old two-time rushing champ played in all 17 games of New England’s regular season last year, his first and only away from the Cowboys. And while his rushing attempts, rushing yards, touchdowns, and yards-per-carry average were all career lows, it’s thought that his 6-foot, 226-pound body can still deliver punishment out of the backfield and in pass blocking, components that were largely missing in 2023 with Tony Pollard shouldering the load in Dallas.

Over seven seasons with the Cowboys, Elliott racked up over 8,200 rushing yards and scored 68 touchdowns on the ground. His familiarity with the Dallas offense and his chemistry with teammates and coaches would be a huge plus in a season where the Cowboys must come out of the gates hot and stay comfortably in playoff contention wire to wire.

Whether the fanbase were to view an Elliott return as a step in the right direction after a frustratingly quiet offseason or just another reason to write the team off and look to a 2025 reset is up for debate.

But the Cowboys are at least interested in younger options at the running back position, too.

Texas prospect Jonathon Brooks is among the top running backs who will be available in the upcoming draft, and he already has a 30-visit scheduled with the Cowboys.

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Brooks didn’t work out at the combine or the school’s pro day, as he is still rehabbing a November ACL tear that prematurely ended his only season as the Longhorns’ starter. But in 11 games, he gained over 1,100 yards, scored 10 touchdowns, and showed enough size, speed, strength, and agility to perhaps make the redshirt sophomore an intriguing roll of the dice.

Additionally, Brooks’s surgery was performed by Dr. Dan Cooper, the Cowboys’ head physician, perhaps giving the team an inside track on his progress. And Brooks himself claims he’s on track to be cleared in time for training camp this summer.

The native of Hallettsville, Tex. is considered an explosive runner with good quickness, but perhaps not home-run speed. Weighing just 207 pounds, he may not be as much of a bruiser as Elliott was in his prime (or even is now), but he could prove to be effective as part of the right backfield committee.

Maybe even one in Dallas that also includes Ezekiel Elliott.

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Report: Ohio State WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba scheduled to visit Cowboys

Several teams have apparently graded the Dallas native the only WR worthy of a first-round pick; the Cowboys are doing their due diligence. | From @ToddBrock24f7

The Cowboys added to their pass-catching arsenal by trading for Texans wide receiver Brandin Cooks in March. But that doesn’t mean they now consider themselves all stocked up at the position.

In fact, they’re said to be hosting the prospect many are calling the best wide receiver in this year’s draft class, perhaps with an eye toward using their first-round pick on him later this month.

Dallas will reportedly use one of their official 30 visits to host Ohio State’s Jaxon Smith-Njigba, according to NFL insider Ian Rapoport.

The 21-year-old Dallas native is considered one of the top wide receivers available, usually alongside USC’s Jordan Addison, Tennessee’s Jalin Hyatt, and Boston College’s Zay Flowers in most scouting reports. But former NFL scout and Reese’s Senior Bowl executive director Jim Nagy tweeted on Monday that “numerous teams” have Smith-Njigba ranked as the only wide receiver truly worthy of a first-round grade in 2023.

That fact alone might make the college junior a long shot for the Cowboys, who pick 26th overall. But his record-breaking career with the Buckeyes and sensational combine performance absolutely make him worth spending an official visit on.

Stellar players do sometimes fall unexpectedly on draft day: that is, after all, how the Cowboys ended up with CeeDee Lamb. That was such an unforeseen curveball that the Dallas staff hadn’t even done a pre-draft interview with Lamb when they turned in his card in 2020.

They apparently won’t be caught similarly off-guard with Smith-Njigba.

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Houston DT Logan Hall had pre-draft visit with Cowboys

The Cougars’ explosive lineman was nearly unblockable at the Senior Bowl; he likely represents the last of the Cowboys’ official visitors. | From @ToddBrock24f7

The Cowboys appear to have completed their pre-draft dance card.

With each NFL team allotted just 30 official visits with college prospects, each invite is potentially a big deal. Not every player who comes in for an official meeting is selected, obviously, but the visits often provide a glimpse into what direction the front office may be leaning as they prepare their big boards for draft night.

The Draft Network is reporting on Tuesday that Dallas met recently with University of Houston defensive tackle Logan Hall.

Hall likely represents the last of the Cowboys’ 30 pre-draft visitors, but the list is, of course, unofficial, at least to those outside the building. Often, a player who comes in for a private workout is mistakenly reported to be an official visitor on the list. Each team also welcomes in a host of local prospects each year at a separate evaluation; those players do not count as “official 30” visits. For fans following along at home, the numbers may not always match.

Hall is a 6-foot-6-inch talent thought by most to be a second-round consideration, but he could sneak into the back end of the first night of picks. The Draft Network has this to say about him:

“Houston plays him all across the defensive line, giving him plenty of chances to play on the edge and interior as both a run defender and pass rusher. Hall features a long, stocky, and well-proportioned frame that is engineered to play defensive line in the NFL. He is an explosive athlete that plays with a motor that is always fully cranked. He does well to stay leveraged and compete hard from snap to whistle. The growth he demonstrated in 2021 with his hand technique is notable and he’s slippery working through the edges of blocks. He’s developed counters and refined his overall pass-rush plan. As a run defender, Hall shines when he gets opportunities to shoot gaps but is also fully capable of fighting pressure with pressure and remaining stout at the point of attack.”

Hall, who turns 22 later this week, didn’t compile huge stats with the Cougars, but he put up very high scores in his combine drills. If selected by Dallas, he could compete immediately with current Cowboys interior linemen Neville Gallimore, Osa Odighizuwa, and Quinton Bohanna for playing time.

Cowboys Wire profiled Hall earlier in the month.

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