Dallas Cowboys: The case for drafting Duke Johnson

By Stephen Forsha | Apr 21, 2015

Oct 11, 2014; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; Miami Hurricanes running back Duke Johnson (8) runs with the ball in the second half of a game against the Cincinnati Bearcats at Sun Life Stadium. The Hurricanes won 55-34. Mandatory Credit: Robert Mayer-USA TODAY Sports

University of Miami running back Duke Johnson knows he’s going to be drafted by an NFL team once the draft is complete next week, but he’s already said he fits in the offensive scheme of the Dallas Cowboys.

The Cowboys need another running back on their roster to complement recently acquired Darren McFadden via free agency after DeMarco Murray left and signed with the rival Philadelphia Eagles.

A player like Johnson fits the bill so to speak with the Cowboys because the 5-9, 207-pound running back not only had success in at the collegiate level with the Hurricane, but being ranked as the 60th overall prospect in the 2015 NFL Draft by CBS Sports also makes him a valuable selection all the same.

One problem I have when I read about running backs in this draft, Johnson included, is when it is said he lacks the ideal size to be a three-down back in the league.

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I seem to remember a Cowboys running back who wore No. 22 named Emmitt Smith who was 5-9, 216 pounds and became the all-time leading rusher in the history of the NFL with nearly the same build. Plus, Smith ended up being pretty durable during his 15 years with 4,409 carries in the NFL.

Some like to say Smith had a great offensive line, which he did, but look at the current offensive line of the Cowboys and they are starting to resemble the ’90s Cowboys offensive line in their own way as well.

With the argument of Johnson’s height and weight out of the way, it is now time to see just what he could bring to the Cowboys if selected by them in the late first round at 27th overall or possibly sometime in Round 2.

According to NFL.com reporter Mike Huguenin, he quoted Johnson from a recent NFL AM interview on Monday:

"“In college, we ran the same outside zone scheme,” said Johnson, who also said his familiarization with the scheme means “I can run it, basically, in my sleep.”"

Johnson ran a 4.54 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine in February and later at his pro day workout his time was a couple ticks better at 4.51. His vertical jump is 33.5 inches (combine), and he also ran a 20-yard dash time of 2.57 at his pro day, an improvement from the 2.64 time at the combine.

When reading about the former University of Miami running back, what I like best about Johnson is the fact he’s a patient runner who waits for his opportunities to occur.

Rob Rang of CBSSports.com wrote about that patience in his draft profile of Johnson:

"“Patient runner willing to stretch plays and then hit the hole hard. Shows the “greasy knees” to cut and accelerate in one fluid motion, eluding would-be tacklers. Despite small stature, fights hard for every yard and shows a highly competitive nature.”"

Scouting reports like that is just one of the reasons why I believe Johnson could become a great success with the Cowboys, plus his first year or two with the team he wouldn’t have to be a three-down back with McFadden on their roster.

Bob Sturm of the Dallas Morning News also wrote a draft profile on Johnson, where he also likes how Johnson plays the game between the hash marks:

"“He is a smaller player who runs even smaller in terms of staying low and making yourself a tough target to hit. He also is delivering the hits and stiff-arms and fighting to not go to the ground … On the 2nd level, there is so much to like as he gets in space and is hard to track down.”"

McFadden will be the No. 1 running back option on the Cowboys roster once training camp begin, and there is no problem whatsoever with that. McFadden has the ability to play great with the Cowboys. Even with the Oakland Raiders last season, he rushed for 534 yards on 155 carries, and let’s be honest, the Raiders’ offense doesn’t offer a lot when compared to the Cowboys offense from last season.

The former Raiders running back McFadden will carry probably most of the load early on. That would allow Johnson to learn on the job and not have a huge amount of pressure of being the guy selected to replace Murray, a running back who carried the ball for over 1,800 yards and was the NFL Offensive Player of the Year.

Johnson doesn’t need that type of pressure early in his career anyway (especially playing for a team like the Cowboys), and if he were drafted by the Cowboys, that pressure all wouldn’t be on him either with the likes of Tony Romo, Jason Witten and Dez Bryant on the offense.

The Miami running back had a six-week stretch this past season where his rushed for 100-plus yards in six consecutive games, showing his potential dominance on the football field. Here is what that six weeks looked liked:

• 09-27: vs. Duke: 25 carries, 155 yards
• 10-04: at Georgia Tech: 14 carries, 100 yards
• 10-11: vs. Cincinnati: 10 carries, 162 yards
• 10-23: at Virginia Tech: 29 carries, 249 yards
• 11-01: vs. UNC: 19 carries, 177 yards
• 11-15: vs. FSU: 27 carries, 130 yards

For the season, Johnson added one more 100-plus yard rushing performance on Dec. 27 against South Carolina, where he carried the ball 24 times for 132 yards.

In all, the 2014 season saw Johnson total 242 carries for 1,652 yards and 10 touchdowns. His career numbers at The U were 526 carries for 3,519 yards and 26 touchdowns.

Oct 12, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders running back Darren McFadden (20) rushes for a gain against the San Diego Chargers during the fourth quarter at O.co Coliseum. The San Diego Chargers defeated the Oakland Raiders 31-28. Mandatory Credit: Ed Szczepanski-USA TODAY Sports

Another reason the Cowboys should be looking at Johnson is the fact he’s a nice insurance policy for the injury-prone McFadden, who has played an entire season just once in his career, that being last season at 27 years old.

McFadden has played in 13 games two seasons during his NFL career and 10-12 games per season on three occasions. In 2011, McFadden played in just seven games, as his NFL career stats look like this: 1,038 carries for 4,247 yards (4.1 yards or carry).

When he’s on the football field, McFadden can produce, but with his injury history, a player like Johnson, who feels like he can play in the Cowboys offensive scheme right now would be a smart move to make.

Johnson would provide the Cowboys with a player who can not only become a starter in the NFL, but for the ’14 season a player whom they could develop while using him in situations they see fit.

It makes a lot of sense for the Cowboys to draft a player like Johnson in the second round (unless they trade for Adrian Peterson of the Minnesota Vikings). If Johnson is sitting on the board when it is their time to select in Round 2 (and the best running back on the roster is McFadden), the Cowboys would be smart to add a player like Johnson to add to their offensive backfield.

Now we’ll just wait and see if Johnson will become the “Duke of Dallas” in 2015.

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