Dallas Cowboys: Will Ameer Abdullah be the next great RB?

It is no secret whatsoever the Dallas Cowboys are in the market for their next running back.

A running back to follow the 2014 MVP-caliber season of DeMarco Murray, who bolted to the Philadelphia Eagles after his career-best season.

According to David Helman of DallasCowboys.com, one of the running backs who will most likely visit the Cowboys before the 2015 NFL Draft will be Ameer Abdullah.

"“Helman wrote: The most recent of those was Jerry Jones, who concluded his Tuesday evening session with reporters by acknowledging that he expects many of this draft’s top running backs – Todd Gurley, Melvin Gordon, Tevin Coleman, Jay Ajayi and Ameer Abdullah – to visit the team’s Valley Ranch facility in the coming weeks.”"

Abdullah is poised to be a good, solid draft selection out of the University of Nebraska.

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According to Lance Zierlein of NFL.com, Abdullah is a “decisive runner.”

"“Zierlein wrote in the draft profile: Decisive runner with good lower-body drive and a willingness to run behind his pads. Finishes his runs. Has NFL-caliber burst and can hit top speed quickly. Defenses must respect his ability to turn the corner on play-side. Patient runner with plus vision.”"

That last part may be the most important sentence of that paragraph about Abdullah in describing his patience.

With possibly the best, or at least one of the best offensive lines in all of the NFL, Abdullah’s willingness to be patient and let the offensive line do their work is very important to his or any other running backs success on the Cowboys’ roster.

Aug 1, 2014; Canton, OH, USA; Emmitt Smith at the 2014 Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinees gold jacket dinner at Canton Memorial Civic Center. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

The 5-9, 205-pound running back has the same height as Hall of Famer and Dallas Cowboys great Emmitt Smith, who was 5-9, 216 pounds. The reason I bring Smith’s name into this discussion is he was able to run behind one of the greatest offensive lines of all time in the ’90s, an o-line known as “The Great Wall.”

Smith was able to wait, be patient and hide behind his big offensive linemen. With the ability this current offensive line has, maybe Abdullah can just have a quarter of the success Smith had in the NFL with the Cowboys and be considered a productive back in the league.

Abdullah had solid 40-yard dash times on his pro day at 4.54 and 4.53, improvements from his 4.60 40 time at the NFL Combine in February.

One thing with Abdullah and drafting him in the 2015 NFL Draft is this … the Cowboys will either have to shock many folks and draft him with their 27th overall selection (doubtful), or the other option is possibly trade and move up in the second round of the draft and take him.

He could be off the draft board once the Cowboys are on the clock late in Round 2, as CBS Sports has Abdullah as a second round projection, and more than a few teams would like to improve at running back.

Abdullah’s stats while at Nebraska this past season were impressive with 1,611 yards on 264 carries and 19 touchdowns. He averaged 6.1 yards per carry, and his longest run of the season went for 57 yards. Abdullah also had 22 receptions for 269 yards and three touchdowns.

The Nebraska product, for his four-year career, rushed for just over 4,500 yards.

As I’ve said many times this month, the first two selections in this draft for the Cowboys are key to their success this season.

With their picks in the first two or even three rounds, the Cowboys must hit the jackpot and find players who can contribute now, especially at running back with their current top back being free agent signing Darren McFadden.

Is Abdullah the right guy?

Nobody really knows that answer, but I do believe if he is selected by the Cowboys in the 2015 NFL Draft, he could be a very good role player for the Cowboys in a two-running back system with McFadden in ’15, and then the team can evaluate from there.

Abdullah wouldn’t have to carry the entire load his rookie season. He would be able to get his feet wet in the NFL with the two-running back system in the Cowboys’ attempt to find the successor to the NFL Offensive Player of the Year they lost this offseason.

Next: Cowboys: Updated 7 Round Mock Draft

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