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So the same man that predicted out of left field that the Cowboys would select Tyler Smith in 2022
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is pointing towards one man and one man only when it comes to the Cowboys number 12 overall pick in
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the 2025 NFL draft. Hey what's up everyone it's Mauricio Rodriguez here at ADZ Sports Dallas
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Remember 2022 out of nowhere the Cowboys began being linked to Tyler Smith. Now at the time
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heading into the draft, Tyler Smith was supposed to be a top 50 prospect, but a little bit closer
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to the 50 than towards the first round. And pretty much no one had him as early as the Cowboys picked
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him, which was 24th. Mel Kuyper Jr. from ESPN predicted that. He was on top of the Cowboys
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selecting Tyler Smith since early in the draft process. He started mocking him to Dallas a whole
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lot. And now in 2025, that's what I think about when I see Mel Kuyper mock the same player to the
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Cowboys in three consecutive mocks on Marion Hampton running back from North Carolina I not saying Kuyper Jr is absolutely going to be correct but it is definitely noteworthy especially because on Tuesday
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he mocked Hampton to the Cowboys, even though every wide receiver was available at that moment
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excluding Travis Hunter, who's obviously going to go in the top five picks. But Kuyper Jr. has
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been insistent in Hampton going to the Cowboys and I guess it checks out when you look at it from
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several layers and we'll break them down right here. Number one, the Cowboys need a running back
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That much is obvious. They only have Javante Williams and Miles Sanders as of now in addition
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to Deuce Vaughn but neither of those two veterans has averaged over four yards per carry since three
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years ago which is obviously not great. Now additionally they did hire Brian Schottenheimer
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as head coach. They've talked about implementing a run game. And you just know the Cowboys are looking at what Philadelphia Eagles had
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with Saquon Barkley and what the Baltimore Ravens had with Derrick Henry. And they want some of that
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They absolutely do. So running back should be in play early on However at first it was only Ashton Jinty and the Cowboys being tied together But now that Jinty is expected to go even earlier in the NFL draft Hampton has burst into the scene Now
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this is important as well. It's not only that the Cowboys seem interested in Hampton. According to
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insider Jordan Schultz from Fox, he is going to go very early. Hampton is. And according to him
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The stock is rising. He is perceived by the league as someone who is closer to Gene T's caliber than he is to whoever the running back three of this class turns out to be
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But the league likes Hampton, it seems, and the Cowboys might be a strong example
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By the way, and this is important because here was my whole theory going into this year's draft, was maybe the Cowboys don't value the running back position as much as they did early on
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Why? Because they signed Ezekiel Elliott to a massive extension and then they regretted it, admittedly regretted it
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They talked about this publicly. Then they allowed Tony Pollard to walk in free agency
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And then this year the same with Rico Dowdle who ended up heading to the Carolina Panthers So my theory was well if they allowed those two guys to walk do they want to pay a premium pick for a running back
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The answer might be yes, if we look at their top 30 visits ahead of the draft
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These matter when you're looking at what the Cowboys do in the draft. There's always a link
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With that being said, the Cowboys did host Martin Hampton on a top 30 visit
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Not only that, though, they also hosted Trayvon Henderson from Ohio State
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and Quentin Jodkins from the Buckeyes too. Ashton Jim today didn't host
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but because he was a attendee to the Dallas local pro day
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so they don't have to host him in the top 30 visit. But the interest for running backs
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specifically early round running backs is there. This is to say, even if we don't like it
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Hampton is a very realistic choice for the Cowboys at number 12 overall
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I cannot say that I'm a super fan of it, but I can see the justification for it
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One of the big ones is that there are not a lot of players considered first round talents in this year's class. So Hampton might turn out to be the quote unquote safe pick for the Cowboys. This is a realistic choice. Brace for it. And Mel Kuyper Jr. seems to believe it will happen
