Mauricio Rodriguez discusses the strong comments made by Dallas Cowboys HC Brian Schottenheimer, when talking about the pair of running backs that the Cowboys drafted during day 3.
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00:00So, Brian Schottenheimer made a very strong statement when discussing a couple of late-round draft picks made by the Dallas Cowboys
00:07that says a lot about what they're thinking and could have a major impact on offense.
00:16Hey, what's up, everyone? It's Mauricio Rodriguez here at ADZ Sports Dallas.
00:20Today, we're talking the Dallas Cowboys 2025 NFL Draft, but we are zeroing in on a couple of late-round draft picks made by the team.
00:29And I am talking about the running backs, and we'll get into what Schottenheimer had to say about them.
00:35But the Cowboys picked Jaden Blue out of the Texas Longhorns in the fifth round, and then in the seventh, they got Phil Maffa out of Clemson.
00:44Let me start off by saying I love the combination. I like that Jaden Blue has that explosion to his game.
00:51And when I hear Clayton Adams, the new offensive coordinator for the Cowboys, talk about wanting to create explosives in the run game,
00:58Jaden Blue will give them that. And people have argued that in the fifth round, there were better running backs available.
01:05But I think it was one of those situations where the front office was picking between different flavors of running backs.
01:11Do you want the power back? Do you want the balanced guy, the guy that can hang in pass protection in third downs?
01:17In this case, the Cowboys shows speed. They shows explosiveness. It's not a perfect pick because Jaden Blue does not have the size to be a true number one running back.
01:29And I was seeing this Dane Brugler stat from his guide where he pointed out that in 38 games of Jaden Blue's career, he only had over 18 touches once.
01:39So, yes, Blue will be a part of a committee and a very important part of it because of those big gains.
01:44But don't expect him to be the guy that gets 20 plus carries per game.
01:49Here's the good news, though. The Cowboys also got Phil Maffa, who is a very different type of running back.
01:55And I'm a Clemson fan, so I've watched this guy carefully. He is a bruiser.
02:00I would compare him to a truck just running over people over and over again.
02:04And I honestly believe if it wasn't for a shoulder injury that he suffered throughout the 2024 season that really impacted his play,
02:12he might have been a four-round draft pick or something like that.
02:15I'm very surprised that Maffa went until the seventh round.
02:18And I truly think that the reason why was the fact that he had been dealing with a shoulder injury,
02:24which at the same time really speaks volumes about his personality and the fact that he will be a true football guy for Dallas.
02:31But here's the important part of this.
02:33Yes, Phil Maffa can play and he can be a bruiser.
02:36He doesn't have that breakaway speed, and that's his biggest issue.
02:39Plus, he isn't very good at being a pass catcher, really.
02:43And what I mean by that is they could very well be at the top of the depth chart when the season starts.
02:49And I'm not saying that just because I like them as a prospect.
02:52But Brian Schottenheimer made a very strong statement about them when talking about the running backs in the post-draft press conference.
02:59Schottenheimer was asked if they could start, and his response was pretty simple.
03:03I would hope so.
03:04Otherwise, we wouldn't have drafted them.
03:08Now, you could say that's just coach speak.
03:09But I'm telling you this.
03:11If they had asked him about Jay Toya, Tommy Akinvisode, a couple of late-round draft picks by the Cowboys,
03:17or even Shamar James, the linebacker that they drafted a few picks after Jaden Blue,
03:21I don't think Schottenheimer says they could start.
03:23I think he's talking specifically about the running backs and the fact that he truly believes a couple of late-round draft picks could be the team's leaders at the position week one.
03:33And if it's not week one, maybe it's a little bit later in the season.
03:36But what I'm saying is Jaden Blue and Phil Maffa are a viable day one running back one-two combo.
03:43Is it perfect?
03:44No, it isn't.
03:44And Jaden Blue has some fumble issues.
03:46Phil Maffa doesn't have that top-tier speed, but they could complement each other well enough to the point where the Cowboys are comfortable with them spearheading the committee.
03:55And more specifically, maybe they're more comfortable than Miles Sanders and Deuce Vaughn being involved.
04:01Personally, in my 53-man roster projection, which is out already on adzsports.com, and I'll share the link with you in the description,
04:08I have Miles Sanders and Deuce Vaughn cut while Javante Williams, Jaden Blue, and Phil Maffa make it alongside fullback Hunter Lipke.
04:17At the very least, we're getting a heck of a battle.
04:20And as Schottenheimer said, and I quote,
04:22Again, I would think that both Javante and Miles will not be intimidated by these two guys.
04:27I think Jaden and Phil will both come in, and they've got a big learning curve.
04:30But they're the right type of guys who will pick the system up fast.
04:34We'll see if it's fast enough for them to start early on in their careers.