(Editor's Note: With less than one month until the start of the 2017 NFL Draft on April 27, the staff of DallasCowboys.com intends to preview the landscape of possible Cowboys draft picks – from the first round to the last. Today's featured player is San Diego State's Donnel Pumphrey.)
Name: Donnel Pumphrey
Position: Running Back
College: San Diego State
Height/Weight: 5-8/176
Honors: Pumphrey made first-team All-Mountain West Conference his final three years at San Diego State and won the conference's Offensive Player of the Year Award as a junior and senior.
Key Stat: Pumphrey averaged exactly 6 yards per carry in 53 career games (41 starts) at San Diego State, and his 6,405 rushing yards broke Hall-of-Famer Marshall Faulk's school career record.
Where He's Projected:Most draft observers predict Pumphrey will be a mid-round pick drafted sometime on Day 3.
How He Helps The Cowboys:For the second straight year, running back is one of the Cowboys' deepest roster spots. Ezekiel Elliott has two former 1,000-yard rushers, Darren McFadden and Alfred Morris, behind him on the depth chart. Pumphrey would fit any team as a versatile change-of-pace back in the mold of Lance Dunbar, who filled that role in Dallas for five seasons before signing a free-agent deal with the L.A. Rams in March. Pumphrey logged more than 1,000 carries in four years at San Diego State, but he was also caught 100 passes with 5 touchdowns.[embeddedad0]
Scout's Take:Extremely tough for his size. Takes a pounding and bounces back. Very competitive. Outstanding playing speed and quickness. One of the best bursts in the draft. Acceleration to and through the hole. Can make things happen with the ball in his hands. Electric in the way he plays. Brings juice to the game. Home run hitter in every sense of the word. Outstanding lateral agility and body control. Loose in the hips. Stop-start ability. Can start on one side of the formation and end up all the way across the field. Creative to make the first man miss. Has defenders grabbing at air. Vision to see the holes and make the cuts. Height limits him as a pass blocker but not afraid. Is a weapon out of the backfield or in the slot as a receiver. Natural, soft hands. Catches easily. Dynamic in the open field when he catches the ball. For his size, remained healthy throughout his career. No major problems. Elite college production: 6,405 rushing yards and 67 touchdowns. Will have to train him as a punt returner but appeared comfortable at the Senior Bowl working on it. Natural hands.
-Bryan Broaddus
