(Editor's Note: As part of the preparation for training camp, this series will introduce 25 players who are new to the Cowboys' roster, rookies and veterans alike. We continue with Nathaniel Peat.)
How He Got Here: Peat is a product of spending his final two seasons in the SEC, prepping for the next level, after transferring to Missouri following three seasons at Stanford. His two seasons in Mizzou yielded 176 carries for 755 rushing yards and five touchdowns along with 147 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns on 16 receptions in a total of 24 games played — also putting his ability to return kicks on display as well.
At Stanford, he was a two-time winner of the Phil Moffat Award, granted to the team's most outstanding special teams player in any given season. That goes to his ability to provide value to the Cowboys in multiple ways, and that's why he found himself receiving a call from several teams as an undrafted free agent before opting to join the Cowboys.
What's Next: Needing to find a way to make waves in Oxnard, Peat enters a room of running backs that varies between seasoned and proven veterans like Ezekiel Elliott to inexperienced players with strong potential, and his speed will be key in helping to separate him from the pack early on. The same will be true of his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield and to take special teams reps when called upon, though few of those will be as a returner.
There are far too many bodies on the RBs depth chart to consider not literally halving the count at the end of August, so Peat needs to standout from Day 1, and every day thereafter, and his skill set gives him a more than solid chance at doing exactly that.
Did You Know: Peat was named All-State on three different occasions in track and is a former Missouri Class 5 state champion (2018) in the 100-meter dash — along with being First-Team All-State as a running back who set single-season HS records in rushing yards (2,529) and touchdowns (24).
Quotable: "I don't think I'd rather be in any other place. It's a great place. I can learn from a lot of great people and a lot of great coaches. And so, this is the mecca for football. I wanna be here." - Nathaniel Peat
