Cowboys Trade Proposal Lands ‘Home-Run Threat’ RB

Dallas — The Dallas Cowboys could be on the verge of a blockbuster draft-day move that would shake up the first round and potentially re-shape their offense. According to a new projection from Pro Football Focus analyst Jordan Plocher, the Cowboys are poised to leap from picks 12 and 20 all the way to No. 3, where they would select Notre Dame running back Jeremiyah Love.

Arizona currently holds the third overall selection, and Plocher’s scenario has Dallas packaging both of its opening-round choices to secure the jump. The rationale? Owner Jerry Jones has never shied away from headline-grabbing decisions, and Love’s explosive profile fits the star-powered ethos Jones has long embraced.

“Jerry Jones cares a lot about branding and putting on a show,” Plocher wrote, noting that the franchise spent the No. 4 pick in 2016 on Ohio State’s Ezekiel Elliott. Love, who piled up 726 breakaway rushing yards and 18 rushing touchdowns while posting a 93.7 PFF rushing grade in 2025, is labeled by Plocher as “the best player in the draft class.”

The Fighting Irish standout finished his collegiate career with 2,882 rushing yards and 36 touchdowns on the ground, adding 594 receiving yards and six more scores through the air across 41 games. Love’s blend of speed and power helped propel Notre Dame to the 2024 College Football Playoff national championship game.

While Dallas already features Javonte Williams—who logged 1,201 yards and 11 touchdowns on 252 carries last season—Plocher argues that pairing Love with quarterback Dak Prescott and receivers CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens would create “a lethal offense with a terrifying set of offensive skill players.” The analyst concedes that many Cowboys fans would prefer the team address defensive needs with its two first-rounders, yet he insists the trade-up scenario “isn’t out of the realm of possibilities.”

Whether the front office ultimately opts for flash or fortification, the mere suggestion of adding a home-run threat like Love guarantees the Cowboys will remain at the center of draft-night intrigue.