rewrite this title NFL Draft countdown: Focus on Cowboys’ first-round pick at No. 12

“I think it would be dope, a lot of great people there, a lot of talented players,” Jeanty said when asked what it would mean to be a Cowboy, per the team’s website. 

Jeanty attended Lone Star High School in Frisco, Texas and has even played games at nearby AT&T Stadium.

RB Omarion Hampton | North Carolina

Other analysts like NFL.com’s Eric Edholm don’t believe Jeanty will last until the 12th pick. Most have him going to the Raiders six spots sooner, leaving Hampton available for the Cowboys at pick No. 12.

Hampton put up 3,565 yards and 36 touchdowns in three years at North Carolina and led the ACC with 1,660 yards rushing last season. At 6-foot-1 and 221 pounds, Hampton runs hard and can be tough to bring down. Per Pro Football Focus, his 1,222 yards after contact were second-most in the FBS last season. 

NFL Network’s Lance Zierlein calls Hampton a “high-volume battering ram with a three-ingredient recipe of size, strength and aggression,” saying “he runs like a downhill truck whose brake lines have been cut.” 

Zierlein also compares Hampton to Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson, although Dallas should hope for better results from the former Tar Heel.

RB TreVeyon Henderson | Ohio State

ESPN’s Field Yates thinks the team will actually pass on Hampton in the first round, opting for Arizona wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan instead. In the second round, he thinks they’ll take Henderson, a player he believes “has the open-field speed to make an instant impact on the ground.”

Henderson ran for 1,248 yards as a true freshman but was limited by a foot injury during his sophomore and junior seasons. Finally healthy, he ran for 1,016 yards in 2024 to help the team win its ninth national championship in 2024.

At 5-foot-8 and 208 pounds, Henderson is unlikely to produce the tackle-breaking, downhill runs that Hampton and Jeanty are known for, but he still averaged 7.1 yards per carry last season and had 77 catches for 853 yards and six scores in four years with Ohio State.