In a recent interview with the Pivot Podcast, hosted by former NFL stars Ryan Clark, Channing Crowder and Fred Taylor, Los Angeles Rams Cornerback Jalen Ramsey said the Dallas Cowboys were promising him that he was going to be their choice at Pick 4 in the 2016 NFL Draft.
Jalen Ramsey says the #Cowboys told him they would draft him at #4 in the 2016 NFL draft if he was still there
He was, but they opted to draft RB Ezekiel Elliott instead pic.twitter.com/EPnCf8Wnfv
— JPAFootball (@jasrifootball) March 30, 2022
Ramsey, who grew up a Cowboys fan, said he was excited when heard the news, but was also hoping to be the first defensive player taken off the board, so he didn't mind if the then-San Diego Chargers selected him over Dallas.
As the first round started, the Los Angeles Rams and Philadelphia Eagles both took Quarterbacks, and Ramsey figured his name was being called next. While the Chargers selected Ohio State Defensive End Joey Bosa, Ramsey was a little upset since he wasn't the first defender off of the board but was excited to be heading to his favorite team.
(Well, he thought he was.)
Once Ramsey realized that the Cowboys were going against their word and taking Ohio State Running Back Ezekiel Elliott over him, he said felt betrayed by the franchise, but it put a huge chip on his shoulder to work twice as hard to make them regret passing on him.
To imagine what life could have been like if the franchise would have gone with their original choice, I decided to do a piece over the “what-if” scenario, so check it out below.
“Jalen Ramsey could've given the franchise a true, lockdown corner that they haven't had in years.”
Now I get that I can't go back in time and change the franchise's pick to select Ramsey, but man I wish the classic movie “Back to the Future” was real so I could make things right. Going into the 2016 NFL Draft, there was no debate that Elliott was one of the top RBs coming out of college, and given the franchise needed an upgrade at running back–it felt like a no-brainer to select Zeke.
(I mean c'mon, he had an All-Pro rookie season off the bat and still ranks among the top running backs in the league. Well, maybe not so high anymore, but still garners the respect of his peers.)
However, if you look at the defensive back room for the Cowboys heading into that year's draft, you had Brandon Carr and Morris Claiborne, who were decent starters, but Ramsey would have given a huge boost to your defensive back room.
Since entering the league, Ramsey has been named to five consecutive Pro Bowls, has been a First-Team All-Pro player in three of his last five seasons, and also has a recent Super Bowl trophy on his resume.
While Elliott has been an impactful playmaker for the club over the years with two All-Pro selections and two rushing titles to show, it's evident that he has started to decline a bit. Additionally, with the trend of top RBs getting paid and them underproducing after they got their money, Elliott has unfortunately been a part of that club.
Yes, the Cowboys would have missed out on getting a once-touted “generational back” by analysts, but there was another All-Pro RB they have got in the 2nd Round of the NFL Draft, and that's Mr. Derrick Henry. The thought of them potentially having arguably the Top Corner and Running Back combo in the league blows my mind, but we can only forever live on “what-ifs”.
