05-05-2025
Cowboys Build Perfect 'Thunder and Lightning' Backfield With Blue and Mafah
When you study Jaydon Blue and Phil Mafah, the Dallas Cowboys' 2025 draft picks at running back, one thing becomes very clear: there's dynamic ability in the backfield again.
Let's start with Blue.
The electric Texas product was clocked at a blistering 22.3 MPH in college — putting him in rare company with NFL burners like KaVontae Turpin and Raheem Mostert as the only ball carriers to reach that speed last year, per NextGenStats.
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His 10.7 second 100-meter dash in high school further backs up what you see on film: effortless acceleration, home-run threat ability, and natural hands that make him as dangerous from the slot as he is from the backfield.
In fact, no running back lined up in the slot more often in 2024 than Blue.
Yes, the fumble issue at Texas needs to be cleaned up. But that's the easy part. What you can't teach is the type of game-breaking speed that forces defenses to account for you every single snap.
Now, the Thunder to Blue's Lightning: Phil Mafah.
He might not have the lateral wiggle of some of the other backs we discussed in this range — but when Mafah hits people, they feel it.
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At 6'1", 230 pounds, he's a north-and-south punisher with surprising juice despite battling through injury most of last season. His tape at Clemson shows contact balance, tackle-breaking power, and an angry running style that screams Power Football — which perfectly aligns with the Cowboys' transition back toward a more physical ground game.
Mafah's frame and skillset closely resemble that of James Conner, a player new offensive line coach Klayton Adams knows extremely well. Tight-hipped? Sure. But he's reliable, physical, and built for bad-weather games and December football.
And don't just take it from us — when asked about both backs having a chance to start, Brian Schottenheimer answered bluntly:
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"I would hope so — otherwise we wouldn't have drafted them."
Can this mirror was Detroit does with Jahmyr Gibbs and David Montgomery?
Is it "MartyBall,'' like Schottenheimer's dad had back in the day in Cleveland with Earnest Byner and Kevin Mack?
Anything near that will do.
The Cowboys didn't just throw darts. They built a backfield with complementary skillsets. Blue's elite speed and space ability. Mafah's bulldozer physicality and short-yardage toughness.
It's "Thunder and Lightning" on a rookie contract — and it's exactly what Schottenheimer's new offense needs.
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Related: Cowboys Reveal Their 'NFL Draft Puzzle' And Most-Valued Trait
