In spending their first-round draft pick (fourth overall) on Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott, the Cowboys sought a return to the 2014 formula that saw them go 12-4 in the regular season and get within a wacky call of reaching the NFC Championship game.

Run the ball, dominate time of possession, take some of the burden off of quarterback Tony Romo and limit your defense's exposure.

Worked like a charm.

So why does Fox Sports' Chris Chase maintain that the Cowboys blew their 2016 draft?

He takes issue with the "shifting doctrine of the Cowboys," who in recent years had made solid if unspectacular picks in offensive lineman Travis Frederick and Zach Martin and defensive back Byron Jones.

Chase writes: It's yet another example of what the mediocre-to-awful Cowboys of the last 20 years do best: putting star power and skill positions ahead of needs, consequences be damned. Jones went for a position that has more first-round busts and more late-round successes than any other. It's rare the Cowboys are in a position to draft such a big prospect. After taking Elliott, it might not be long before they're in the same spot again. Time and time again it's been proven that you don't need a running back in the first round, particularly when you're drafting as high as the Cowboys were. Consider: Only three rushers in the past 20 years have been drafted higher than Ezekiel Elliott. All were expected to change their offensive complexion of their teams and begin new dynasties. Those three players: Ronnie Brown, Reggie Bush and Trent Richardson. To the rest of the NFL, taking a back at No. 4 would be a fireable offense. For Dallas, it's the key to a door they'll never unlock.

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