Elliott spent two years in elementary school in Alton before enrolling in prep school in St. Louis. Some view his ceiling as comparable to that of Super Bowl 50 MVP Von Miller, an outside linebacker who has speed to rush the passer but can drop into coverage and impact plays on all three downs.
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“At first, it kind of started as a joke”, Elliott said. This pick cements what the selections of Tyron Smith, Travis Frederick, and Zack Martin have already spoken to; Dallas is trying to get back to what won them Super Bowls in the 1990s.
Dallas Cowboys Director of Player Personnel Stephen Jones, left, and team owner Jerry Jones, right, listen as first-round draft pick Ezekiel Elliott, center, answers questions at a news conference at the NFL football team’s f…
After a breakout sophomore year, Elliott entered 2015 with huge expectations. Darren McFadden had the yards previous year but didn’t have the touchdowns and that’s no fault of his.
Ezekiel Elliott finished his career with Ohio State having rushed for 3961 yards and 43 touchdowns. Gavin Escobar has never broken out (though I believe this had as much to do with the QB merry-go-round past year as anything) and is coming off a major injury.
If you read any of my pre-draft coverage, I was all for the Cowboys going defense in the first two rounds, then concentrating on the offense, including running back, but that’s not going to happen.
Said Jerry Jones: “He brings a dimension for Tony that should make us all sleep better”.
Weaknesses: While Elliott smoothly accelerates to the second level, he doesn’t necessarily show an extra gear to pull away from defenders in the open field, an issue that could be exacerbated in the National Football League against faster defenders.
Whether that leads to the same happy ending is uncertain, but the same can’t be said for Elliott.
Braxton Miller, Freak Athlete Ohio State – Miller isn’t a great route runner. And Elliott’s comments about the lack of carries after the loss to Michigan State?
Elliott, who said was hoping to be picked by Dallas, made clear that he wants to establish a relationship with Smith and Dorsett. “When you have talented runners, you take them where you need to take them”.
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It’s obvious from the graphs, but winning has a much stronger correlation to passing (r-value of 0.66) than to rushing (0.30). I do not think at summer’s end I will start. Elliott is younger, more explosive and hasn’t been hampered by injuries. Elliott has rare combination of size, athleticism, pass-catching and blocking skills and his competitive nature is always bubbling on the surface. Jones’ last first-round running back, Felix Jones (2008), didn’t quite live up to that standard. Stanley was taken sixth overall by the Baltimore Ravens and Fuller was selected 21st by the Houston Texans.
