The Dallas Cowboys decided to work on their offense in the first round, making a running back the face of their offense once again.
The Dallas Cowboys have finally made their decision, making their point to improve their offense by selecting Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott with the fourth overall pick of the 2016 NFL Draft.
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Elliott will be looked at to be a force and impact player from day one as the Cowboys got the running back they missed from two seasons ago, as they never really replaced DeMarco Murray, who left the team via free agency at the conclusion of the ’14 season.
Last season the Cowboys leading rusher was Darren McFadden who did rush for over 1,000 yards, but had just three touchdowns behind an offensive line that is built to be the best run blocking line in the entire league.
This is where Elliott joins the puzzle, as he comes from already playing behind a great offensive line with the Buckeyes in the Big Ten Conference. In his junior season Elliott, in 13 games, rushed for 1,821 yards, including 6.3 yards per carry on 289 attempts. Elliott totaled 23 touchdowns on the ground, but he also caught 27 passes for 206 yards.
For his entire collegiate career, Elliott, in 35 games, totaled 3,961 yards rushing with 43 touchdowns. He averaged 6.7 yards per carry.
By the way, he can pass block as well, but was this the smartest pick for the Cowboys to make? Elliott is the first running back selected in the first round by the Cowboys since Emmitt Smith in 1990 and we know how well that turned out, so maybe Jerry Jones and Company know what they are doing.
In the NFL.com pre-draft profile, Lance Zierlein wrote the following about Elliott:
"“Elite, three-down running back who has the ability to excel in every facet of the game. Elliott has rare combination of size, athleticism, pass-catching and blocking skills and his competitive nature is always bubbling on the surface. While he’s had to handle a heavy workload over the last two seasons, Elliot should still come out of the gates as one of the most productive young running backs in the league.”"
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.
I’m not completely against this choice, but I still believe the Cowboys had a better option defensively in Florida State defensive back Jalen Ramsey still on the board.
That said, the Cowboys have a player who will score touchdowns with this offensive line and his overall talent, and will be an improvement over the current running backs on the roster in McFadden, Alfred Morris and Lance Dunbar (who is recovering from an ACL tear last season).
This week, Charan Williams of the Star-Telegram quoted Elliott about it “being an honor” playing behind the offensive line of the Cowboys:
"“It would be an honor for any running back to go run behind them,” Elliott said Wednesday from the draft. “I’m sure every running back in this draft is licking their chops for the opportunity to play behind that line.”"
Elliott maybe wasn’t my top choice, but this is a all-in type of selection by the Cowboys that should provide results, and one that must work out to great success. Elliott must become the player and play the role that not just Murray had when he rushed for 1,845 yards in ’14, but be even greater in that he’s going to have to be a big part of the Cowboys breaking their current streak of 20- plus years without a Super Bowl championship.
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Like it or not Elliott has just become the face of the Cowboys offense being such a high selection at fourth overall. With the line built to run block, it will be up to Elliott to make his mark with this franchise, which once is said and done I believe he will be the player the Cowboys expect him to become.