Cowboys Draft: Immediate Reaction to #4 Pick Ezekiel Elliott
By Reid Hanson
The Dallas Cowboys, using their highest pick in decades, drafted from the position they abandoned in 2015. Welcome to Dallas, Ezekiel Elliott
The waiting is finally over. After days, weeks, and months smokescreens and speculation, the Dallas Cowboys finally made their first pick of the 2016 NFL Draft, selecting Ohio State running back, Ezekiel Elliott.
Elliott, regarded by virtually everyone as the top RB in the 2016 NFL Draft, and possibly the best since Adrian Peterson, joins a Cowboys roster starved for a playmaker at the RB position. One year removed from the best record in the NFL, the 12-4 Dallas Cowboys plummeted to 4-12 in 2015.
Ezekiel Elliott earned a 7.09 grade from NFL.com’s player profiles. The 7.09 score predicts NFL success and places Zeke almost one full point ahead of last draft’s top RB, Todd Gurley. “The best RB since Adrian Peterson” won’t have many excuses in the NFL. The Dallas Cowboys boast the NFL’s best run blocking offensive line and run a scheme that fits Elliott’s style of running perfectly.
Said NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein:
"“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.”"
“Elite” is clearly something the Dallas Cowboys are banking on. The fourth overall pick is traditionally high for a team to pick a RB. In recent years, the RB position has been devalued across the NFL. The Cowboys seemed to be one of those teams that devalued the position when they allowed 2014 NFL rushing leader, DeMarco Murray, depart uncontested in free agency last season.
Without DeMarco Murray, the dynamic running game from 2014 was a shell of itself in 2015. The Cowboys addressed the RB position early in the offseason, adding zone runner, Alfred Morris to a stable that features Darren McFadden and Lance Dunbar.
Now with Ezekiel Elliott in the fold, the Dallas Cowboys appear to be stocked at RB better than ever before. The only question is, will it return them to glory?
More from Cowboys Draft
- Dallas Cowboys 2019 Draft: Re-grading the picks 4 year later
- Dallas Cowboys: Re-grading the 2018 draft class (round by round)
- Re-grading the Dallas Cowboys 2016 draft, seven years later
- Dallas Cowboys 2023 UDFA profiles – Who are these guys?
- Dallas Cowboys 2023 draft grades: The science of the grades, pick by pick
The Dallas Cowboys obviously thing so.
The Cowboys have needs aplenty on defense, but the Cowboys are expecting a strong running game will help disguise those “needs” in the same way it did in 2014. With a dominant running game, the Dallas Cowboys can control the clock, keep the defense off the field, and score points at will.
Together with Dez Bryant on the outside and Jason Witten and Cole Beasley spotting up in the middle, the Dallas Cowboys look to once again have the most balanced offense in the NFL.
This is “win now” time in Dallas. The window is closing on Tony Romo, and if the Cowboys want to win with #9 at the helm, they wouldn’t have time to rebuild the defense. Zeke and this explosive offense can cover those holes on defense.
Next: Cowboys: The Case FOR Ezekiel Elliott
Time will tell whether Ezekiel Elliott is the player they hope him to be. Time will tell if Ezekiel Elliott can disguise the many weaknesses of the 2016 Dallas Cowboys. Time will tell if Ezekiel Elliott is just another good RB or a transcendent superstar. But for a team that needed to “win now”, Ezekiel Elliott was the only pick to make.