Former Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott has turned into one of the best running backs in the NFL. He is the heart and soul of a Dallas Cowboys’ attack that tries to establish the run and then take advantage of open plays down the field off of it.
But just how good is Elliott? He’s already led the NFL in rushing two out of his four years in the league, so is he the best? There are others that can lay claim to that mythical title, but ESPN did its best to sort it all out.
The worldwide leader in sports programming is going through a ranking of the ten best players at each position in the NFL, and when it comes to running backs (subscription required), it’s staff writer Jeremy Fowler thinks very highly of the former Buckeye star. But where did he ultimately rank him and why?
Next … Where ESPN ranks Elliott, and what it says
No. 3 – Ezekiel Elliott, Dallas Cowboys
What Fowler says
“Elliott garnered several first-place votes for being maybe the best pure rusher in the lot. From his downhill running to acceleration, some would prefer to build a team around him more than anyone else.”
“‘Probably the best natural traits — speed, power, balance,'” said one NFL personnel evaluator.”
“Elliott’s body of work — including 5,405 rushing yards and 40 rushing touchdowns since entering the league in 2016 — has earned him elite pay. He signed a six-year, $90 million extension last September.”
“But in holding out through training camp to secure that deal, Elliott appeared to lose some of his explosion and conditioning last year, several evaluators noted. Elliott produced four runs of 20-plus yards in 301 attempts (one per 75.25 attempts), by far the worst among the top five, and a surprising rate behind a premium offensive line.”
“‘Very few breakout runs, doesn’t look as strong anymore,'” said one NFL offensive coach who voted him outside of the top 10. “‘Feels like he’s about 60 to 70% of what he was.'”
“His receiving production was down 26%, from 579 to 420 yards year-over-year. One coordinator said Elliott is serviceable as a pass-catcher, but doesn’t often cross people up in the open field.”
“None of those factors deterred from the bottom line: That Elliott was awfully close to earning a first- or second-place spot here. And there’s no holdout to worry about now. Elliott will be fresh for training camp, prepared to capitalize on prime years left.”
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