Ezekiel Elliott is hoping to be this year’s Todd Gurley — the exception to the new rule on drafting running backs.
Taken 10th overall by the Rams last spring, Gurley was the first runner chosen in the opening round since 2012, as NFL teams increasingly soured on the position in what has become a passing league.
But when you combine Elliott’s skills with Gurley’s accomplishments (he came back from a serious knee injury to run away with the NFL’s Offensive Rookie of the Year award), it won’t be a surprise if the Ohio State product hears his name called on opening night of the NFL Draft, just like Gurley did.
“Ezekiel Elliott will go in the first round, but after that, I don’t think anybody will,” NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock said. “In today’s NFL, running back has been devalued.
“I can’t tell you how many coaches and GMs have said, ‘We don’t even worry about running backs. We can get one of those guys in the fourth or fifth round,’ ” Mayock added. “That’s where it’s gone with the running back position.”
At first glance, Elliott wouldn’t seem to have such a big edge on Alabama’s highly decorated Derrick Henry as the highest-rated back among scouts in the April 28-30 draft in Chicago.
Henry, after all, swept all the major awards last season — including the Heisman — while leading the nation in rushing yards (2,219) and rushing touchdowns (28) and carrying the Crimson Tide to yet another national title.
But Henry is projected as a likely second-round pick because he runs too upright, lacks lateral quickness and endured the type of punishing workload last season (a combined 406 carries and receptions) all too typical of Nick Saban’s grind-’em-up coaching style.
The 6-foot, 225-pound Elliott, on the other hand, is considered a complete back blessed with a rare combination of size, speed, athletic skills, pass-catching ability and a willingness to block, which comes from starting his football career as a fullback.
There aren’t many three-down backs left in the NFL, which has been taken over by the backfield-by-committee concept, but Elliott looks like he could fit the bill.
“I think I’m a guy who’s going to work and work hard from Day 1, and I think I’m a guy who brings a lot of versatility to the position,” Elliott said at the scouting combine in February. “I’m a guy who can play all three downs, and I excel in all areas of the game.”
That isn’t just Elliott being cocky. He has the numbers to back it up, rushing for 3,961 yards and 43 TDs while averaging an eye-popping 6.7 yards per carry in two years as a starter for the Buckeyes.
Elliott loves to run between the tackles and dish out punishment to would-be tacklers, yet wows scouts with his afterburner speed — he ran a 4.47-second 40 at the combine — when he gets into the open field.
“Ezekiel Elliott is just about as fast sideways as he is forward,” Mayock said. “He’s got great speed, and his lateral [movement], jump cuts, acceleration, burst, lower body toughness — all those things add up to me first round.”
It’s not all raves about Elliott, though, especially after he openly criticized Ohio State’s coaches for getting him just 15 carries in a home loss to Michigan State that cost the Buckeyes the chance to defend their title. Elliott also picked that spot to declare for the draft.
One scout told the Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel that Elliott’s actions that day will hurt him in the eyes of a lot of NFL teams.
“Is he a selfish player?” the scout said, according to the paper. “Is it all about him? He’s going to have to answer a lot of questions.”
Elliott quickly apologized, and he said he has spent the offseason trying to make amends with NFL teams.
“I told them I’ve grown up a lot since then,” Elliott said at the combine “That was a great learning moment for me. I was emotional, but I think what teams want is a competitor, and that’s what I am and that’s where it all came from.”
What Giants might do: RB/WR/TE
The Giants are well-stocked with running backs — Rashad Jennings, Shane Vereen, Andre Williams and Orleans Darkwa remain on the roster. It is a workmanlike group without a game-breaker. There is a chance Ohio State’s Ezekiel Elliott will be on the board at No. 10, and that would create quite an interesting situation. Elliott is one of the best running back prospects to enter the NFL in decades, a legitimate three-down player and just imagine adding him as a ground threat along with Odell Beckham Jr. through the air as big-play weapons for Eli Manning. More likely, the Giants could go for a running back on the third day of the draft.
There unquestionably is a need for a young receiver — after Beckham, the position is meager, at best. No one knows which version of Victor Cruz will show up, but the coaching staff and front office realizes they cannot count on vintage Cruz. It would be shocking if the Giants went for a receiver in the first round, as there is not one on the board worthy of a top-10 pick. In the second round, though, the Giants could be dialed into Will Fuller (Notre Dame), Tyler Boyd (Pitt), Pharoh Cooper (South Carolina) or, perhaps in the third round, Braxton Miller (Ohio State).
Tight end is an unlikely spot for the Giants to focus on in the draft. They have youngsters Will Tye and Larry Donnell and could add a veteran down the line.
— Paul Schwartz
What Jets might do: RB/WR/TE
In what would have been a shocking statement a few years ago, the Jets are set at wide receiver. With Brandon Marshall and Eric Decker, the team has two stars. Quincy Enunwa also developed for them last year and if Devin Smith can get healthy, they have hope he could be a deep threat. Maybe they take a flyer on a receiver late in the draft, but it is not a position of need.
The one position the Jets spent at this offseason has been running back, ending speculation they might be after Ezekiel Elliott or Derrick Henry in the first round. They re-signed Bilal Powell and added Matt Forte and Khiry Robinson, so it is doubtful they will add any more running backs.
Last season, the Jets basically ignored the tight end position, making it into an extra lineman. It is a position that could use a boost for the Jets. Kellen Davis is the returning starter, but he is hardly a pass-catching threat. Jace Amaro is coming off an injury and there are questions about him anyway. Keep an eye on Ohio State’s Nick Vannett as a possible target in the middle rounds.
— Brian Costello