Cowboys RB Coach: Ezekiel Elliott’s the most complete back I’ve scouted
Dallas Cowboys running back coach Gary Brown calls Ezekiel Elliott the most complete back he’s scouted in the last eight years.
On Thursday night, during the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft, the Dallas Cowboys did what was some thought was the unthinkable just a few months ago. The Cowboys spent the fourth overall selection on a running back.
It was just last year the Cowboys refused to pay former running back DeMarco Murray when he hit free agency after leading the league in rushing in 2014. It was believed Dallas simply devalued the position to the point where they wouldn’t overpay for a 27-year old Murray, despite him paving the way to a 12-4 record the season prior.
After their record flipped-flopped to 4-12 last season, apparently so did the Cowboys mantra when it came to the importance of investing in the running back position. Although veteran Darren McFadden rushed for nearly 1,100 yards last season, Dallas still posted a losing record after trying to install a running back-by-committee to replace Murray’s production that miserably failed.
Although McFadden thrived in a starting role in Dallas, the other two running backs in that now disbanded committee, Joseph Randle and Christine Michael, played so poorly they both were off the team before the end of the year.
So Dallas went back to the drawing board this offseason. And what they decided was to return to what fueled their success in 2014, a dominate running game. And the Cowboys found their perfect candidate to replace Murray on the roster in Elliott.
"“I’ve been coaching in the NFL for eight years. [Ezekiel Elliott’s] the most complete back that I’ve been able to scout,” Cowboys running back coach Gary Brown told the crew over at the Cowboys Draft Show on DallasCowboys.com late Thursday night. “When you get a guy like that, and you get an opportunity to get him, you got to go get him because they’re going to elevate everything around you.”"
To put this statement into context, let’s review some of the top running backs in the last eight years of the NFL Draft. That list includes names like Todd Gurley (2015), Le’Veon Bell (2013), Eddie Lacy (2013), Lamar Miller (2012), Doug Martin (2012), Mark Ingram (2011), DeMarco Murray (2011), LeSean McCoy (2009), Matt Forte (2008), Jamaal Charles (2008) and Darren McFadden (2008).
The fact Elliott has no glaring weaknesses in his game is part of the reason the Cowboys felt comfortable enough in taking a running back with the fourth overall pick. He just possesses so many outstanding qualities, pass blocking likely to be the best of them all, that Dallas felt the former Buckeye would help their defense more than any other player available at the time.
Now the Cowboys are focused on regaining the steam they gathered during the 2014 season, where the team went undefeated on the road and won their first playoff game in five years. Also, look for the Cowboys to address their various defensive needs in Day Two of the NFL Draft Friday night.
Next: Dallas Cowboys 2016 Draft: Nine Full Mock Drafts
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