Marcus Lattimore not sold on Cowboys Ezekiel Elliott
Former highly-rated South Carolina running back Marcus Lattimore says he’s not sold on Dallas Cowboys first round selection of Ezekiel Elliott as a complete back.
The Dallas Cowboys likely made the most exciting selection in the entire 2016 NFL Draft last month when they picked Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott fourth overall in the first round.
In order to draft Elliott that high, the Cowboys had to suffer through a dismal 4-12 season following injures suffered by starters Tony Romo and Dez Bryant.
The previous year, the Cowboys were the toast of the NFL posting a mirror opposite 12-4 in the win/loss column, an undefeated road record and their first playoff victory since 2009.
They did so partially due to the fact that their starting running back at the time, DeMarco Murray, was able to lead the league in rushing with 1,845 yards on the ground in 2014.
Starting last year with a failed attempt to establish a running-back by committee involving Joseph Randle, Christine Michael and Darren McFadden, only the latter found himself on the roster by mid-season.
McFadden would go on to rush for an impressive 1,089 yards, starting in just 10 games for Dallas in 2015. But his age (he’ll be 29 in August) and his extensive injury history made it impossible for the Cowboys to expect similar results moving forward.
And despite adding two-time Pro Bowl running back Alfred Morris to their depth chart in the offseason, the Cowboys still believed Elliott was too good of a prospect to pass on in the first round of the draft in late April.
Elliott was touted by many as the most complete running back to enter the draft in several years. But one former running back doesn’t believe that statement is completely accurate.
"“As highlights of former Ohio State standout running back Ezekiel Elliott appear, [Marcus] Lattimore isn’t sold,” wrote ESPN staff writer Edward Aschoff on Monday. “He likes Elliott’s power and play away from the ball, but his overall speed needs work, Lattimore says, and he doesn’t see him as ‘the complete back’ yet.”"
Just three years ago, Marcus Lattimore himself could have easily been a first round selection just like Elliott. After a promising freshman season with the South Carolina Gamecocks, Lattimore emerged as the best running back in college football. But two knee injuries robbed him of any chance for a meaningful career in the NFL.
Lattimore was still drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in the fourth round of the 2013 NFL Draft. He retired just over a year later due to his injuries. Lattimore graduated from South Carolina earlier this month.
As for Elliott’s overall speed, he ran a 4.47 forty at the NFL Scouting Combine in February. That was the fastest among all of the more highly-touted running backs in his draft class. Just for comparison, Hall of Famer and Cowboys legendary running back Emmitt Smith reportedly never ran better than a 4.5 40-yard dash himself.
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