|
RB Ezekiel Elliott, Ohio State -- RBs should be in for a very good year in the 2016 NFL Draft, as RBs dropped like flies all season and running games collapsed across the league. For teams that run a one-cut zone blocking scheme, Elliott is an ideal player who should contribute right away with little learning curve necessary. A stout, powerful 6'1", 220 lbs runner, Elliott takes long strides to eat up yards in a hurry. He's not particularly elusive and won't blast tacklers, but he'll use decent blocking to get a reliable 4-5 yards a carry (he averaged 6+ YPC in over 500 carries for OSU the past two years). He's a decent receiver with punt return abilities, but will need to hit the jugs machine. He will earn playing time immediately since he is an enthusiastic blocker and protects the ball really well, but he's more of a change-of-pace power hammer in a RBBC rather than a true bellcow. He reminds me of Karlos Williams of the Bills but with more decisive running and a better all around game. Williams went in the 5th, but I think Elliott is a solid 3rd rounder, and very good value in the 4th.
|