How Can The New York Giants Say No to Drafting Ezekiel Elliott After His Super Bowl Prediction?
By Neal Lynch
Ezekiel Elliott went on FOX Sports South’s “The Panel” and confidently stated the New York Giants would win a Super Bowl pretty early on if they drafted him.
Elliott called he, Eli, and Odell a three-headed monster while sporting a giant smile. Seeing and hearing Ezekiel talk that way has a lot of Giants fans pumped up, especially since all he had to offer on the possibility of joining the Philadelphia Eagles was watching them on TV and looking up to Brian Westbrook.
The thought of the G-Men calling on Elliott seemed so far-fetched a couple months ago, but then GM Jerry Reese made some interesting comments on the crop of running backs on the Giants roster that had some suspecting Elliott was more of a reality than before. Ezekiel has been one of the top five most popular first round picks for the Giants, but the probability of the Ohio State product falling to 10 is faint.
NFL.com Draft Analyst Daniel Jeremiah had Elliott going to the Eagles at the 8th overall pick in his 5th mock draft, published on March 29th. Jeremiah noted that Elliott “would be a perfect fit for Doug Pederson’s offense.”
Yet, David Mangles of Bleeding Green Nation feels the Eagles should not pick the next coming of Todd Gurley because running backs are “not worth a first round pick” citing their short shelf life. A running backs coach for an AFC team compared Ezekiel to Adrian Peterson, stating: “It was hard to find weaknesses for Adrian coming out and it’s hard to find weaknesses for Elliott. I don’t usually believe in taking running backs in the first round, but Elliott is one of those guys you make an exception for…”
Darrel Owen of The Phinsider agreed in making the case against taking Elliott in the first round based on bust rate, positional value, and the fact that drafting a running back in the first round appears to run counter to success.
Of course, Zeke is scheduled to have a pre-draft visit with the Dallas Cowboys, who have the 4th overall pick. Back in early February, Elliott said he wanted to be drafted by the ‘Boys. Right now, the incumbent starter at running back for Dallas is Darren McFadden, who is 28 years old and has one more year left on his contract. The Cowboys coaching staff also visited Columbus for a private workout.
Jim Vickers of NFL Spin Zone thinks the Oakland Raiders might trade up from the 14th pick to snag Elliott, whom he believes is a top-5 prospect. Meanwhile, Ezekiel’s dad said it would be a “beautiful thing” if the Chicago Bears were to select his son.
Next: Should the Giants Trade Up To Get Jalen Ramsey?
James Kratch of NJ.com doesn’t see Zeke going to Big Blue because the coaching staff likes their current quartet of running backs and the team’s last first round running back – Virginia Tech’s David Wilson – who had his career cut short due to a neck injury.
If somehow some way, Elliott slips past the first nine picks, how in the world are the New York Giants going to pass on him? Especially if Laquon Treadwell is off the board and with the rumors about Notre Dame offensive tackle Ronnie Stanley being a bust?