In just three years at The Ohio State University, Ezekiel Elliott rushed for nearly 4,000 yards and 43 touchdowns, but at the 2016 NFL Scouting Combine, the Buckeyes’ All-American running back believed it was a different skill that sets him apart from other rushers in the draft class.
Elliott believes he is a versatile running back that is unafraid of getting physical with defenders.
“I think the thing that sets me apart is just my versatility,” Elliott said at the 2016 NFL Scouting Combine. “I’m a guy that can play three downs. You don’t have to take me off the field. I value blocking more than anything. I obviously love to run the ball and I think I have great hands coming out of the backfield.”
According to Elliott, he started his football career as a fullback at the age of seven, and the desire to block never left him, despite the fact that he was no longer the biggest kid on the team.
“My first job was to block,” Elliott said. “When I first got to Ohio State, I realized I wasn’t going to be the biggest, fastest guy. I was only 17 playing with a bunch of 22, 21-year-old guys, so I was trying to find something that would set me apart, and that thing I realized was just effort.
“Not everyone’s willing to go out there and play with a lot of effort. Blocking is another thing running backs aren’t really willing to do, so that’s a part of my game that made it important for me to become very good at.”
After leading the Buckeyes to the College Football Playoff National Championship in 2014, Elliott followed up his MVP performance with an 1,821-yard, 23-touchdown season in 2015. Elliott surpassed the 100-yard mark in all but one of the Buckeyes’ games this past year, led by the 274 he gained at Indiana and the 214 he posted in a 42-13 road win over Michigan.
During the Buckeyes’ run to the College Football Playoff as a sophomore, Elliott rushed for 220 yards and two touchdowns in a 59-0 win over the Wisconsin Badgers in the Big Ten Championship Game at Lucas Oil Stadium on December 6, and followed it up with 230 yards and two scores in the semifinal win over Alabama.
Elliott was the first running back this season to have 100 or more yards against the Crimson Tide, and surpassed the century mark in the first half. He was the first rusher to gain at least 200 yards against Alabama since Auburn's Carnell "Cadillac" Williams accomplished the feat in the 2003 Iron Bowl.
Then, Elliott rushed for 246 yards and four touchdowns, both Ohio State bowl records, in the National Championship victory over the favored Oregon Ducks on 36 carries, his highest individual game workload of the season.
In his career, Elliott rushed for 3,961 yards and 43 touchdowns on 592 carries, and he believes that success will translate well to the NFL level.
“I think I’m a guy that’s going to come in and work hard from day one, and I think I’m a guy that brings a lot of versatility to the position,” Elliott said. “I’m a guy that can play on all three downs, and I think I excel in all areas of the game.”
