The Dallas Cowboys used the fourth overall pick of the 2016 NFL Draft to select Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott, and the rookie didn’t take long to show why.
I his preseason debut on Thursday night against the Seattle Seahawks, Elliott ran for 48 yards on seven carries, which is a very nice 6.9-yard average.
In the first quarter, Elliott took a big shot — arguably a dirty shot — from veteran Seahawks safety Kam Chancellor:
Welcome to the NFL, Ezekiel Elliott pic.twitter.com/d3wIdbLjFZ
— SB Nation GIF (@SBNationGIF) August 26, 2016
Less than a minute later, Elliott basically ran Chancellor over:
Kam Chancellor’s struggle is real trying to tackle Ezekiel Elliott pic.twitter.com/YqUErNodLb — Dr Cork Gaines (@CorkGaines) August 26, 2016
That’s quite a response, and it wasn’t the only impressive run Elliott had on the night. Check out all of Zeke’s runs here:
So how’d he do?
Every run from @EzekielElliott‘s NFL debut! 👇 #DALvsSEA https://t.co/34vLA0RJvP
— NFL (@NFL) August 26, 2016
The rookie’s debut got a lot of positive reaction from notable NFL evaluators on Twitter:
Zeke Elliott looked spectacular. Put him on ice for the night. No need to see anymore. — Louis Riddick (@LRiddickESPN) August 26, 2016
Zeke Elliott runs hard. Finishes with his pads low. Speed to get on the edge, too. The rookie looked impressive on that drive. #Cowboys
— Matt Bowen (@MattBowen41) August 26, 2016
We’ve entered the Ezekiel Elliott Era
— Gregg Rosenthal (@greggrosenthal) August 26, 2016
Zeke Elliott is the best blocking feature RB I’ve seen coming out of college. Showed it there before Romo injury. — Brian Billick (@CoachBillick) August 26, 2016
Even Cowboys star wide receiver Dez Bryant tweeted how he was impressed by his new teammate:
Damn Zeke!!!!! — Dez Bryant (@DezBryant) August 26, 2016
The young man ready!!! — Dez Bryant (@DezBryant) August 26, 2016
Now, we of course need to see how Elliott looks in real games, but in his preseason debut, he looked like the player everyone thought he’d be coming out of the draft. Elliott will get his first regular-season test against the New York Giants on September 11 in Dallas.
