2016 NFL Draft Scouts’ Take: Ezekiel Elliott

SCOUTS’ TAKE

STRENGTHS

NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein said of Elliott’s strengths, “Elite combination of vision and decisiveness. Instinctive, short strider with instant reaction time. Has a bona fide jump-­cut to elude penetration in the backfield and enough burst to elude chasers when he bounces runs to the outside. Able to change directions with no hesitation or wasted motion and is always headed forward.

“Has innate feel for developing blocks in space and is excellent at setting his blocks up and accelerating from behind them when the linebacker is trapped. When it’s gridlocked inside, finds yards on his own. Rocked up physique but still maintains loose hips for agility. Exceptional balance through contact and takes tacklers for a ride.

“Has a ‘come at me, bro!’ mentality as a runner. Loves to end runs on his physical terms. Uses lead shoulder as a weapon, but plays with outstanding ball security. Looks to absolutely bludgeon defenders as a lead blocker and is often successful. Able pass catcher who adjusts to throws and can do something with it after the catch.”

WEAKNESSES

Zierlein said of his weaknesses, “Strapped it up with a heavy workload over last two seasons including over 600 touches. Defenders land big shots on him. Appears to be too willing to put himself through the meat grinder rather than avoiding certain collisions. Understanding when to attack and when to elude may take time for him.

“Can sharpen his pass routes a bit and has room for improvement as a pass blocker. On second level, gets on top of defenders before he has a chance to gather himself into a position to evade a tackle. Questions arose about his maturity after complaining about lack of carries in Michigan State game.”

Next: MY TAKE