Ohio State Buckeyes’ star Ezekiel Elliott recently voiced his opinion on Fox Sports South’s The Panel about the New York Giants possibly drafting him with the tenth overall pick. Elliott had nothing but kind words for the Giants organization and went as far as to bring up a possible Super Bowl run.
NYG Daily managed to get a video of Elliott’s bold claim.
The “three-headed monster” Elliott talks about includes himself, Eli Manning, and Odell Beckham. On paper that would make one powerful trio. The best part of it all is that Elliott actually has a point. If the Giants can attack efficiently both through the air and on the ground, they could really take advantage of their poor division.
Elliotts’ exact quote was that the Giants could win the Super Bowl “ pretty early .”
“That would definitely be a great spot for me. I can see it now: Eli, Odell and then me – that’s a three-headed monster right there.
“I think we’d give everyone a run for their money. I think we could go win a Super Bowl pretty early.”
Manning hasn’t had a consistent running game since Ahmad Bradshaw and Brandon Jacobs were members of the team. Rashad Jennings proved to be a decent bell-cow running back until injuries got the best of him. The Giants looked as if they could keep pace in their division last season until Jennings’ injuries got the best of him.
The Giants need to have a balanced offense if they want to make some noise, but they need to find a young running back that is not injury prone. Elliott may be that player the Giants are looking for. Jennings is currently 31 years old and not getting any younger. He can only hurt the Giants at this point if he remains the featured running back.
As far as the Super Bowl goes, the Giants definitely need some magic to make that happen. The team still has to see how well their free agency spending spree is going to turn out. The Giants made a similar spree a couple of years ago and none of their free agents ended up becoming major contributors.
In a perfect world, if Elliott does become a member of the Giants, it could be a very interesting season for Big Blue. Giants’ head coach Ben McAdoo could wreak havoc with an offensive conglomerate like that. Defenses would not only have Beckham to worry about, but Elliott as well.
If the Giants generate some sort of pass rush in this upcoming season, the playoffs may be in the question. The Giants are in a poor division that hasn’t had a repeat winner in a number of years. The team didn’t do well this season because they couldn’t close games. There were many holes filled on the defensive side of the ball, so it wouldn’t be shocking if Jerry Reese decided to add to their top 10 offense. However, the Super Bowl is a bit of a stretch for a rebuilding team.
It seems like Elliott wouldn’t mind if Reese decided to take a swing at him. The only issue is that Elliott may not even reach the Giants. His potential suitors include some other members of the NFC East like the Philadelphia Eagles and the Dallas Cowboys.
The Eagles and Cowboys both choose before the Giants, which could become an issue. Both teams also need some help in the backfield. The Cowboys are the team Giants should really worry about. Their offensive line could make Elliott a lethal running back. The Cowboys can’t go on much longer with Darren McFadden as the number one running back on the depth chart.
The Eagles recently unloaded DeMarco Murray which is a sign they may be in the market for a running back. Ryan Matthews and Darren Sproles are both great players, but neither have the talent to be a three-down running back. Matthews had his chance in the wake of Murray’s lack of production with the Eagles and he didn’t make much of it.
As the draft approaches, the odds are looking slim that Elliott falls down to the Giants. Big Blue’s best hope is for the Cowboys to draft a defensive player and the Eagles to draft a quarterback. That would leave enough room for Elliott to fall into the Giants’ arms.
[Photo by Christian Petersen/Getty Images]
