NFL Rumors: Miami Dolphins Drafting Ezekiel Elliott

NFL rumors are circulating about Ezekiel Elliott. As the best running back coming out of the college ranks, several teams are said to be interested in choosing him in the upcoming draft later on this month. While the position is not as valued as it used to be, Elliott is a candidate to be chosen early because he has tremendous potential. According to NFL.com, there is a very good chance that the Miami Dolphins select the Ohio State Buckeyes star at the end of April.

Losing Lamar Miller set the Miami Dolphins back a little. Though he only broke 1,000 yards once during his short NFL career, he does average more than 4.6 yards a carry. That is why many in the National Football League believe that the 24-year-old can be a workhorse if he is made the featured back. The Houston Texans signed him to a big contract in free agency because of that potential.

To their credit, the Miami Dolphins have tried to replace Lamar Miller. They signed CJ Anderson to an offer sheet. However, the Denver Broncos surprisingly matched it and kept the restricted free agent. Chris Johnson was brought in for interviews, but he opted to sign a cheaper deal with the Arizona Cardinals. Johnson felt that they gave him a better chance at making the Super Bowl. Former Houston Texans running back Arian Foster was also discussed, but he won’t sign until he’s completely healthy.

A lot of NFL teams like to build through the draft. Free agency might bring in someone that is more established. However, they might cost a bit more than someone coming straight from college. Ezekiel Elliott has never played professionally. Many believe that he should have no issues making the jump to the National Football League. The Miami Dolphins are hoping that’s true.

Ezekiel Elliott might be as good as Lamar Miller. The latter is 5’10”, 225 pounds. The former is 225 pounds as well, but he’s 6’0?. That might not seem like much, but in the NFL, that could mean a lot. Elliott should be able to run between the offensive tackles. That’s important because teams simply cannot just choose to do pitches and sweeps. Having a guy that can gain the rough yards goes a long way towards making the offense unpredictable.

Since they have the 13th overall selection in the NFL Draft, the Miami Dolphins would be pleased if Ezekiel Elliott falls into their laps. There are talks that the Dallas Cowboys might even be willing to take him with the fourth overall selection. That seems a bit high. The Philadelphia Eagles are choosing eight overall. There are talks that they would love for Elliott to replace DeMarco Murray and possibly Ryan Mathews.

One of the reasons why so many NFL teams are so intrigued by Ezekiel Elliott is that he’s one of the rare running backs that can play all three downs. Not only can he run through the middle of the offensive line for the hard yardage, he can also come out of the backfield and become a threat in the passing game. Getting a guy that versatile means that you won’t need to spend a ton of money on backup runners that can do other things.

Free agency can be rough on NFL teams. The Miami Dolphins lost a very talented running back to the Houston Texans. It’s not the end of the world, though. They can still find someone just as talented coming out of college. Ezekiel Elliott has potential to be a great one. If the Dolphins choose him, they might find a great sidekick for Ryan Tannehill.