Ezekiel Elliott actually plays to his timed speed and must be accounted for in the passing game.

NFL Player Comp(s): A more explosive Doug Martin

Best Scheme Fit: Universal. Should excel in zone- or man-blocking system. Elliott's ability to plant his foot and cut quickly will fit well in a zone scheme. His power, balance, vision and willingness to embrace contact should allow him to thrive behind a man-blocking line as well.

Strengths

• Coach Urban Meyer called him "the best player without the ball that I've ever coached" - competitive drive shows in every facet of his game.
  
• Proven three-down back; adequate route-runner (for the limited routes he was asked to run in college) with natural pass-catching skills; possesses the ability to adjust to poorly thrown balls and transitions quickly after the catch.
  
• Routinely sheds the first tackler and maintains a good pad level; keeps churning his legs on inside runs and regularly gets more than what is blocked.
  
• Explosive back with exceptional start-stop ability and let his eyes control his feet while also showing an innate feel for setting up his blocks; very little wasted motion.
  
• Understands how to "tempo" his runs - often throwing off the angles of a pursuing defender - but is a smooth accelerator and knows when to put the petal to the metal.
  
• Ball security: four fumbles (three lost) on 650 offensive touches during college career.

Weaknesses

• Accumulated 617 touches over the last two seasons.
  
• Almost seems too eager at times to seek out contact and, as a result, tends to absorb more punishment than necessary.
  
• Is not a sophisticated route-runner yet and can stand to refine his technique as a blocker in the passing game.

Bottom Line
There are some that believe that Elliott showed immaturity when he complained about a lack of touches in the Buckeyes' only loss in 2015 - a 17-14 setback to Michigan State - but even Meyer admitted that his back was right, even if he wished his back would have handled his displeasure differently. Nevertheless, it is hard to blame him for calling out his offensive coordinator that day: the only two times Ohio State lost in Elliott's two seasons as the feature back were when he saw 12 or fewer carries. There's a lot to like about the rugged junior back, who consistently maximizes inside rushes by embracing contact and often turns perimeter carries into huge plays simply by outracing defenders to the edge.

When the run demands that he stays inside, he looks like a younger version of Frank Gore in that he puts his head down and shows impressive leg drive while moving the pile forward. However, he's not just an inside runner and that is where he is much more like Miller. While he isn't the type that stacks move upon moves, Elliott has the elusiveness to avoid an unblocked defender in the backfield and make something out of nothing. He's the rare physical back that actually plays to his timed speed and must be accounted for in the passing game as well, so coaches will be hard-pressed to pull him off the field on any down unless he needs to rest. The Ohio State product shouldn't be expected to have the same kind of rookie-year impact that Todd Gurley did unless he is the clear feature back behind one of the league's best offensive lines, but Elliott is by far the best bet in this class to come the closest to challenging the ex-Bulldog and could ultimately end up being the best player in this draft. In the end, Elliott is a clean prospect with such high upside, he's easy to endorse as a top-10 selection.