The Cowboys took running back Ezekiel Elliott with the fourth overall pick of the draft, so it’s not going out on too much of a limb to say that they want him to be their starter come the regular season.
The only things standing in the way of that happening are Darren McFadden, Alfred Morris and a rough transition to the professional game. Elliott got his attempt to avoid the last of those pitfalls going during OTAs last week and noticed one significant difference from life on the collegiate level.
“Just a lot faster pace,” Elliott said, via the team’s website. “The game moves so much faster.”
Elliott is competing with the two veterans because, per running backs coach Gary Brown, it is “the best thing for our team.” He’s also looking to McFadden as a model for how to prepare for the offseason work that will determine the pecking order in the backfield.
Assuming the acclimation process speeds up to match the speed of the game, Elliott’s upside should win him that competition well before the first Sunday of the regular season.