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NFL draft profile: Ohio State RB Ezekiel Elliott, a rare, complete back

Eric Edholm

Shutdown Corner counted down the top 50 prospects in the 2016 NFL draft with a scouting report, quotes from NFL evaluators and a projection where they might be drafted.

4. Ohio State RB Ezekiel Elliott
6-foot-0, 225 pounds

Key stat: In four-game span to close out the Buckeyes' 2014 national-title season — against rival Michigan, Wisconsin in the Big Ten championship game, and Alabama and Oregon in the two playoff games — Elliott rushed 93 times for 817 yards (8.8 yards per carry) and 10 touchdowns.

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The skinny: An elite prep track and football star, coached by former NFL quarterback Gus Frerotte, who chose Ohio State over Mizzou, where both his parents were alumni. Elliott averaged 8.7 yards a carry as a true freshman in a part-time role and then broke out as a sophomore in 2014. Despite suffering a broken left wrist in the preseason, Elliott carried the ball in his right hand and amassed nearly 2,100 yards from scrimmage and scored 18 TDs on the season, capping it with title game MVP honors in a 246-yard, 4-TD rushing game against Oregon.

Elliott scored 23 TDs in 2015 as a junior and was held below 108 yards rushing in one game — the Buckeyes' loss to Michigan State before which he spent two days in the hospital with a leg infection and a 103-degree fever. After the game, Elliott complained about the coaches not giving him the ball more in the game that ended OSU's unbeaten season. He scored at least one TD in 17 of his final 18 games, ran for 100 yards or more in 17 of 18 games and lost only four fumbles in 653 college touches.

Best-suited destination: Put him in a man- or a zone-blocking scheme. Line him up in I-formations or single-back sets. Run quick-hitting stuff or more slow-developing plays. Elliott has done it all, and there isn't much he's not good at. He could be featured more as a receiver in the pros than he was in college, and Elliott is one of the best pass-protecting backs in recent memory. Elliott has the makeup of a player who could and should step into an NFL lineup — no matter the system — and be a factor from Day 1. Any team that values toughness, smarts, versatility and exceptional vision in its backs would love to have him.

Upside: If teams draft strictly for talent, he should not wait long to hear his name called. The breakout of Todd Gurley (following an ACL injury, no less) showed that rare talents at running back are the exceptions to the don't-draft-an-RB-high argument. Elliott has that kind of ability, and other than a nagging wrist injury that he's played through, there is not a big durability concern with him. Elliott routinely turns potential losses into gains, will fight through tiny cracks, is a great short-yardage runner and is a three-down contributor. He has very few limiting or discernable weaknesses.

Downside: Many teams, especially those that throw the ball 60 percent or more of the time, are not likely to see the same value of a running back in the top half-dozen picks of the draft. Are they going to take a pass blocker, part-time runner and four-catch-a-game back that high? It has been a pattern in the NFL for lower-round picks (or undrafted players even) at that position to have success that's way out of whack from their draft status. Elliott called out his coaches in the heat of the moment, and his passion for the game and self-confidence might not sit well with a hard-line, old-school coach.

Scouting hot take: "Best back I've scouted in years. I'll admit I was all in on [Trent Richardson], too. But this one is different. He could be a Marshall Faulk-like back in a few years.” — AFC college scouting director

Player comp: There might never be another LaDainian Tomlinson, but Elliott is the closest thing since him

Previous profiles

50. Ohio State WR Braxton Miller
49. Indiana OT Jason Spriggs
48. Florida DL Jonathan Bullard
47. Texas Tech OT Le'Raven Clark
46. Arkansas TE Hunter Henry
45. Oklahoma WR Sterling Shepard
44. Michigan State QB Connor Cook
43. West Virginia S Karl Joseph
42. Michigan State DE-OLB Shilique Calhoun
41. Notre Dame WR Will Fuller
40. Pitt WR Tyler Boyd
39. Oklahoma State DE Emmanuel Ogbah
38. Alabama DE-DT A'Shawn Robinson
37. Mississippi State QB Dak Prescott
36. Memphis QB Paxton Lynch
35. Alabama C Ryan Kelly
34. Louisiana Tech DT Vernon Butler
33. Ole Miss DT Robert Nkemdiche
32. Georgia DE-OLB Leonard Floyd
31. USC S-LB Su'a Cravens
30. Alabama LB Reggie Ragland
29. Mississippi State DT-DE Chris Jones
28. Baylor NT Andrew Billings
27. Notre Dame LB Jaylon Smith
26. Houston CB William Jackson III
25. Alabama RB Derrick Henry
24. Ohio State CB Eli Apple
23. Eastern Kentucky DE-OLB Noah Spence
22. Baylor WR Corey Coleman
21. Ohio State OT Taylor Decker
20. Kansas State OG Cody Whitehair
19. Michigan State OT Jack Conklin
18. Alabama DE-DT Jarran Reed
17. TCU WR Josh Doctson
16. Clemson CB Mackensie Alexander
15. Ohio State LB Darron Lee
14. Clemson DE Kevin Dodd
13. Cal QB Jared Goff
12. Clemson DE Shaq Lawson
11. Ole Miss WR Laquon Treadwell
10. North Dakota State QB Carson Wentz
9. Notre Dame OT Ronnie Stanley
8. Florida CB Vernon Hargreaves III
7. Louisville DT Sheldon Rankins
6. Ohio State DE Joey Bosa
5. UCLA LB Myles Jack

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Eric Edholm is a writer for Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at edholm@yahoo-inc.com or follow him on Twitter!