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Ohio State running back Zeke Elliott has long been the favorite of many to go to Houston at 22nd overall in April’s NFL Draft. He’s powerful, he’s fast, he’s fluid, and as a pass protector, he has been extremely valuable on third down as well. Suffice to say that if you could whip up a first round running back prospect in a lab, Elliott would probably be the result. In fact, experts like him so much as Arian Foster’s presumptive replacement that he has often been Houston’s mock selection even with multiple quarterback prospects still on the board. Here is what Dan Kadar had to say about the Elliott to Houston connection in his latest Monday morning Mock Draft.
22. Houston Texans: Ezekiel Elliott, RB, Ohio State
The quarterback value at No. 22 just isn't there for Houston. If a star runner like Elliott is on the board, which is no guarantee, he's worth taking instead of reaching on a quarterback. Elliott could quickly become the focal point of Houston's offense and be the type of workhorse Arian Foster was in the past.
I would like to point out that both Christian Hackenberg and Connor Cook were on the board at this point, with Cook dropping out of the first round entirely despite being mocked to Houston just one week ago. Elliott was mocked in the top 10 picks to the Giants in that very same article, so Elliott has also apparently experienced a bit of a drop in Mr. Kadar’s eyes in the last week.
What say you, BRB? If it comes down to Ezekiel Elliott, Connor Cook, and Christian Hackenberg at the 22nd overall pick, which one would you choose and why?