In his eagerly-awaited Dallas debut, running back Ezekiel Elliott was everything the Cowboys hoped for when drafting him No. 4 overall in April. Maybe more.
Elliott, the Ohio State star who is from Alton and played in high school at John Burroughs School, carried seven times for 48 yards in an exhibition game Thursday in Seattle. Against the starting unit of what was the NFL’s top-ranked run defense last season, Elliott had a gain of 13 yards, plus two 9-yarders, and an 8-yard pickup.
He did all that work over just 13 plays on the Cowboys’ first two series, while also blocking well in pass protection — something a lot of backs struggle with entering the NFL.