Dallas Cowboys

Dallas Cowboys select RB Ezekiel Elliott at No. 4, fans go crazy

Published Apr. 28, 2016 8:31 p.m. ET

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The Dallas Cowboys selected Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott with the No. 4 pick on Thursday at the NFL Draft in Chicago.

Elliot won a national championship and finished his career as the Buckeyes' second-leading rusher with 3,961 yards, behind only Archie Griffin. He joins a Cowboys team that missed star rusher DeMarco Murray after he left town for the Eagles before last season, and hopes to replace that ground game with Elliott's.

It's the highest Dallas has drafted a running back since taking Hall of Famer Tony Dorsett second overall in 1977. All-time NFL rushing leader Emmitt Smith went 17th to the Cowboys in 1990.

"I'm glad that my name's even up there with those guys," Elliott said. "I definitely don't consider it a burden. I think I'm at my best in hard situations, situations of pressure."

Elliott has something of a head start. He was the star when the Buckeyes won the national championship at the $1.2 billion home of the Cowboys during the 2014 season, rushing for an Ohio State bowl-record 246 yards with four touchdowns in a 42-20 victory over Oregon.

"It's crazy how things work," Elliott said. "I am very familiar with `Jerry Land.' I'm pretty excited to get back to `Jerry Land' and put on a show."

Cowboys fans at AT&T Stadium reacted with excitement.

Running back wasn't the biggest need going into the draft with Darren McFadden coming off a strong season and the Cowboys adding two-time Pro Bowler Alfred Morris from Washington in free agency. But the Cowboys will get to put the top-rated running back in the draft behind one of the NFL's best offensive lines. Dallas took blockers in the first round three times in a span of four seasons starting in 2011.

The Cowboys decided to spend their highest pick since 1991 at running back a year after electing not to re-sign 2014 NFL rushing champion Murray in free agency. The Dallas running attack was inconsistent early last season without Murray, improving only after McFadden replaced lead back Joseph Randle six games into the season. The Cowboys eventually released Randle.

"That means that they have a lot of trust in me," Elliott said. "But there are a lot of battle-tested running backs in that room. They're not thinking coming in that I'm the starter and I know it. I'm going to have to earn it."

If Elliott can win the starting job over McFadden and Morris, he will get a chance to play with quarterback Tony Romo and 2014 All-Pro receiver Dez Bryant.

Romo missed 12 games last season with a twice-broke left collarbone, a big reason the Cowboys had such a high pick following a first-to-worst slide to 4-12 and the bottom of the NFC East. Bryant was out five games after breaking his right foot in the opener. He also missed the final two games as the injury continued to bother him all season.

"We can be a three-headed monster," Elliott said.

Elliott made quite an impression by sporting his signature crop top look and wearing Cowboys colors at the draft.

The 6-foot, 225-pound Elliott finished with 3,961 yards at Ohio State, declaring for the draft after his junior season. He holds the school record for rushing yards in consecutive seasons with 3,699 in 2014-15.

In the inaugural College Football Playoff to wrap up the 2014 season, Elliott rushed for 476 yards in two games, starting with 230 in a victory over Alabama.

Dallas' biggest need going into the draft was defensive end, but top target Joey Bosa, a teammate of Elliott at Ohio State, went to San Diego with the third pick. The Cowboys were also strongly considering Florida State's Jalen Ramsey at defensive back after finishing last in the NFL in takeaways in 2015. Ramsey went fifth to Jacksonville.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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