Mike Greenberg made quite the prediction about Ezekiel Elliott's rookie year
You already know that expectations for Ezekiel Elliott in Dallas are through the roof.
Emmitt Smith came out and said that the former Ohio State tailback is better than he was. Some are saying Elliott is a lock to be the NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year, much like Todd Gurley was after he was drafted No. 10 overall by the then-St. Louis Rams.
Well, the predictions about Elliott’s first year in Dallas are already beyond that.
Mike Greenberg, co-host of “ESPN’s Mike and Mike in the Morning” made a bold prediction about Elliott’s rookie season that trumps the “rookie of the year” forecast.
“Ezekiel Elliott will lead the National Football League this year in yards from scrimmage,” Greenberg said.
That caught co-host Mike Golic by surprise, who said that if he stays healthy and avoids the rookie wall, Elliott could easily finish in the top five in yards from scrimmage. Still, he wasn’t willing to echo the prediction.
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Greenberg didn’t back off of his claim.
“He is running behind the best offensive line in football, they live to run the ball, he will catch the ball out of the backfield, that’s a dynamic offense that’s going to want to control the ball and keep time of possession because of the poor defense…” Greenberg said. “If he stays healthy — and he’s given us no reason to believe that he won’t — I think Ezekiel Elliott…will lead the NFL in yards from scrimmage.”
To put that in perspective, Gurley’s explosive rookie season with 1,294 yards from scrimmage put him at No. 13 in the NFL. Actually, Dallas running back Darren McFadden finished ahead of him at No. 9 with 1,417 yards from scrimmage. The leader of that category in 2015 was Julio Jones, who racked up 1,871 yards.
In other words, Greenberg thinks Elliott will at least flirt with 2,000 yards from scrimmage. But it’s worth noting that just two years ago, DeMarco Murray led the NFL with 2,261 yards from scrimmage running behind the dominant Cowboys offensive line.
Is Elliott in line for a similar season? You don’t have to look very far to find someone who believes he is.