Ohio State Football: Ranking top 5 Buckeyes in NFL
By Ben Swanger
No. 3 Ohio State Football Player in the NFL: Ezekiel Elliott
Ezekiel Elliott, the driving force in Ohio State’s 2014 National Championship run, makes his way onto the podium at third.
Elliott has been one of pro football’s best running backs since he touched the field on Sunday for the Dallas Cowboys. In two of his four seasons, Elliott has led the NFL in rushing.
In three years, two as a starter, under Urban Meyer at Ohio State, Elliott put up an astounding 4,410 scrimmage yards and 44 touchdowns.
His incredible college career propelled him up the draft boards and the Cowboys selected Elliott with the fourth pick in 2016’s NFL Draft.
In three of Elliott’s four seasons, he’s led the league in rushing yards per game. He has over 7,000 scrimmage yards and 48 total touchdowns in his short career.
An elite running game works wonders for an offense and Elliott has been the Cowboy’s catalyst to success since 2016. He might have been dethroned as the game’s best runner this past season, depending on who you ask, but a running back’s shelf life is short and Elliott is taking advantage of his prime years.
Elliott still has yet to duplicate his 1,600 yard performance as a rookie, but his numbers are still incredible. Because of the volume of carries he’s had to accumulate as a Cowboy, his career might be the shortest of those among this list.
It isn’t uncommon for running backs to step away from the game early, but Elliott still has a few more years to continue his dominance.
In 2019 Elliott became the game’s highest paid running back inking a 6-year extension worth $90 million. He’s a part of a franchise who’s owner isn’t afraid to pay up and Elliott received the money he’s earned.
Related Story: Why Ezekiel Elliott deserved six-year, $90 million extension
We’ll see if Elliott is able to continue his incredible career in 2020. If he can sustain a career for around eight seasons, he certainly will be in the Hall of Fame.
Moving on up the podium, we find ourselves at second.