New York Giants Should NOT Draft Ezekiel Elliott

The New York Giants have the 10th pick in the NFL Draft, but one player that they should avoid is Ezekiel Elliott.

With the 2016 NFL Draft quickly approaching, many mock drafts have ex-Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott being selected in the first round. Furthermore, many drafts project him inside the top 10, and some drafts even have the New York Giants calling his name.

I think the Giants would be making a very foolish mistake by drafting Elliot in the first round. Granted, Elliott did have a standout collegiate career, piling up 3961 rushing yards on 592 carries (for an average of 6.7 yards per carry) with 43 touchdowns, while finishing 8th in the Heisman race in 2015.

I don’t think taking Elliott at 10th overall would be wise, because adding another running back should not be a top priority. To remind you, the Giants already have backs Rashad Jennings, Shane Vereen, Andre Williams, Orleans Darkwa, and Bobby Rainey on the roster. One may argue Elliott is a more complete back than all of them, but how long does a single RB last in the NFL? Many teams use an “RB-by-committee” approach because they realize that running backs generally wear down with overuse. The Giants would be much better off using their current running backs as opposed to drafting another and wasting the pick.

Another major factor to consider is that the Giants don’t really run the ball much to warrant a top-10 RB selection. From watching ex-offensive coordinator and now head coach Ben McAdoo’s play calling, the only time the Giants really ran the ball last year was either on 3rd & long or when they were down by 14+ points. McAdoo did not start utilizing the running game until Week 15 against the Panthers, when they were down by 28 points. They started running the ball with Jennings, and were able to catch back up in the game. Only afterwards did the Giants consistently start running the ball. The strength of the Giants revolves around Eli Manning and Odell Beckham Jr (aka the passing game), and the Giants do not need a top 10 running back to be successful.

Suppose the Giants do take Elliott. Do you really think he’ll be putting up Adrian Peterson-like numbers with the current offensive line? If Marshall Newhouse and John Jerry are starting on the offensive line, then that should say enough. The Giants got rid of Will Beatty, but did not add a capable replacement in free agency. That leaves them with the draft to address the offensive line, and outside of Laremy Tunsil and Ronnie Stanley, the other linemen in the draft are projects and need development. If Stanley falls down to pick 10, the Giants would be foolish to pass on him when he would help both the running and passing game by anchoring the o-line for the future.

If the Giants go ahead and do draft Elliott, they will not be addressing the glaring holes on the roster. After spending boatloads of money on Janoris Jenkins, Damon Harrison, and Olivier Vernon, the Giants were focusing on rebuilding the defense. Possible defenders who could be on the board at pick #10 include DeForest Buckner, Myles Jack, Leonard Floyd, Shaq Lawson, and Vernon Hargreaves III.

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In my opinion, a linebacker would be the ideal pick at 10th overall. The Giants already spent money on Vernon and Harrison, so with them to go along with Jason Pierre-Paul and Johnathan Hankins, the defensive line looks solid. Drafting a defensive lineman would be for depth and development at this point, and may not even get much playing time unless one of the aforementioned players gets injured. A linebacker would help a lot, especially one who can apply pressure. More recent mock drafts have the Giants taking Floyd or Jack, which would be the right thing to do at pick #10.

Jerry Reese is on the hot seat this year, and selecting a worthy player at 10th overall would take him off that seat. I would not even consider Elliott’s comments about him being the player who can turn the Giants into an immediate Super Bowl contender, because he is clearly not. The Giants already have more than enough running backs on the roster, and adding one they think is a mix of all the others with their first selection is not smart. There are way too many other issues to fix with the Giants, and another running back will not make them a Super Bowl team.

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The smart thing to do is to draft an offensive lineman or linebacker at the 10th overall slot, considering the current state of the team. If a top tier defensive lineman in Buckner or Joey Bosa drops, or cornerback Jalen Ramsey drops, then taking them would be smart, too. If the Giants take Elliott at 10th overall, then we could be looking at another top-10 pick next year.

I’m not saying Elliot will be a bust. He probably will have a great NFL career and rush for a lot of yards. However, the Giants have other positions to address Thursday night, which they must do so in order to be competitive in 2016.

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