Cowboys defensive coordinator happy with Ezekiel Elliott pick

The Dallas Cowboys seemingly got their next great running back when they drafted Ezekiel Elliott in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft last Thursday. One person that seems pretty excited about the pick is one that probably will not have very much interaction with the running back.

Defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli joined 105.3 The Fan Wednesday morning to talk about the Cowboys’ draft last weekend. He discussed how Elliott should help the defense in making them tougher by playing against him in practice.

I’m elated because I think you always look at the big picture,” Marinelli said on the radio show. “We don’t play fantasy football. It’s not that. A 1-yard, 2-yard run there’s fight and physicalness. That’s good for your team. It develops toughness. We have to go against that offense every day. We play our offense more than anybody. It develops a hardness to your defense. You’ve got to play against a great line, a great back, now you’ve got to match up on an All-Pro receiver, great quarterback.

“It’s the physical nature of the game, which at times is being lost in today’s football. The physical nature of the game, I believe in that. This young man and the other backs are going to bring that.”

Ezekiel Elliott is easily one of the best players to come out of the 2016 NFL Draft and the Cowboys’ defense will certainly benefit from playing against one of the tougher players on their roster.

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*Featured Photo (above) credit to USA TODAY Sports

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