Look up just about any pre-2016 NFL Draft material on former Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott and you're bound to see the word "elite" peppered in a number of times. Elliott, winner of the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year award after he posted monstrous numbers in the Buckeye offense in 2015 - 1,821 yards, 23 touchdowns on the ground, as well as 206 yards through the air - is, without question, the best running back available later this month.
As such, there's plenty of talk - and just as much disagreement - over where Elliott will ultimately wind up. The Oakland Raiders, selecting at No. 14 in the first round, are just one of a plethora of logical landing spots for the versatile, well-rounded Elliott.
But they shouldn't do it, and here's why - the 2017 NFL Draft will be replete with "elite" running backs.
And with Latavius Murray already in place, the addition of Elliott this season when there are still holes to be filled along the defensive line and in the secondary, would be a poor allocation of Raiders GM Reggie McKenzie's resources.
Now, should draft day come and the Raiders find themselves on the clock and staring at a draft board with Elliott's name at the top and all the other available players much farther down in ranking, then it would be hard to fault McKenzie for taking the Buckeye bruiser.
By almost every account, Elliott is a future impact player with elite - there it is - vision, speed and even blocking ability. He brings the ability to impact the game on every offensive down. Adding him would, presumably, give the Raiders an astonishing one-two punch in the backfield with Murray and further allow head coach Jack Del Rio and offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave to protect the precious commodity that is young franchise quarterback Derek Carr via a powerful, road-grading running game.
But the Raiders, though they have the look of a surprise playoff team next year, are not yet contenders.
One more great draft to shore up their depth-less spots - those un-sexy picks on the backs of which consistent winners are built - would mean a toe-hold of sorts as a legitimate playoff threat.
And then, should that be the case, the 2017 NFL Draft, which is likely to boast names like LSU's Leonard Fournette, Florida State's Dalvin Cook, Oregon's Royce Freeman, Georgia's Nick Chubb and Sony Michel, Pitt's James Conner, Wisconsin's Corey Clement, and more.
It may not sit well with fans for McKenzie and Co. to avoid Elliott if he's on the clock when it's their turn to pick later this month, but Elliott isn't a necessity at this point - roster depth is. And Raiders fans who remember all too well the late Al Davis' failed draft strategy centered around the sexy pick, not the smart selection, will know what that really means.
Instead, the Raiders should take a Jack Conklin or a Jarran Reed and fans of the team should rest easy knowing that the core of their team just got a whole lot stronger.
