A couple of weeks ago, I mentioned the possibility of the Chicago Bears selecting Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott if by chance he is still available when the Bears are on the clock with their 11th overall pick of the 2016 NFL Draft. With the draft less than two days away, it seems as if this scenario is just a figment of our imagination. However, there is now another potential situation stirring.
The Cleveland Browns, who traded from No.2 overall to No. 8 overall, are reportedly entertaining offers from teams that are interested in trading up for Elliott in the first round. Among those teams are assumed to be the Bears. Chicago was one of the teams that met with Elliott leading up to the draft, and it appears that the former Buckeye left a good impression with general manager Ryan Pace and the rest of the Bears’ brass.
On Tuesday, Elliott was a guest on The Dan Patrick Show. When asked which team is in love with him, Elliott’s response was “the Chicago Bears.”
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If this is true, then there might be a good chance of seeing a big splash made in the Windy City on Thursday night. As good as this may sound to some Bears fans, this isn’t a sure deal. There is very strong possibility that the Dallas Cowboys could scoop Elliott up with their fourth overall pick. So the chance of this miracle happening could be dictated on what the Cowboys decided to do.
Pace could have had some help in coming to the conclusion of being so fond of Elliott. Chicago’s running backs coach is Stan Drayton, who was also Elliott’s running backs coach at Ohio State. Under Drayton, Elliott finished third in the nation in rushing (1,878) in 2014 on their way to a National Championship.
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Although running back isn’t a top priority for Chicago, getting a chance to draft a talent such as this should be considered strongly at the very least. The Bears do have second-year running back Jeremy Langford penciled in as the starter for 2016. But let’s not forget that Pace aggressively went after Broncos running back C.J. Anderson during the offseason after Chicago cut ties with Matt Forte. So adding another ball carrier should happen at some point in the draft.
I’m sure that the Bears fans in attendance at this year’s draft in Chicago will be pleased with whoever is selected with the 11th overall pick. But if Elliott is somehow holding a Bears jersey in his hands while standing alongside Roger Goodell on Thursday night, then there might be a bigger party than expected in Chi-Town.