If you could re-do the 2016 NFL Draft, Cowboys’ Zeke Elliott was picked in the right spot

As much as he tries not to let it bother him, Ezekiel Elliott had to acknowledge that when the NFL Network released its annual top 100 players it got to him.

He wasn’t listed among the top 100, and there are 10 running backs who made this subjective, but entertaining, poll.

“As a competitor, it does eat at me a little bit,” the Cowboys running back told us media horde on Wednesday at The Star.

It should.

He’s 27, not 87.

He’s been seeing this stuff since he was drafted.

Seconds after the Cowboys picked Zeke with the fourth overall pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, the critics took to their keyboards.

WalterFootball.com graded the pick a D. Draft nerds seldom believe a team should spend such a high pick on a position that devalues so quickly (not a bad argument).

ESPN draft dork Mel Kiper said of the Zeke pick, “Great player, poor value range.”

It should be noted that Kiper said this about the Cowboys’ fourth round pick: “A solid guy to have on the bench, but I question the starting upside, and I had Brandon Allen ranked higher.”

Mel was referring to quarterback Dak Prescott; Allen is a career backup quarterback, and currently in Cincy.

Zeke did a few things early in his career to embarrass himself, and the Cowboys, but in terms of on the field he was worthy of the fourth overall pick.

If you were going to re-do the 2016 NFL Draft today, Zeke Elliott would still be the fourth overall pick in that class. One pick behind Chargers defensive end Joey Bosa, and one slot ahead of cornerback Jalen Ramsey.

Ramsey is a better long-range value than Zeke, but his presence was not going to change this team’s inability to win big playoff games since the start of the 2016 season.

Barring a seismic change, Zeke is looking at what will be the final season of his career with the Cowboys. The prevailing thought is the team will cut him after this season, and he move on to another team next year.

He played well enough to be given that big, second contract, of which he will make it to the half way point of that deal. That’s standard practice in the NFL, and he held up his end.

Look at the running backs who were picked in the top 10 of the draft since 2010; Zeke is the best one. That list is Buffalo’s C.J. Spiller, Cleveland’s Trent Richardson, Jacksonville’s Leonard Fournette, and the New York Giants’ Saquon Barkley.

Look at the running backs in the history of the Dallas Cowboys; Zeke is the third best, and one day he should merit a hard look at Ring of Honor inclusion.

Zeke will always be behind Emmitt Smith and Tony Dorsett. He’s ahead of DeMarco Murray, Calvin Hill, Duane Thomas, and Don Perkins.

Perkins, who died last year, played for the Cowboys from 1961 to ‘68, and was this franchise’s first “great” feature running back. He made the Pro Bowl six times, and was a good player for good teams.

Despite playing in a running back friendly era, he never rushed for 1,000 yards in a season.

The Ring of Honor was unveiled in 1975, and Perkins went in the next year.

Zeke has won two NFL rushing titles, led the league in average yards per game three times, and made three Pro Bowls.

For this era of the NFL, he has been one of the best at his position.

He’s run for 7,386 yards and scored 56 rushing touchdowns. He’s also caught 288 passes and 12 TDs. As a blocker, he’s as good as any running back whose ever played.

He’s started all 88 games in his career, and played through injury and pain.

He just won’t play long enough to amass the necessary stats to justify a Ring of Honor type of induction.

Running backs today do not last as long as an Emmitt Smith, or Tony Dorsett. Smith played 15 NFL seasons, 13 with the Cowboys. Dorsett played 11 years for the Cowboys, and 12 NFL seasons.

The only thing that may boost Zeke’s chances would be the one thing that he really covets.

“I’m ready to make a run in the playoffs and go deep and get a shot at a Super Bowl,” he said. “Everything else will take care of itself.”

If this is indeed his final season with the Cowboys, Zeke proved at least he was worthy of his draft selection.