The Indianapolis Colts have quite a few needs heading into the 2016 NFL Draft. One may not be the running back position, but they should consider taking Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott for a few different reasons.
First of all, Frank Gore is not getting any younger and there are major question marks about whether he truly wants to stick around. He was very frustrated with the team following the season. While he did put up good numbers throughout his first season with the Colts, his age is cause for concern.
Elliott would immediately step in and have a chance to put up big numbers for the Colts. He could push Gore for playing time and would also open up the option of potentially moving the veteran.
Throughout the 2015 season with the Buckeyes, Elliott ended up carrying the football 289 times for 1,821 yards and 23 touchdowns.
Ohio State has turned out some decent running backs and have turned out some draft busts. That being said, Elliott would fit very nicely alongside Andrew Luck in the Colts' backfield. His ability to be an every down back and bring the same type of physicality that Gore showed last season would be an intriguing fit for the Colts.
Jim Irsay said following the 2015 NFL season that he felt the Colts needed to get younger. That definitely doesn't mean that Gore was one of the players that he was talking about. While Gore may not be one of the primary players that Irsay was talking about, Elliott would be a very tempting target.
Gore ended up rushing for 967 yards and six touchdowns on 260 carries in 2015. Those numbers show that he is capable of putting up big numbers in the Colts offense, but at 32 years old there are major question marks about when the wear and tear will start taking a toll on him.
All of that being said, the only way that the Colts would do that is if they get offensive line help in free agency. Ryan Grigson will have multiple options on the free agent market, but if they don't get a free agent lineman then they will have to focus on the line in the first round of the draft.
Indianapolis should definitely consider drafting Elliott, although there are quite a few other prospects who will be of interest to them as well.
Expect to hear plenty of rumors about the Colts throughout the next few weeks. As the draft continues to draw closer, more prospects will be talked about. Elliott may never be seriously considered in reality, but he would be an excellent fit for the Colts.
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