Entering his pro day, Ezekiel Elliott was already entrenched as the best running back available in the 2016 NFL Draft. After his workout at Ohio State on Friday, he's making a case for being the best player in the draft.
With four NFL head coaches and five front office executives among more than 100 club representatives in Columbus to see the Buckeyes' extensive contingent of draft prospects, nobody impressed more than Elliott, according to NFL Media senior analyst Gil Brandt:
With a 4.47 40-yard dash at the NFL Scouting Combine, Elliott entered his pro day without the pressure of having to run the 40 again. He caught passes with ease from quarterback Cardale Jones (including a one-hander while talking on the phone), and built on his reputation as one the draft's fastest-rising prospects.
All five NFL Media analysts with mock drafts have Elliott as a top-20 pick and the first running back chosen, with analyst Charles Davis predicting him to go No. 4 overall to the Dallas Cowboys.
Here are five other things we learned from the Buckeyes' pro day:
- Defensive end Joey Bosa wasn't pleased with his 4.86-second 40 time at the combine, so he ran it again on Friday. Unofficial times in the mid 4.7s for Bosa, reported by NFL Media's Albert Breer, suggest significant improvement for the potential top-five pick. He also improved his bench press reps from the combine from 24 to 28. As for the broad jump, Ohio State did not release results from the event, but one of Bosa's warmups was captured on social media from a goal line to just beyond the 3-yard line, indicating a jump exceeding 9 feet. Following his workout, he reportedly met with the San Francisco 49ers, who hold the No. 7 pick in the draft.
- Bosa wasn't the only Ohio State player who wasn't pleased with his combine 40 time. Braxton Miller, who had expected to run in the 4.3s, was clocked at 4.50 in Indianapolis. And like Bosa, he improved on that at his pro day -- unofficially, at least. Miller was clocked at 4.36 on one stopwatch, the kind of time that can make a difference on draft day for a player projected as a second-round selection.
- A pulled hamstring caused Cardale Jones to pull out of the throwing drills at the combine, so his throws on Friday drew even more attention. And while he wasn't always accurate, his outstanding velocity was unmistakable. With his private quarterback coach, George Whitfield, keeping the scripted throwing session on pace, Jones left zero doubts about his arm strength.
"Me, personally, I thought it was a B-plus," Jones said, according to the Columbus Dispatch. "I missed a couple passes."
- WR Michael Thomas, expected to be a second-day pick (Rounds 2 and 3) said he was timed in the high 4.4s in the 40-yard dash.
- Bosa's younger brother Nick, an incoming freshman at OSU, left little doubt about which NFL team he'd like to see draft his brother.
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