New Orleans Saints Forums - blackandgold.com - NOLA.com Saints to put No. 1 rush defense to the test against Cowboys’ Ezekiel Elliott

When New Orleans Saints defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins watches film of Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliot, three things stand out above the rest.

First: The patience. It might be Steelers running back Le’Veon Bell who is most famous for slowly letting a play develop before finding a crease, but Rankins puts Elliott right up there in his class.

“He’ll kind of hop, skip, stutter his feet and let things develop, let his guys keep on driving their feet and moving blocks,” Rankins said. “And the next thing you know he spurts through a hole for 15, 20 yards.”

Second: The strength. At 6-feet, 225 pounds, Elliott is a load, and he plays like it. Rankins remembers watching one of Elliott’s first professional games, a preseason game against Seattle in 2016, and seeing Elliott bore right through Seahawks safety Kam Chancellor.

“He’s powerful,” Rankins said. “The first guy never really brings him down. He’s running through arm tackles — he’s running through head-up tackles.”

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Finally, the finishing touch: The speed. Big, physical running backs are not supposed to be able to move the way Elliott does. In 36 career games, Elliott has broken off 27 runs of 20 or more yards. His 4.72 career yards per carry is the third best figure in the NFLsince 2016 among running backs with at least 300 carries in that span.

“You wouldn’t think of a guy that runs as powerful as he does to have the breakaway speed he has,” Rankins said. “But he’s able to run away from guys, get to the edge and create huge plays for their offense.”

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