After Elliott, a new RB era

INDIANAPOLIS — Jason Garrett was a teammate of Dallas Cowboys Hall of Fame running back Emmitt Smith for seven seasons. Later, as the Cowboys’ head coach, Garrett watched DeMarco Murray run for 1,845 yards and score 13 touchdowns in 2014.

When it came down to the Cowboys making the fourth overall pick in last year’s draft, they ignored all the talk about the devaluation of running backs and picked Ohio State’s Ezekiel Elliott.

“We value running backs. The runner matters, and that’s something we’ve believed in for a long time,” Garrett said Wednesday at the NFL scouting combine. “I understand the arguments about shelf life and about maybe you can find some running backs later in the draft, but if you have an opportunity to get a great football player who is a running back, he can have a big impact on your football team.”

Elliott rushed for 1,631 yards and 15 touchdowns in 2016 and helped drive the Cowboys to a 13-3 record and an NFC East title. His rookie success provided a strong rebuttal to the theory that it’s unwise to use early-to-mid first-round picks on running backs.

Where the Ravens stand on the topic might factor into what they do with the 16th overall pick in April’s draft. Coach John Harbaugh has said he wants to add a complementary speed back to join Terrance West (Northwestern High, Towson University) and 2016 fourth-round pick Kenneth Dixon. Given the way some teams feel about taking running backs early, it’s possible one of the draft’s top two backs, LSU’s Leonard Fournette or Florida State’s Dalvin Cook, will be available when

DAVID J. PHILLIP/ASSOCIATED PRESS Running back Leonard Fournette rushed for 3,830 yards and 40 touchdowns during three seasons at LSU.

DAVID J. PHILLIP/ASSOCIATED PRESS “I feel like if I get put in the right system, I can do the same things that [Cowboys rookie Ezekiel Elliott] did,” Florida State’s Dalvin Cook said.