Romo mentoring Elliott in rookie's 1st training camp

Ezekiel Elliott landed in a fortuitous situation after being selected by the Cowboys fourth overall in the 2016 NFL Draft, joining veteran quarterback Tony Romo in the Dallas backfield.

The 21-year-old Elliot, who's being groomed as the future of the team's offense, said he's deferring to Romo, 36, learning the nuances of the professional game from the four-time Pro Bowler.

"It's been good," Elliott told ESPN's Todd Archer. "Kind of a teacher-student relationship. I mean, he's probably the smartest football mind on this team. What better guy to go to and learn the game from?"

Romo said he's been tough on Elliott throughout training camp, helping him learn the details of a new offense.

"Believe me, I'm in his ear enough," Romo said. "I think at this point he tries to stay away a little bit. It's good for him to hear about a lot of the little intricate stuff that is going to come up at some point. You don't want to overload him too much right away. At the same time, he's got to hear it and go through it. He'll make mistakes, but every rookie does. The good ones learn from it, come back and don't make it again."

Elliott is cognizant he's facing a sharp learning curve, but is approaching his mistakes with a positive mindset.

"The best way to learn is getting out there, getting reps, and making mistakes," Elliott said. "Once you make a mistake, it's kind of in your head what you need to do and what exactly is going on. Once you make that first mistake, it kind of clears up everything, and everything can come to you."