Why Ezekiel Elliott has become impossible to fairly evaluate

Ezekiel Elliott is in the midst of one of the most impressive rookie campaigns of the last decade, leading the NFL in rushing through nine games, while steering the Dallas Cowboys to an NFC-best 8-1 record. Elliott also runs behind the league's marquee offensive line that features three presumptive All-Pros in left tackle Tyron Smith, center Travis Frederick, and right guard Zack Martin, rendering the 21-year-old as a player impossible to evaluate.

Elliott's rare combination of outstanding straight-line speed, elusiveness, power and field vision led the Cowboys to select him fourth overall in the 2016 NFL Draft, though some critiqued the team for reaching for a running back. After completing a prolific collegiate career at Ohio State, Elliott wasted no time making a significant impact at the professional level, becoming one of the faces of the NFL's highest-profile franchises. If Elliott were to be this productive for any other team, the running back would be lauded without reservation. Instead, he's battling an unfair hypothetical, posturing whether he'd be able to replicate his numbers on another team.

In the video below, Elliott showcases his sublime ability in the open field, gliding past myriad Pittsburgh Steelers defenders en route to an 83-yard receiving touchdown. Rolling out of the backfield, Elliott turns upfield and sprints past six defenders for the score. Ordinarily, Elliott would be praised for his pace and agility, but many have been quick to point out that Martin (No. 70) seals the initial block on safety Sean Davis, giving the running back a healthy avenue to breeze through.

Frederick and Martin have been so proficient at manning the right side of the line that it's almost become an unlikely meme of its own. It's a healthy revelation that a center and guard are gaining widespread, mainstream attention for their play, but to what effect is it diminishing Elliott's real MVP credentials? To dismiss Elliott's campaign as a complete byproduct of the offensive line ignores his excellent blocking and blitz recognition, patience to wait for holes to emerge, along with his ability to elude defenders in the open field.

Though Smith, Frederick, and Martin deserve equal praise among Elliott and quarterback Dak Prescott for the team's 8-1 start, it becomes a toxic argument when the offensive line is celebrated at Elliott's expense, or vice versa, with each part working symbiotically. Ergo, Elliott's become nearly impossible to evaluate with analysts struggling to separate his production from that of the star-studded offensive line.

During the peak of the Cowboys' powers during the 1990s where they captured three Super Bowls in four years, Emmitt Smith ran behind an offensive line that featured Pro Bowlers Nate Newton, Erik Williams, Mark Tuinei, and Mark Stepnoski. Smith set the career rushing yards record and is considered by some to be the greatest running back of all time, while the aforementioned offensive line quartet is rated as a historic unit in their own right. Outstanding performances from the offensive line and running back are meant to co-exist, but still Elliott is a question mark to many.