It's unclear if Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott will be the Eagles' highest-rated player when they're on the clock with the eighth pick in April's draft.
If he is, don't expect the Eagles to hesitate just because he's a running back.
Vice president of football operations Howie Roseman on Monday at the annual NFL owners meetings dismissed the idea that good running backs fall off trees.
“It's interesting because we studied this. There's this narrative that you can get running backs in the fifth, sixth, seventh round and undrafted free agency,” Roseman said to reporters in Boca Raton.
“When you look back at the last 10 years, guys who were top 10 in rushing, those guys are high picks. And so when you find the special talent at that position, that guy who can run the ball, who can pass protect, catch the ball out of the backfield. That's a unique weapon. I don't think the position is devalued.”
Earlier this month, Roseman made a trade to pick up the eighth overall pick in April's draft in exchange for Byron Maxwell, Kiko Alonso and the 13th pick.
Shortly thereafter, Roseman said the Eagles identified 10 players who they wanted to target in the draft. It's unknown whether or not Elliott one of those 10, but he is widely considered the best running back in the draft. And while the Eagles — along with every other team — boast the philosophy to select the best player available, the Eagles do have a pressing need at running back after trading DeMarco Murray.
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At the very least, Roseman wants other teams to think Elliot is in play for the Eagles. This is a time of the year where smokescreens come out in full force.
But if the Eagles really do feel this way about running backs, there's a good chance they'll like Elliott. He was a star at Ohio State and aside from being a good runner, he has the ability to block and pass-catch, which makes him a three-down back the day he enters the NFL. While Roseman didn't mention Elliott by name, he did list those qualities.
The Eagles have in the past drafted running backs in later rounds with varied levels of success, but Roseman made it a point to differentiate talent from special talent.
“I think when you talk about that, there's a difference between a special player and a role player at the position,” Roseman said. “When you talk about those guys, those are good players, but when you talk about the guys who are the 1,500-yard rushers, the guys people are game-planning for, those are hard to get later in the draft.”
The Eagles haven't drafted a running back in the first round since they took Keith Byars in 1986. The last running back the Eagles drafted was Bryce Brown in the seventh round in 2012. They took Dion Lewis in the fifth round in 2011. The last time they drafted a running back in the first three rounds was 2009, when they took LeSean McCoy in the second out of Pitt.
After trading Murray this offseason, the Eagles still have Ryan Mathews, Darren Sproles and Kenjon Barner on the roster. Roseman on Monday said the team felt good about those returning players but is "constantly exploring" other options at the position.
It's still unclear if Elliott is one of those options, but after Monday, there's more of a reason to think he might be.