Report: Bears meet with Ezekiel Elliott

Report: Bears met with Ezekiel Elliott

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Two weeks after the Bears parted with Matt Forte, they might be looking for his replacement.

According to 670 The Score’s Chris Emma, Chicago met with Ohio State running back Ezekiel Elliott at the NFL Combine this week in Indianapolis.

Elliott said earlier this month that being drafted by the Bears would be “a dream situation.” Chicago running back coach Stan Drayton was Eliott’s coach at Ohio State during the Buckeyes’ national championship run in 2014.

“Stan Drayton, that’s my guy,” Elliott said, via CBS Chicago. “He’s been part of it ever since I got on campus. He’s one of the biggest reasons why I’m (at the NFL Combine) today. He made sure that when I learned the position, I learned it thoroughly. I learned now only what I do, but what the guys around me do. That made me understand the game so much better.”

In three postseason games during the 2015 playoffs, Elliott rushed for 696 yards and eight touchdowns. He finished his three-year collegiate career with nearly 4,000 yards rushing and is widely considering the top running back in the draft.

The Bears haven’t taken a running back in the first round since drafting Cedric Benson in 2005, but they would almost certainly need to spend a first-round pick to snag Elliott.

ESPN’s Todd McShay ranked Elliott as the No. 15 overall draft-eligible prospect this year.

Via ESPN:

Elliott has the combination of patience, vision and suddenness to excel as an interior runner in the NFL. He keeps defenders off-balance with smooth change-of-direction skills. Elliott is a powerful back who almost always churns out yards after initial contact and falls forward at the end of runs.

The draft, which will return to Chicago for the second-consecutive year, will kick off April 28 at the Auditorium Theatre.