Skip to content
Ezekiel Elliott

#15Ezekiel Elliott

RB·Ohio State·201520147.8 pts line value1st Round

Ezekiel Elliott is a 2-year Featured Back for Ohio State. Ezekiel's 2014 season ranks in the 88th percentile nationally by opponent-adjusted EPA per play across 285 plays — a above-average rate for the RB.

What projects, and what doesn't · RBs · held out 2019-2025

How well one season predicts the next, measured on seasons the model never trained on. 1.00 would be perfectly predictable; 0.00 means last year told us nothing.

  • Usage share (volume)0.52
    Beats guessing the RB average by 18%. n=4,219 RB seasons
  • EPA per play (efficiency)0.10
    Not projectable — we do not forecast this. n=3,575 RB seasons
  • Total EPA (value)0.41
    Beats guessing the RB average by 9%. n=3,575 RB seasons

Across all positions, usage carries year to year at 0.47 and efficiency at 0.07. So Ezekiel Elliott's projection is a projection of opportunity — how much of the offense he runs through. How well he converts it is something this model does not claim to know a year in advance, and the number above is why.

2014 Production

Rushing
1878 Rush yards18 Rush TD273 Carries6.9 Yards/carry
Receiving
28 Receptions220 Rec yards0 Rec TD7.9 Yards/rec
Returns
1 Kick returns16 KR yards0 KR TD

Performance Analysis · 2014 · vs RB peers

  • Efficiency88
  • Volume78
  • Explosiveness78
  • Consistency83
  • Receiving46
Player type
Featured Back

The centerpiece of the run game — high carry volume, used in early downs and goal-line, true workhorse role.

Primary ball carrierHigh volumeGoal-line threat
Peer percentiles
Opponent-adjusted EPA (WEPA/play)88th %ile · above avg
Game-to-game consistency83th %ile · above avg
Key findings
  • Above-average efficiency for the RB position (88th percentile).
  • High game-to-game consistency — reliable floor each week.
  • 5 high-impact games (EPA/play > 0.4) this season — elite ceiling.
  • Particularly dangerous on passing downs — efficiency spikes in obvious pass situations.
  • Peak game: 0.87 EPA/play in Wk 3 vs Kent State (SP+ -14).

Historical Comparables · RB · efficiency + volume + value

Players from 2013–2025 matched on EPA efficiency, play volume, and adjusted value tier — not just one metric.

PlayerTeamWEPA/playLine valTotal EPA
Rashaad PennySan Diego State0.4707.7138.2
J.K. DobbinsOhio State0.5108.4162.2
Devin SingletaryFlorida Atlantic0.5008.4159.5
Bryce LoveStanford0.4606.7130.6
Samaje PerineOklahoma0.4306.8121.3

Comps are statistical — efficiency, volume, and value tier all factor in. Style and conference context differ.

Game Log · box score + EPA, week by week

+0.8700.87Wk 1 vs Navy: +0.17 EPA/play1Wk 2 vs Virginia Tech: +0.22 EPA/play2Wk 3 vs Kent State: +0.87 EPA/play3Wk 5 vs Cincinnati: +0.55 EPA/play5Wk 6 vs Maryland: +0.20 EPA/play6Wk 8 vs Rutgers: +0.14 EPA/play8Wk 9 vs Penn State: +0.13 EPA/play9Wk 10 vs Illinois: +0.24 EPA/play10Wk 11 vs Michigan State: +0.39 EPA/play11Wk 12 vs Minnesota: +0.29 EPA/play12Wk 13 vs Indiana: +0.24 EPA/play13Wk 14 vs Michigan: +0.38 EPA/play14Wk 15 vs Wisconsin: +0.54 EPA/play15Wk 1 vs Oregon: +0.48 EPA/play1Wk 1 vs Alabama: +0.48 EPA/play1
EPA per play · x-axis: weekabove 0 = added points · below = lost
WkOpponentResultOpp SP+CarRush YdsAvgRush TDRecRec YdsRec TDEPA/play
1vsNavyW34-173.412443.710.17
2vsVirginia TechL21-357.88324.010.22
3vsKent StateW66-0-13.77659.3045200.87
5vsCincinnatiW50-286.9281826.5155100.55
6@MarylandW52-245.7241395.801600.20
8vsRutgersW56-17-1.512695.8142800.14
9@Penn StateW31-249.2261094.211700.13
10vsIllinoisW55-140.49697.701-100.24
11@Michigan StateW49-3724.1231546.720.39
12@MinnesotaW31-246.818915.1021900.29
13vsIndianaW42-271.8131078.2173900.24
14vsMichiganW42-288.2171217.121700.38
15vsWisconsinW59-020.82022011.020.54
1vsOregonW42-2024.7362466.841-100.48
1vsAlabamaW42-3534.32023011.5211300.48

Usage & Situational · Pro

Snap-share proxy
Overall
27.4%
Passing plays
7.0%
Rushing plays
41.1%
Standard downs
29.5%
Passing downs
21.7%
EPA by down type
Standard downs
0.35
Passing downs
0.57
Pass / Rush EPA
0.39 / 0.39

Usage = share of team plays (CFBD has no true snap counts).

Career · rolling EPA, game by game

Per-game EPA5-game avg
+0.970−0.142015
EPA per play · 2014 — 2015 · 28 games
SeasonTeamLine valueTotal EPA
2014Ohio State
7.8
151.8
2015Ohio State
8.6
149.3

Chart shows per-game EPA (bars) and rolling 5-game average (line). Season breaks marked with dashed lines. Line value = est. points over replacement per game.

EPA = expected points added (opponent-adjusted). NIL estimates are model-based ranges, not reported deals. Data: CollegeFootballData. Not betting advice.