Running back Ezekiel Elliott (center) of the Ohio State Buckeyes runs the ball against the Oregon Ducks during their College Football Playoff National Championship Game, at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas, on January 12, 2015. AFP FILE PHOTO NEW YORK: Ezekiel Elliott, the fourth overall pick in last month’s NFL Draft, signed a four-year deal on Wednesday (Thursday in Manila) with the Dallas Cowboys and vowed he’s ready for the high expectations thrust upon him.The standout college running back, projected as an instant starter, will be paid a $14.7 million signing bonus as part of a $22.6 million overall deal that keeps him with Dalls through 2019 with a club option for 2020.“I hate to lose more than I love winning and I’m coming to Dallas to win a Super Bowl,” Elliott said. “I live for the high expectations. I live for the big moments so I don’t think they could’ve picked a better player for this situation.”Only the fourth rusher taken with a top-five pick in the past decade, Elliott sparked Ohio State to the US collegiate crown in 2014 and won the Sullivan Award as the top US amateur athlete that year.Elliott is considered one of the top rookie all-around running backs to arrive in the NFL in several seasons, mixing solid blocking skills and receiving talents with his powerful running style.Cowboys owner Jerry Jones expects Elliott to allow the team to improve much the way it did in 2014 when star rusher DeMarco Murray handled the rushing load and added a threat for quarterback Tony Romo.Last season, Dallas slipped from winning the NFC East division crown to 4-12 with Romo sidelined much of the time by collarbone injuries.AFP
