Ezekiel Elliott vs. Jalen Ramsey was a hot-button topic before the NFL draft, and it might be when their careers are over. The Dallas Cowboys had their choice at either prospect and chose to draft Elliott, even with pressing needs on defense.

Former NFL general managers Charley Casserly and Ray Farmer discussed the pick on NFL.com. Casserly said the Cowboys "absolutely" made the right call of drafting Ezekiel Elliott over Jalen Ramsey.

"I think Ezekiel Elliott is going to be the Offensive Rookie of the Year," he said. ".....Here's the thing. To me, you go back to 2014. They ran the ball, they dominated on that side of the ball. It kept the defense off the field. It helped Tony Romo cut down on his turnovers. They got a lot of holes on defense. They couldn't fill all their holes on defense with one pick. Ezekiel Elliott: that's the guy that can affect the defense and do more to win ballgames. This guy is the most impactful rookie in this year's class."

Casserly also asked Farmer how he thinks Rod Marinelli felt after the pick and the selection of Jaylon Smith, who might not even play this year.

"I handle that by really addressing the needs of the entire organization," Farmer said. "You got to look at, 'What are we trying to accomplish here?' And right now it seems like they're trying to make sure they can control the ball and they can score points. Our philosophy, which obviously has been discussed inside the organization, is pointed back to the fact that we want to make sure our offense is real, Tony Romo is healthy [and] we cut down on our mistakes. It proved to be the right decision in 2014 when DeMarco Murray was the bell cow and they were able to control the ball. And the defense that people had question marks about ended up being pretty good at the end of the year because they didn't have to play the number of snaps they would have had to otherwise."

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Tim Cowlishaw wrote after the draft that picking Elliott could send Dallas back to the playoffs.

The Cowboys' draft produced more questions than answers which is never good. But I feel like it has been dissected enough at this point. No more grades, no more macro-analysis. Ever the optimist when it comes to this team striving to end a 20-year NFC Championship Game appearance drought, I want to focus on the micro.

Not even one player, but one aspect of one player that might save last weekend from disaster and send the Cowboys back to the playoffs in just eight months.

And that is this: Ezekiel Elliott's ability to raise a defense from the dead.

Or, to put it somewhat less dramatically, how drafting a running back at the No. 4 spot was a better way to enhance this team's turnover total than selecting defensive back Jalen Ramsey or even defensive end Joey Bosa, had he not been gobbled up by San Diego at No. 3.

Read his full column here.