For years the NFL's all-time leading rusher has been calling for his former team to run the ball more often.

So it's no surprise that Emmitt Smith loves that the Dallas Cowboys used the fourth overall pick on Ezekiel Elliott on Thursday night.

"I think they got a very, very good football player," Smith said on 105.3 The Fan's G-Bag Nation show Tuesday afternoon [KRLD-FM]. "I really do. I like Zeke. I've always liked Zeke. I met him through Urban Meyer obviously when Ohio State was here playing in the national championship game.

"I'm looking forward to what he brings to the table. ... I think the Cowboys did a very good job."

Last Friday, Smith welcomed Elliott to Dallas on Twitter. A fan responded to that tweet by typing, "let's just hope he's as good as you were."

Smith replied: "He's better."

"Well, he is better in the context of his speed, he's faster," Smith explained Tuesday. "In the context of his ability to block, he can block. I just think that he's a smart football player. At the end of the day, I'd like to think that he is better than me because obviously some of those things that we just talked about actually give him the ability to make a house call when he needs to.

"I'm always going to believe that someone else is better than me, so I can always remain hungry even though I'm not competing any more. I just think that Zeke has a very unique skill set. And it's not up to me to compare myself to him or anyone else to compare him to me. Bottom line is, I'm going to sit back and enjoy this talent that's coming to the Dallas Cowboys and cheer it on and support it in any way I can."

With the former Ohio State standout now on the roster, fans have started calling Elliott, Tony Romo and Dez Bryant the new triplets.

How does Smith feel about the name given to him, Troy Aikman and Michael Irvin being passed down to this group?

"The way I see it is, sometimes you got to let the old stuff go and embrace the new," Smith said. "Come up with something a little bit more different, because this is people's way of trying to compare [the new to the old]. The bottom line is, you have something very special, very unique right now, in terms of Zeke, Romo and Dez and don't forget Jason Witten.

"Right now, people should be focusing on how well this team is going to come together as a team and how they're going to function together this fall. And pray for great health, because if we're healthy, we can definitely compete with anybody in the National Football League."