Getty Images

Cowboys defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli may not have gotten the kind of impact pass-rusher he was hoping for in the draft.

But he thinks the guy the Cowboys did draft first — running back Ezekiel Elliott — will make a huge difference for his side of the ball.

“I’m elated because I think you always look at the big picture,” Marinelli said on 105.3 The Fan. “We don’t play fantasy football. It’s not that. A 1-yard, 2-yard run there’s fight and physicalness. That’s good for your team. It develops toughness. We have to go against that offense every day. We play our offense more than anybody. It develops a hardness to your defense. You’ve got to play against a great line, a great back, now you’ve got to match up on an All-Pro receiver, great quarterback.

“It’s the physical nature of the game, which at times is being lost in today’s football. The physical nature of the game, I believe in that. This young man and the other backs are going to bring that.”

The Cowboys defense will certainly be tested in practice, as they have a collection of talent to rival anyone in the league. Whether they have enough bodies to stop it during the week or not, they’re going to have to be better on defense on Sundays for it to matter at all.