NFL Draft Diamond: Exclusive Interview with Lawrence Elliott Jr.

Saturday Blitz chats with Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania running back Lawrence Elliott Jr. as he finishes his final season with the Huskies.

Bloomsburg University of Pennsylvania isn’t a team competing for a College Football Playoff spot. They don’t have Nick Saban as a coach. And, as a Division II college football team, they aren’t a place many people look for NFL Draft picks. What they have, though, is a diamond in the rough who is just about to finish his senior season.

Lawrence Elliott Jr., the 6’1″ force behind a PSAC Championship favorite, Bloomsburg Huskies’ team, has one thing on his mind, his last college games.

“A lot of unique situations or circumstances could happen this season for us if we win out the rest of the way,” Elliott said. “But I would love the opportunity to play in my third PSAC championship game. Not many can say that.”

The future is bright for this back. That hasn’t distracted him, though. Elliott continues to play with one thing on his mind, and that’s his team.

Elliott’s drive, passion, and loyalty is exactly what got him to where he is. He’s on pace to lead the PSAC in touchdowns, currently with 14 rushing touchdowns in 2016. This comes as no surprise to the pre-season All-American. However, Elliott doesn’t look at stats. In fact, his numbers don’t mean much to the 2015 PSAC First-Team All-Conference member.

“I think it’s all just numbers and my in game approach and action speaks for itself,” Elliott said. “All those numbers can be improved when you learn the technique and practice those various drills.”

my in game approach and action speaks for itself

Not caring about statistics isn’t much of a shock from a player with NFL potential. Most stars believe that there isn’t a limit on their talent. Elliott doesn’t either. Whether it’s blocking, running, catching, or returning, Elliott believes he’ll one day be perfect at them all.

When it comes to the NFL Draft, like every other player hoping to hear their name called, you can’t overthink it.

“No whatever what you do in life you always look to advance and improve to take advantage of opportunity you create for yourself,” said Elliott. “I would love for that opportunity to present itself. It will be a dream come true. For right now, I want to continue to improve on my senior season and help find ways for my team to win.”

For a Division II athlete, becoming a professional is much more difficult than for a Division I player. These players aren’t the first to be looked at. They aren’t seen on TV every Saturday. And they certainly don’t have the connections most Division I football players do. That certainly doesn’t mean these players aren’t NFL ready.

Lawrence Elliott Jr. has a skill set any NFL team would love to have. At 6’1″ 215 lbs, and an unofficial 4.62 40-yard dash, Elliot has the size and speed to be a major power in any backfield. Elliot doesn’t want to only help in the running game, though.

“Getting the opportunity some things I could bring to a NFL team are Blocking 2,3 techniques which most RBs are shy to do if asked,” Elliott said when asked what he could bring to the next level. “The ability to catch out of the backfield, but also from out wide or in the slot making me a triple threat. Running the football using my patience and vision to allow things to develop and utilizing my acceleration to outrun defenders to rack up yardage. Also, being able to withstand and hold up week in week out without several injuries.”

At the end of the day, Lawrence Elliott Jr.’s aspirations are just like every other athletes; to succeed. The difference between Elliott and the rest of the pack, Elliott doesn’t dream of success, he works towards it. He knows, and thrives off of nothing being handed to him. He knows his weaknesses, and never lets them stop him. Instead, Elliott looks to defeat them.

“I want to show everyone that I can do it all as a player. All the work in the off season to improve areas of my game such as not being able to complete or finish “homerun” plays,” said Elliot about his goals each year. “There’s never a time when you’ll hit perfection. The best you can do is reach a point where others are striving to match your skill, while you strive to make sure they never do.”

This running back only has a few games left in his college career. His football career, though, has a lot left. He’s already overcome the obstacles needed to reach a point where he can succeed. But like Elliott says, you need to improve in order to see opportunities. There’s still a lot of opportunities ahead of this running back. With his eye’s on improvement, taking advantage of these opportunities will come with ease.

“Failure would be having regrets from any game. So far, I have no regrets,” says Elliott.