Ezekiel Elliott: DeMarco Murray reached out after Cowboys drafted me

Former Dallas Cowboy DeMarco Murray reached out to newly drafted running back Ezekiel Elliott.

According to Elliott, Murray told him he will enjoy playing for the Cowboys and Jason Garrett.

Murray was traded this off-season from the Philadelphia Eagles to the Tennessee Titans.

The Cowboys explored the possibility of bringing Murray back, but the money didn't work out.

Here's a transcript of the news conference:

Jerry Jones: "We had a great visit with you last night about the guy sitting to my right. So knowing that there's been no stone unturned by your reporting and career abilities, you know more about it than anything I can say. You know more about this guy sitting next to me. We are excited to have him here and have him involved in the future of the Dallas Cowboys. We're excited to have his father, Stacy, that has joined him from quite an athletic family. His mom ran track, which I think was the decathlon. But anyway, quite an athlete. And of course his dad was a linebacker at the University of Missouri and he's from St. Louis."

Jason Garrett: "We talked a lot about last night what kind of player we think Zeke is, but to us more importantly, what kind of a young man he is. Things are going to happen quickly around here. We're going to do things like this. You guys are going to get a chance to know Zeke. But then we're going to get to work. I know he's excited about that. I know that's what he's all about. You ask anybody up at Ohio State and they say that's what he's all about. We're excited to hit the ground running and get him on the practice field with our fellow rookies this weekend at the rookie mini-camp and get them going. So just welcome him here to the Cowboys."

Stephen Jones: "I would go with the same thoughts. I think we said it all last night. It's great to have him here."

Ezekiel Elliott 

(On what his mentality is without the ball) - "The way I approach things is that I'm a physical player. So every play I'm trying to get as many shots on the opposing team as I can so when you get to the fourth quarter they obviously don't want to be on the field anymore."

(On his first day at Valley Ranch as a Cowboy) - "This is my first time in Valley Ranch as a Cowboy, but it's been a whirlwind. It's starting to sink in. I'm proud to be a part of this prestigious organization. I'm just looking forward to coming in and getting to work."

(On how much sleep he got last night) - "Not too much."

(On his suit matching the team's colors and if he already had that suit) - "I had a couple of options."

On Emmitt Smith's tweets to him saying 'he hopes he's better than him' and if he's heard them:

(On if he'd like to establish a relationship with Emmitt Smith and Tony Dorsett) - "I definitely would. That's something I did at Ohio State, establishing relationships with those great running backs. The best way to learn to be great is by going to pick those guys' brains, so that's what I'm going to do."

(On what it meant to him to have Darren McFadden reach out to him on Twitter to welcome him with open arms) - "It just shows how special of a person this is, and I'm looking forward to coming in here and learning from him and learning what allowed him to be so successful."

(On if after his visit if he hoped that he would come back here again full-time as a Cowboy) - "I think it was pretty obvious that Dallas is where I wanted to be, so it's a dream come true being able to come to the place that you wanted to end up."

(On where his vision on the football field comes from) - "I think vision is kind of natural, but honestly when I saw myself come from an average pro to a great pro in college is when I started to become a real student of the game. Not only do I play with instincts, but I play physically. The faster you're able to play, the better the player you're going to be."

(On his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield) - "I started off as a slot receiver, so I caught the ball a lot out of high school and it just kind of carried over to college. Catching the ball is pretty natural to me."

(On how appealing is it to play in this offense and where he sees himself fit in) - "That's very appealing to me, but there's already a great stable of veteran running backs here, so I've got to come here and get to work and compete with those guys."

(On what he drew from both of his parents competing athletically at a high level) - "Honestly, my parents never really pushed athletics to me. We were an academics first family. My parents did a great job of not interfering with my athletic life. They showed me sports and they let me gain my own love for the game rather than kind of forcing it upon me. I think that's honestly where they went right is by not forcing it upon me but letting me love the game myself."

(On how playing at Ohio State against a high level of competition prepared him for the NFL) - "At Ohio State, Coach [Urban] Meyer, he demands nothing but excellence from us. If you are not going to come to work, if you are not going to come to be great, then he is going to run you out of there. You really don't have a choice. That's why you see that we have such successful players. That's why we have five guys who went in the first round."

(On whether he has heard from any veteran Cowboys players since he was drafted) - "These past 24 hours have been kind of crazy, so honestly I haven't been on my phone as much, but actually DeMarco Murray did reach out to me. He's not a veteran here [Dallas] anymore, but he is a former veteran here."

(On what Murray said) - "He said I am going to have a great time playing for Coach Garrett and coach [Gary] Brown."

(On his memories of running up and down AT&T Stadium) - "I have a good track record at AT&T Stadium and I am excited to get back in there."

(On whether he thought he wanted to be back in Dallas as pro when he was celebrating a National Championship as a college athlete at AT&T Stadium) - "Honestly, that never really went through my mind then, but it is a great stadium and I am glad to call it home."

(On whether he comes to Dallas feeling like he has to earn the veteran players respect and their trust) - "I definitely do. These are battle-tested guys and it is going to be an honor being able to play on the same field as them. I am going to use all my resources and I am going to pick their brains. I am going to come here and try to figure out what has allowed them to become such successful players in this game for such a long time."

(On his relationship with his offensive line at Ohio State) - "I went out of my way to become close with those guys because I think that is important. They embraced me as kind of an honorary lineman; we call them the slobs at Ohio State. I think what helped that is my willingness to block just like them. They kind of accepted me with open arms."

(On him expressing frustration about playing time against Michigan State) - "I look back on it as a mistake, but definitely a growing opportunity. I'm glad I made that mistake early in my career, and I've grown from that."

(On what Coach Garrett learned from Urban Meyer about Elliott)

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