ARLINGTON, Texas– About 24 hours after being selected in the first round by the Cowboys, Ezekiel Elliott found himself surrounded by a few players who have been in his shoes.

Recent first-round picks center Travis Frederick, offensive tackle Tyron Smith and cornerback Morris Claiborne welcomed the former Ohio State running back to AT&T Stadium for a roundtable during Friday's Miller Lite Draft Party. 

With the group on a state, surrounded by fans, Elliott asked the veterans for advice on making a good impression.

"Just come to work and ask questions because there's no such thing as a wrong question," said Smith, who was the Cowboys' 2011 first-round pick. "And you know, put up with rookie duties.

As Roundtable host and radio play-by-play announcer Brad Sham asked the former first rounders to describe their draft experience, the sleepless rookie reflected back on the last 24 hours. Each veteran described their experience as nerve-racking and their summer camps as battles to prove they deserved to be picked in the first round.

"Being picked where I was, you get thrown in the fire no matter what," Claiborne said. "They're expecting you to come out and play.  Playing against someone like Dez Bryant, he's going to make sure he catches everything."

Elliott not only asked that the current players take him under their wings but to also hold him to a high standard.

"I knew coach (Urban) Meyer was going to bring the best out of me," Elliott said. "When I first got to Ohio State, I was an average football player and coach Meyer gave me a hard time. That's what I wanted. I want to be given a hard time because that forced me to work."

Fellow running backs Darren McFadden and Alfred Morris will be among the first Cowboys to work with Elliott to get him on the same page.

"Everyone's willing to help everyone else," Frederick said.  "Everyone in that running back room is going to help you and try to help you be the best, even if that means there's no more room in that running back room. Everyone's going to teach you what they can. So, just absorb everything that you can."

Though Elliott gets to decompress Friday night, he'll be back on the field with his fellow rookies in about a week, for the start of Friday's rookie mini-camp at Valley Ranch.

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