Zeke in my opinion, is without a doubt the team's best player. Highly productive, highly durable (never missed a game due to an injury). Opposing teams game plan to shut him down.
Last year was the first season, he legitimately lost the rushing title, finishing with over 1,300 yards and 12 td's. Many will argue his holdout affected his play early on, no matter, it will fuel his motivation for this upcoming season.
Zeke is the most balance RB in the entire league, he doesn't have a weakness on the field, but he has been vastly underused as a receiver by the former coaching staff. We have seen what he can do in space and he is deadly on screens passes. MM and is WCO will incorporate Zeke far more in the team's passing game. We are going to finally see the Zeke Elliot at his full potential. He has a LaDanian Tomlinson type of ceiling as an all-around back. The return of the zbs and a new RB coach who oversaw Gurley's success in it, will only help Zeke get better. In my opinion, he is going to have a monster season!!
Zeke actually does seem to have a weakness now, IMO, ,.. he is no longer explosive and a legit home run threat,.. no longer do teams need to fear a single hand off of quick screen pass and ZKE and instantly hitting fifth gear to a 60 yard TD.
those are the kind of backs that defensive coordinators fear the most .. when we play Sasquon Barkley he keeps us n egg shells with every single carry or touch he gets.
Zeke does not have elite elusiveness and feet.such as Barry sanders, thurman thomas , marshall faulk Ladanian Thomplison, Jamal Charles...or even Saquon Barkley, those are start-stop-and re-start type backs, multiple cut backs.
Zeke is not gonna make a lot of one on one dazzling whiff misses in the open field.
But with his natural instincts and
one cut style and build up burst (once upon a time) he didn't have to be a multi-cut, highly elusive runner.
Eric Dickerson was also a one cut runner ,,..Adrian Peterson is a one cut runner.
Neither were highly one on one elusive either, but both were instant home run splash runners, Both scared the hell outta of you when going against him, because you could not afford to lose containment for an instant because they would zoom it to a 50-60 yd TD run .
Some can point to the number of 10 and 20 yard runs,but i don't consider ta threatening home run hitter- a tall tale is more how many 40+ big runs has zeke had.
Something simply happened to zeke prior to 2018, because he seem to become more bell cow grinder pounder... and less of the instant feared splash runner that entered the NFL and took the world by storm n 2016.
He is still an "angry" runner. the violent power, the leg drive, punishes tacklers moving forward - and several defenders have said that zeke " punishes' you, he puts pounding upon you and can wear you down. And what some overlook is how zeke not only has a great knack for the goal line but many times he just overpowers and carries multiple defenders with his strength and awesome leg drive.
But i would not think after just 4 years and averaging 20.4 carries per his career, ZKE body would already be wearing down from his own pounding.
Otherwise that's gonna be a Chris Johnson like early career and soon average player ending.