I've studied hours of tape on Zeke and Henry. Make no doubt about it that Zeke is the definition of a "complete" back. Zeke does not have any "flaw" in his game. He will be a very, very good player, no doubt. Very, very low risk pick.. This guy will clearly be a really good NFL RB. He can play EVERY down. Literally every single down, that is his biggest strength. Don't expect Adrian Peterson though!
Also, the criticisms that some have here of Henry's ability to need a "runway" to get going is 100% true. To put this into application of a real scenario, if Henry gets picked to a team that struggles, particularly at the LOS he will struggle. The thing is, if he plays on the Cowboys, he WILL have that runway to get going. Henry is very slow around the LOS, but once he gets his "runway" he bursts and he is difficult to stop at that point. I liked what I saw from Henry in how he would project in Dallas' offense. I believe both of these backs would find a lot of success in Dallas. I'll do some grades with general gist of my thoughts.
Zeke --
Burst: A (he gets thru the hole fast, moves past the LOS fast)
Long Speed: A- (has a strange knack of getting caught from behind, like he slows down to look back, really annoys me.. not as bad as DeMarco tho)
Agility: A+ (unbelievable footwork, stop/start ability, quick movements, elite change of direction.. on some plays his agility is Shady McCoy-like)
Balance: A
Vision: A
IQ: A+ (you can just see how smart he is on the field after watching 5 mins of him play, even without the ball)
Power: A- (strong for his size, tough as well)
Moves: A- (nice simple juke moves using his agility, also has a spin move he will use)
Finishing Runs: A (always falls forward)
Pad Level: A-
Pass catcher: A-
Ball Security: A+
Blocking: A+
Overall: A
I'm nitpicking, but I wish he had elite breakaway speed to cap off his abilities.. When he is ahead of the pack he constantly looks back, wish he would just put his head down and sprint like his life depended on it. Also whats with their comparison to Marshawn Lynch?.. No not even close, I would compare Zeke Elliot to Marshall Faulk.
Henry --
Burst: A- (starts slow behind LOS but has nice burst once he gets going)
Long Speed: A+ (never ever gets caught from behind)
Agility: C (very slow to move behind LOS, slow COD, biggest weakness -- to be expected at his height/weight)
Balance: C+ (slips, gets tripped up)
Vision: A+ (had holes in Bama, but really knew where he needed to go even when LOS got clogged up, problem was a lot of times he couldn't get to that spot fast enough bc of lack of agility.. also maneuvers into positions to assist his blockers. I believe this trait is very important in how he would fit into Dallas)
IQ: B+ (lacking when he doesn't have the ball in his hands)
Power: A- (he actually doesn't display as much power as you'd like for his size.. this should be an A+. he is NOT a PURE POWER back)
Moves: B-
Finishing Runs: A (same comments as power, this should be an A+.. but he definitely falls forward, doesn't "punish" defenders like you'd expect. This guy is NOT a pure POWER back ie Brandon Jacobs.. everyone makes this comparison but it is simply not true. Jacobs was a pure bruiser where as Henry is more of a technician / home run runner. He shows less power than DeMarco Murray, that being said maybe this would develop in his time in the NFL. Honestly any scout who says Henry compares to Jacobs is being extremely lazy or hasn't watched his tape, this dude is not a bulldozer)
Pad Level: C (think DeMarco Murray)
Pass catcher: B- (dunno why people criticize his receiving skills, he is definitely not bad)
Ball Security: A+
Blocking: B (has some good moments in blocking, but man he is really soft in blocking for his size)
Overall: B (his strengths would put him at a B+/A- in Dallas.. his vision, long speed, and ability to be a bellcow RB would translate well to our offense. One issue would be his pass blocking)
One weird thing I noticed is that Zeke is a tougher football player than Henry, despite Henry being way bigger. This really shows in Zeke's blocking, and his general competitive toughness when he isn't getting the ball. Henry seems a bit soft when blocking and when he isn't carrying the ball.
Zeke has the big advantage in that he could be on the field for every single play and it'd never be a giveaway with what the offense is doing. It'd be tough to trust Henry to protect for Romo, particularly as a rookie. I believe Henry would be a fantastic runner (not a total back) behind our OL. It just comes down to the cost of Zeke (#4) vs Henry (#34). Its weird when I type this out because I actually like Henry a lot, but Zeke is a much better total back than him. If Zeke had Henry's long run speed.. my god. If we picked Henry I would hope that he developed his power game more so with an NFL strength/conditioning program + some coaching. He doesn't utilize his size as much as he should.
Ultimately I don't believe we will take Zeke at #4, he could be in play if we trade down. I wouldn't be surprised if we pick Henry in the 2nd.
