Who is/was the better prospect? Zeke in 2016 or Jeanty in 2025

Zeke was a filthy good prospect. He absolutely shredded the #1 and #2 teams in the playoffs. He was 227 lbs with 4.47 speed. He never took negative runs, and he was a better pass blocker than half the guys starting in the NFL. In those regards, he was a coach's dream.

What separates Jeanty from him the most IMO is his size. Jeanty is 215 and I'm guessing he runs a 4.45. He's basically a weight class down from Zeke and isn't any faster. And he's not as polished as Zeke, but few if any backs in the last decade have been.
 
Zeke would have shattered records if he didn't fall off the cliff so fast,
 
Zeke was special. I think Jeanty may continue to work on his craft after being in the league for some years.
 
Seems like the consensus is Zeke…

That being said - dude came into arguably the best OL in football then literally regressed every year he was in the league. I’m speculating but after his 1st few seasons feel like he might’ve gotten lazy and complacent.

Maybe Jeanty isn’t that guy and will bust his butt for a better long term career. TBD.
 
WillieBeamen said:
https://www.nfl.com/prospects/ezekiel-elliott/3200454c-4c28-9284-cdcc-74694c8d1749

https://www.nfl.com/prospects/ashton-jeanty/32004a45-4142-7291-3a65-da29eaedce27


Zeke was probably the better overall player but Jeanty has some of the best contact balance ive ever seen.
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Elliott was the better NFL prospect, but might not be the better NFL player. Elliott's problem was that he decided he wanted to be a power back. Well, he may not have been the one who decided that, but that's the direction he took his career. He gained bulk, but lost speed and elusiveness. When he (or someone else) finally figured that out and he slimmed down and got quicker, it was too late for him because his body was worn down and broke.
 
cnuball21 said:
Seems like the consensus is Zeke…

That being said - dude came into arguably the best OL in football then literally regressed every year he was in the league. I’m speculating but after his 1st few seasons feel like he might’ve gotten lazy and complacent.

Maybe Jeanty isn’t that guy and will bust his butt for a better long term career. TBD.
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Maybe that was it, but I didn't really see a player who didn't work hard. I saw a player who tried to become a tank and run over people, and that's usually a recipe for a short career.
 
Zeke, but their skillet is a bit different.

Jeanty is a more of a Marshawn Lynch type RB.
 
Cowboyny said:
Zeke was better at the same stage, but Jeanty is definitely as good as Bijian Robinson who was the 8th overall pick 2 years ago. He is better then Gibbs who just had an incredible season
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zeke as a prospect, and his late stage collegiate performances leading up to the draft was insane. absolute shame how things went for him (and us).

I still remember him trucking Kam Chancellor in preseason and how electric the air around the team felt. :(
 
cnuball21 said:
Seems like the consensus is Zeke…

That being said - dude came into arguably the best OL in football then literally regressed every year he was in the league. I’m speculating but after his 1st few seasons feel like he might’ve gotten lazy and complacent.

Maybe Jeanty isn’t that guy and will bust his butt for a better long term career. TBD.
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Dallas definitely got their value out of his rookie contract. Like you, I wonder why he regressed so quickly. Was it his body not meant to be hit 300+ times a season? Did he embrace the Dallas nightlife more than staying 100% committed to the NFL rigors?
I never questioned his effort on the field, but it seemed like he went from elite to very good, good and then JAG in short order.
 
John813 said:
Dallas definitely got their value out of his rookie contract. Like you, I wonder why he regressed so quickly. Was it his body not meant to be hit 300+ times a season? Did he embrace the Dallas nightlife more than staying 100% committed to the NFL rigors?
I never questioned his effort on the field, but it seemed like he went from elite to very good, good and then JAG in short order.
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We watched him get fatter and slower lol…I think it was a work ethic thing but just my guess.
 
Proof said:
zeke as a prospect, and his late stage collegiate performances leading up to the draft was insane. absolute shame how things went for him (and us).

I still remember him trucking Kam Chancellor in preseason and how electric the air around the team felt. :(
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You watch Zeke's rookie games, he looks as good as Barkley has this year. People tend to forget, we were the #1 seed in the playoffs that year.
 
cnuball21 said:
I love Jeanty…but even looking at recent classes he’d go behind Bijan and Gibbs without hindsight.
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I disagree, think he is a better prospect then Gibbs and is on the same level as Robinson. The biggest knock on Jeanty is just his level of competition. LT. Marshall Faulk, Walter Payton all played against lesser competition too, but yet they all were hall of fame players.
 
beware_d-ware said:
Zeke was a filthy good prospect. He absolutely shredded the #1 and #2 teams in the playoffs. He was 227 lbs with 4.47 speed. He never took negative runs, and he was a better pass blocker than half the guys starting in the NFL. In those regards, he was a coach's dream.

What separates Jeanty from him the most IMO is his size. Jeanty is 215 and I'm guessing he runs a 4.45. He's basically a weight class down from Zeke and isn't any faster. And he's not as polished as Zeke, but few if any backs in the last decade have been.
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I think Jeanty's contact balance is his best trait, always makes that first guy miss. He is a different type of runner than Zeke. More of the Barkely hard to tackle in space, where Zeke was more of a power runner that would ware down defenses with his physical style. I think Hampton/Johnson are more in that mold.
 
Cowboyny said:
I disagree, think he is a better prospect then Gibbs and is on the same level as Robinson. The biggest knock on Jeanty is just his level of competition. LT. Marshall Faulk, Walter Payton all played against lesser competition too, but yet they all were hall of fame players.
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Robinson was bigger and a better receiver / blocker.

Gibbs’ receiving ability puts him over the top for me…arguably the best of the last decade.

This is leaving out competition…which also matters.
 
Zeke never had the speed of Jeanty or his vision but he is bigger and one of the best pass protectors.
 
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