Ezekiel Elliott was the top running back taken in the 2016 NFL draft, and it looks increasingly more likely LSU’s Leonard Fournette will be the first player at the position picked in 2017.
Who would NFL executives take if they had the choice between the two? The answer might surprise you.
NFL Network’s Daniel Jeremiah posed that very question to five NFL decision makers. Three of the five picked Fournette over Elliott, who led the NFL in rushing for the 13-3 Dallas Cowboys as a rookie.
“I really like Elliott, but Fournette is an animal,” one executive told Jeremiah. “Guys like him don’t come around very often.”
Fournette, who is listed at 6’1″ and 236 pounds, rushed for 843 yards and eight touchdowns during an injury-plagued junior season.
“You don’t see guys with Fournette’s size/speed combination very often,” another exec said. “He’s a rare, rare talent. He’s the most talented runner to come out since Adrian Peterson.”
Many backs are compared to Peterson, a physical freak who immediately became a star in the NFL. But the comparisons feel genuine with Fournette, who has a highlight reel of bowling over would-be tacklers.
Leonard Fournette Highlights pic.twitter.com/IqPeY83gVc
— 2017 NFL Draft (@DraftRT) January 7, 2017
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The executives voting for Elliott often pointed to his versatility and completeness as a player. The fourth overall pick produced 1,994 yards from scrimmage as a rookie in 2016.
The debate between Elliott and Fournette is a fun one, especially if Fournette can enter the NFL next year and dominate right away like Elliott and Peterson. The LSU star will only add to a golden age of running backs that also includes David Johnson and Le’Veon Bell.
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