Born in New Orleans, Louisiana, Leonard Fournette played high school ball at St. Augustine High School. He dominated the high school scene, and was named the 2013 USA Today’s High School Football Offensive Player of the Year. Alongside that, he was the top recruit in the class of 2014 according to ESPN, 247Sports, Scout and CBS Sports. Fournette was heavily recruited by all large schools, but stayed home and chose Louisiana State University.
Leading the SEC in all-purpose yards his freshman year and being named a consensus All-American by totaling nearly 2,000 yards and scoring 22 touchdowns as a sophomore, Fournette was a top performer at LSU. However, his most recent junior season was his most difficult. He suffered a preseason ankle injury which was aggravated multiple times during the season, and he played in just seven games. Even so, he was still named to the second-team All-SEC with 843 yards rushing and eight touchdowns.
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Statistics from sports-reference.com.
Fournette is a solidly built running back. He stands at 6’0” and weighed in at 240 pounds at the combine, which put him in the 92nd percentile for body mass index. The higher the BMI, the more an athlete will look like a bowling ball, and Fournette’s shows how sturdy he will be carrying the rock.
On his Player Profiler page, his college dominator score shows his importance to the team. With a score of 38.8%, he falls within the 82nd percentile. He also racked up a high college yards per carry score, which landed in the 84th percentile.
Fournette did not participate in all the drills at the combine. His 40 yard dash performance of 4.51 placed him in the 71st percentile. On the day, he came in overweight, but declared it was more water than actual fat. His statement proved to be true, as he was lighter come pro day (228 pounds).
Fournette’s scary size makes it hard for the defense to stop, but he adds even more punishment with his tremendous speed. It’s Newton’s second law – mass times acceleration equals force (F = ma). Fournette pairs his unique force with speed to place in the 96th percentile in speed score (116).
Fournette should have skipped the vertical jump. He just does not have the hops. He finished with a 28 ½ vert, which put him in the bottom one percent of the group. The vert is supposed to test the power and strength of a player, but Fournette was restricted by the extra pounds he put on. Since Fournette is built more like a wrecking ball than a stick, his score was expected to be lower, but not this low.
His Mock Draftable page also shows his arm length is above average (31 5/8) and falls into the 69th percentile. Arm length is good for blocking and keeping defenders at bay, and helps for catching radius. This is not necessarily a big advantage or disadvantage for a running back who didn’t make his name through the air, but it was good for him to show up in the two third of backs.
On the filed, he struggled catching the ball. He was seen double-catching passes and dropping the ball at times, and it may have been to do with his small hand size. The size of his hands does not carry much importance to the running game, but helps in blocking and catching. When he does make the grab, he turns up field immediately on screen passes. He had some difficulty with wheel routes at the combine, but he was successful enough in that area at LSU.
There is no doubt that Leonard Fournette is a special talent. He is built like a linebacker, but runs like a running back. The speed for a man his size is not found in many athletes, and his running style is comparable to a bull hunting down a matador. He can turn the corner well, and the power in his legs shakes defenders off him.
Fournette has explosion from the moment the ball is snapped, and can line up next to the quarterback in the shotgun formation or a traditional single or two-back system. He protects himself well by keeping his pad level low, and will fall forward after contact. He will surprise defenders with his lateral movements and can start and stop on a dime. He will rarely lose a one-on-one battle, tackling technique must be perfect to bring him down.
Fournette will have to learn that for a long career, it’s okay to avoid unnecessary contact. He likes to run people over, but the more he does, the more dings and dents he’ll get on his body. Fournette must learn that the sideline can be his friend. Not every defender is a target, and he should take the option to fight another day.
Don’t look for Fournette to juke a defender or make him buckle his knees. He will struggle to push his way through a clogged hole at the line of scrimmage. He also won’t be a gap jumper, as his hips are too tight. His production comes from when he can get downhill and take on the defensive backs or safeties. He will need to improve his decision-making and allow holes to develop. At the NFL level, his impatience could be his downfall. Can he create opportunities on his own without the offensive line opening huge holes?
Fournette will be the first or second running back taken in the 2017 NFL draft, and his exact fantasy value will be reliant on what team drafts him. At this point in his career, he should be given higher value in standard leagues, but that can change. His two biggest areas of need will keep him off the field in third-down situations, limiting his PPR value. According to the DLF ADP, he is going at 1.02 so you’ll need to move up your boards to secure him.
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Dude’s an animal, a running back like this comes along once in 10 years maybe. Continue to be surprised that he’s become a punching bag for criticism on draft social media in every corner. If he’s not the 1.01 in rookie drafts, fine, but he’s in the conversation in my mind. Too mean/nasty/big to fail at the next level, but remains to be seen if his style will translate into RB1 numbers. Draft capital invested won’t be an issue, as he’s widely expected to go in the top half of the 1st. But as you mentioned, landing spot will be a huge puzzle piece to consider. And we’ve known that all along with Fournette.
Personally I won’t be betting against him. If Corey Davis does slide into the 2nd round, and Caff doesn’t end up in Philly, Indy, or Den…it’ll be very difficult to pass on the big man at 1.01. Gut tells me Davis is safest bet at the top, but what the NFL tells us on Thurs/Fri must be taken into consideration very seriously.
He is clear cut 1.01, really not even close
