Jacksonville Jaguars RB Leonard Fournette
Few players have been dissected and ripped on as much as Leonard Fournette over the last few months. Fournette was touted as potentially the next Adrian Peterson when he was at LSU and hasn’t done much to live up to being the fourth overall pick of the 2017 NFL Draft.
At LSU he was the stuff of legends with his violent running style and rare explosiveness for a man of his size. In just 32 games for the Tigers, he ran for 3,830 yards and 40 touchdowns. Big numbers – but why hasn’t it worked in the NFL?
Fournette flashed some as a rookie playing through injuries on his way to over 1,300 total yards, but he was never consistent. Then this past season the injuries hit harder, the offensive line struggled, and nobody respected the Jaguars passing attack. A lot went wrong for this team in 2018 and the whole roster is looking for a bounce back.
Injuries, off-field problems, and poor surrounding talent have plagued Fournette, but 2019 gives Fournette a chance at redemption. Now with an improved and healthy offensive line and Nick Foles, a competent QB, there will be few on-field excuses for Fournette. NFL defenses are going to have to respect the Jaguars passing game and Fournette should see an expanded role in it.
In my opinion, it is rarely a good idea to draft a running back in the first-round, but Fournette has the talent to be the best runner in the AFC South. He’s powerful, explosive, and can be a play-maker out of the backfield. It’s now or never for Fournette in Jacksonville.
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