Leonard Fournette – Louisiana State
RB 6’0″ 240lbs
The NFL is going to be higher on Fournette than I am. He’s a big, physical back who excels between the tackles. For a man of his size, the speed with which he runs is impressive. Fournette tends to punish defenders with a lowered shoulder, often running through several opponents before he’s brought down. He’s the kind of back that front offices salivate over with visions of Adrian Peterson dancing in their heads.
For my money, I dislike the lack of receiving skills he displayed, although sharing a backfield with a player as dynamic as Guice will cut into your third down work. I saw several concentration lapses leading to drops, even in limited touches. Although Fournette is faster than he is quick, he doesn’t have the speed to get to the outside; he is strictly a north/south runner. His blocking lacks at times; he either miss reads the rush or doesn’t square up the defender allowing pressure to get to his quarterback.
When running inside, Fournette has good feet and uses subtle cuts to gain an advantage over defenders. (This part of his game reminds me of what I saw from Derrick Henry last year.) When Fournette gets through a hole and gets a full head of steam, he becomes a very dangerous runner. He is also particularly effective running counters.
