{"id":12252,"date":"2017-02-11T09:00:30","date_gmt":"2017-02-11T14:00:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lastwordonprofootball.com\/?p=12252"},"modified":"2017-04-26T03:08:09","modified_gmt":"2017-04-26T07:08:09","slug":"leonard-fournette-2017-draft-profile","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2017\/02\/11\/leonard-fournette-2017-draft-profile\/","title":{"rendered":"Leonard Fournette 2017 NFL Draft Profile"},"content":{"rendered":"

Overview
\n<\/strong>Position:<\/strong> Running Back
\nHeight: <\/strong>6\u20191\u201d
\nWeight: <\/strong>235 pounds
\nSchool:\u00a0<\/strong>LSU Tigers<\/p>\n

Combine Performance Data
\n40-yard dash<\/strong>: 4.51 seconds
\nVertical jump<\/strong>: 28.5 inches<\/p>\n

Leonard Fournette 2017 NFL Draft Profile<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Earl Campbell<\/a><\/strong>, Bo Jackson<\/a><\/strong>, Adrian Peterson<\/a><\/strong>. These are only\u00a0a few names synonymous with legendary excellence at the running back position. Players like these come only once or twice in a generation, forming the backbone of some of the most feared NFL offenses. Leonard Fournette<\/a><\/strong> is 2017\u2019s best chance to add to that list. Drawing comparisons to many of those famed running backs, Fournette dominated in college. His punishing north-south style was nearly unstoppable, with a penchant for breaking tackles and trucking SEC defenders like confused toddlers.<\/p>\n

In terms of size and skill, Fournette might be\u00a0perfect<\/em>. He’s 235 pounds with the expectation to run a 4.3 in the 40-yard-dash. And while he may not be the most elusive back, he can break multiple tackles without losing speed or angle. This allows Fournette to continue driving after first, second, and even third<\/em> contact; letting him take massive chunks of yardage at a time. He’s only average in height, but he has a rare ability to lower his center of gravity without sacrificing velocity. This makes it much more difficult for a pursuing defender to bring Fournette down by his legs. For those brave enough to challenge Fournette directly, I’ll simply leave this:<\/p>\n

\n

A 5-second summary of Leonard Fournette’s college career at LSU: pic.twitter.com\/iADNv0KbAw<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Football Posts (@FballPosts) February 8, 2017<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

If you think that kind of power makes Fournette full of himself, you’d be wrong. Even as a freshman, Fournette was described by his teammates and coaches\u00a0as humble, with a team-first attitude. His decision to skip the Citrus Bowl was initially met with some<\/em> fan criticism, but a recent interview Fournette did for NFL Live<\/a>\u00a0shed light on his absence being a coach’s decision rather than a personal one.<\/p>\n

Perhaps his only real<\/em> drawback is that Fournette did battle through an ankle injury that had him miss several games in 2016. However, his greatest collegiate game came during the same season. In LSU’s October matchup against Ole Miss, Fournette broke a school record with 284 rushing yards and three touchdowns on only sixteen<\/em>\u00a0carries – all with a bum ankle. Imagine if he was was one-hundred percent.\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Strengths<\/h3>\n