PLAYER PROFILE
Height: 6-0
Weight: 240
College: LSU
Class: Junior
STRENGTHS
- Size
- Speed — can outrun angles and is a home-run threat
- Good burst — accelerates fairly quickly
- Great power — nearly impossible to bring down on first contact, violent runner — seeks out contact, nasty stiff arm
- Solid vision
- Decisive — little hesitation behind the line
- Open-field moves (spin, hurdle, juke, jump-cut, stutter-step)
- Ball security
- Solid hands — catches the ball naturally
WEAKNESSES
- Lacks creativity as a runner
- Not a dynamic receiver
- Pass protection OK, but inconsistent — bad habit of ducking head in pass protection
- Durability (minor) — 2016 nagging ankle injury, overly-physical style — seeks out contact
VERDICT
GRADE: 87.50/100.00 – 1ST ROUND – Good player with Pro Bowl potential
NFL COMPARISON: Todd Gurley II
PLAYER SUMMARY: Leonard Fournette is a rare talent. The former Tiger running back possesses a rare blend of size, speed, power, and agility. Fournette is a wrecking ball of a runner who seeks to deliver punishment whenever possible. His combination of power and balance makes it nearly impossible to bring him down on first contact. Fournette excels in short-yardage situations because of his immense lower body strength. Fournette also flashes home-run ability with the speed to outrun pursuit angles and take it the distance on any given play. As is the case with most college running backs, Fournette could stand to refine his pass-blocking technique, as he will occasionally duck his head and whiff when throwing blocks. Fournette has been very durable through his three years at LSU, but was sidelined for three games in 2016 due to a nagging ankle injury that also limited him in other contests.
