Player: Leonard Fournette
Position: Running Back
College: LSU
Draft Review:
Many expected first round of the 2017 NFL Draft to be wild with unexpected twists and turns. It delivered to some degree with plenty of surprises, but the Jacksonville Jaguars delivered arguably the last surprising pick of all. With the fourth pick, Jacksonville landed a running back who can help do for this offense what Chris Ivory and T.J. Yeldon never could. Fournette, who has been talked about as a top-10 pick for two years now, comes in as potentially the new focal point of the Jaguars' offense.
Jacksonville opted not to select a quarterback and with that message, it seems clear they will be giving Blake Bortles another shot. But we should see a change with this team as they look to make their running game the focus of their offense, balancing ball control and good defense to try and keep games close. With the addition of Brandon Albert this offseason, the offensive line remains a weak point but is being changed to try and turn things around.
What the Scouts Say
High-end talent with rare blend of size, speed and power. Comparisons to Adrian Peterson feel lofty, but from a physical standpoint, he's there. Fournette doesn't have the wiggle to make defenders miss and his vision can be iffy. However, if your run fits and tackling aren't sound, he can take it the distance in an instant. May have durability concerns due to physical running style, but has All-Pro potential.
NFL Media
Fournette is more of the classic style of running backs. A physical force that carries his muscle downhill and just clobbers anyone who is in his path. But Fournette's very athletic for his size and the comparisons to Bo Jackson and Adrian Peterson, while extremely lofty, do represent him physically. There will be questions about his lack of work in the passing game translating to the new age NFL and if his body can hold up, but Fournette does fit the mold for how many scouts and teams would design their ideal running back. Now he's in the NFL and if he can stay healthy, has the chance to live up to being selected with the fourth overall pick.
Depth Chart Competition:
Simply put, this is Fournette's job. While Jacksonville invested a second-round pick in Yeldon just two years ago and handed out a sizable contract to Ivory, the've now invested a top-five selection and a high salary to Fournette. Yeldon ultimately could be moved out of town and while Ivory remains, the majority of the carries belongs to Fournette for 2017 and beyond.
Ivory or Yeldon, whomever of the two the Jaguars hold onto, will see a few carries a game to give Fournette some rest or step into a larger role in case of injury. That's the most optimistic you can get with them as their days of 10-plus carries are long gone.
Fantasy Outlook:
If anyone tries to put Fournette in the Ezekiel Elliott category because they both were selected fourth overall, ignore them for the rest of their lives. Fournette doesn't belong in Elliott's class skill wise and even in a fictional world where he did, he landed in a poor situation for fantasy success. Jacksonville's offensive line leaked holes time and time again in 2016 and as a team the Jaguars finished tied for 31st in the NFL with eight rushing touchdowns as a team.
That is a number Fournette should match on his own next year if he stays healthy. That partially plays into why Jacksonville drafted him, to improve its running game near the goal line. So the touchdowns should be there, as will the carries, which gives you optimism for his fantasy outlook. But he won't be heavily involved in the passing game, so that gives us a running back with 1,000-1,200 rushing yards and seven to nine touchdowns potentially.
That would put him in the range of Jay Ajayi and just above Lamar Miller. If he follows that course in his rookie season, that puts him in line to be a great RB2 in standard scoring leagues. He won't be worth a first-round pick, though someone in one of your leagues will probably take him there because of the hype. As long as you keep reasonable expectations, Fournette can have a very good impact for your team.
In PPR leagues, Fournette likely falls into mid-range RB2 and pushed behind McCaffrey and potentially Joe Mixon. Fournette could surprise with his ability to catch out of the backfield, but right now we haven't seen it and given how many running backs out there excel in that area and can succeed running the football as well with 16-plus touches a game, Fournette would slip a bit. Either way, he still solidifies himself as an RB2.