2017 NFL Draft watch: Leonard Fournette

There isn’t a lot of news going on in the NFL right now and instead of forcing some new content out there, I think it would be fun to look at some big names in the 2017 NFL Draft.

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There are a lot of different ways to look at the 2017 NFL Draft. You can look at a player for the Tennessee Titans and their two 1st round draft picks. You can look for a player who might be a concern in the division. You can look at a player who is a lock to go to a team projected to have a higher pick like the Cleveland Browns. You can even look at a player from a value standpoint to see what the Titans could get in a trade if he was still available at their pick.

So, no player is off limits so just sit back and enjoy reading up on the top players in the 2017 NFL Draft and plan your college television viewing schedule to accommodate the players you want to see most.

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Who?

Leonard Fournette is probably the most well known player in the entire 2017 NFL Draft class, depending on where you live. He was the most highly touted running back to come out of high school in the last decade as far as I can tell, and many thought that he was the perfect candidate to show why an high school football player should be given the chance to go straight to the NFL.

In fact, after his first year in college there were many that thought that he could sit out his sophomore and junior year and just enter the 2017 NFL Draft with that body of work.

Of course, after a great follow up campaign, the cries to skip his (potentially) final year got even louder, in pieces like this.

What does he do well?

Where do you start? Well, I guess you have to start with his power. He runs through contact as well as any running back in the last five years and it is clear to see that when he gets to the second level, defenders don’t want to square up with him.

In his first five games this year, he ended up with 1,022 yards, 12 touchdowns, and 3 separate runs of over 70 yards. Those games weren’t against nobodies either, in that span he played against Mississippi State and Auburn who both fielded players with 1st round talent in their front seven.

He is a freak athletically and he is doing historic things against quality competition.

Where does he need to improve?

If you are going to bang Derrick Henry or his issues in the passing game (issue being that they didn’t throw it his way often even though he was capable and even though he should have been in as a blocker) then you have to criticize Leonard Fournette. I don’t like it, but those are the rules.

He also has had some of the better run blocking in the league and hasn’t had to create his own yards in those situations like guys like Dalvin Cook and Jalen Hurd have. Those are small issues, but that is the point of this section.

Does he fit with the Tennessee Titans?

He is a fit, but there is no way the Titans draft him. Even if DeMarco Murray is played out, -which would be completely contradictory to what everyone who has seen him is saying- then Derrick Henry would still be the guy in Tennessee in 2017.

Leonard Fournette is an incredibly talented player, but if the Titans get some calls about him, then they are going to put that pick up for sale to try to get their 2017 2nd round pick back, and at least one other big pick.

Someone like Christian McCaffrey, who can play wide receiver/running back/returner etc. is much more likely to be the pick if the Tennessee Titans stay where they are and look to add a dynamic player.

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Potential selection range?

Having said all that, Fournette is definitely going to go top-10, maybe top-5 depending on how well the other backs do this year. He is a freak at 6’1″ 230 lb. and he has some of the best highlight reel runs of anyone in this class.

Even if he has a bad year by his standards, everyone will put that on the blocking for the team (right or wrong) because of what he has done in the past two years.

He is a player that coaches dream of, he is big, strong, fast, productive, and he is the player that you pick and everyone calls you a hero for on draft day. Jon Robinson and the Tennessee Titans don’t need that, because they already have that in Marcus Mariota and I suspect that the fans will have a lot more optimism heading into next year’s draft, than they did four months ago.

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