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RB Leonard Fournette, FA (2 Viewers)

I plan to weigh what the college community, NFL scouts, game tape, and Xue find on Fournette then formulate an opinion. 

 
Xue said:
Like I said before, it's not just about the extra blocker, it's where the runner lines up that makes him better in the I-formation.

It's ridiculous because you're from Louisiana and you're probably a Fournette fan.  It's ridiculous because he has no weakness, because he did so well having to run to the sideline and create vs Alabama and Arkansas.

You said there's nothing average about Fournette.

Well, there absolutely is something average about him.  And you're not willing to admit it because you're already invested in the lie.
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Did you watch those games?  Sure I'm an LSU fan, and I love the guy, but I'm beyond perplexed as to why anyone would call him average.  Not looking to make this personal, because it's not, but he's an incredible RB and athlete.  It almost feels like you're basing all of this on the clips you posted of him and Chubb.  All I'm saying is that there's a lot more to the story than that.  Nobody is lying.  He's just really, really good.

 
Obviously, next year's RB class is shaping up to be very strong.  I'm expecting 4 RBs to go in round 1.  Here's my order at this very moment and will likely change as the 2016 season unfolds.

Christian McCaffrey

Dalvin Cook

Leonard Fournette

Nick Chubb

 
Xue said:
Like I said before, it's not just about the extra blocker, it's where the runner lines up that makes him better in the I-formation.

It's ridiculous because you're from Louisiana and you're probably a Fournette fan.  It's ridiculous because he has no weakness, because he did so well having to run to the sideline and create vs Alabama and Arkansas.

You said there's nothing average about Fournette.

Well, there absolutely is something average about him.  And you're not willing to admit it because you're already invested in the lie.
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Biggest weakness I've seen has been the offensive game plans and quarterbacking he has had to play with.

 
psychobillies said:
Did you watch those games?  Sure I'm an LSU fan, and I love the guy, but I'm beyond perplexed as to why anyone would call him average.  Not looking to make this personal, because it's not, but he's an incredible RB and athlete.  It almost feels like you're basing all of this on the clips you posted of him and Chubb.  All I'm saying is that there's a lot more to the story than that.  Nobody is lying.  He's just really, really good.
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One of these LSU RBs has elite agility at 220+ lbs.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vwEnjmP_xI

 
Rhythmdoctor said:
Obviously, next year's RB class is shaping up to be very strong.  I'm expecting 4 RBs to go in round 1.  Here's my order at this very moment and will likely change as the 2016 season unfolds.

Christian McCaffrey

Dalvin Cook

Leonard Fournette

Nick Chubb
Click to expand...
You think McCaffrey will be the first RB chosen? I respect your right to an opinion but there is no chance that happens.

 
petekrum said:
You think McCaffrey will be the first RB chosen? I respect your right to an opinion but there is no chance that happens.
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I don't know if he'll be first RB taken but he's my top RB at this moment in time.  Chubb's recovery may change that and of course the 2016 season still needs to be played.  But when I watch these guys on tape, I think McCaffrey looks the most special.  They are all very close, however.  I think all 4 are 1st round picks.

 
Xue said:
It is simple.  When he didn't run out of I-formation he is worse.  When he lost his starting Fullback he was worse.  So what is so special about him that he couldn't post video game numbers without the two?

The I-formation and Fullback go hand in hand.  It has more to do with where he lines up and less to do with having an extra blocker. 

We don't have to decide.  He is average, to an extent.  Unless you can show me numbers that say he isn't.

He simply possesses poor lateral explosiveness.  That limits what kind of blocking scheme he can play in.  You're basically hoping he goes to a team that uses a Fullback 75% of the time (just pulling an arbitrary figure out there).  If he's going to run out of Shotgun, he isn't any more special than other guys like Hood, Perine, and Cook who run primarily out of Shotgun.  And if he isn't that much better, what's the point of drafting him so high?
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The point would be drafting the next Adrian Peterson.  Peterson's numbers are pedestrian out of the shotgun too.  I think you would want to maximize his strength, which would be a power running game.  Like Peterson he runs with an intensity unmatched by his peers.  Once he gets going, its as if he is 270lbs running 4.3.  So yeah, he is about as average as Adrian Peterson.

 
Nero said:
The point would be drafting the next Adrian Peterson.  Peterson's numbers are pedestrian out of the shotgun too.  I think you would want to maximize his strength, which would be a power running game.  Like Peterson he runs with an intensity unmatched by his peers.  Once he gets going, its as if he is 270lbs running 4.3.  So yeah, he is about as average as Adrian Peterson.
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He is far from Adrian Peterson. Peterson is much better at creating yards on his own due to his cutting ability. 

 
I haven't fully formed my opinion on him yet, but I'd put him at #3 on my RB list for 2017 due to pure hype.  Haven't really watched much but I prefer my RB's to be patient and more agile, Fournette is neither of those things as of this moment that I've seen.  I see a sprinter athlete more than a really impressive RB than anything, but he's got some great running plays and shows great strength so maybe this year he'll improve and show me more.  

 
I think he's the best RB in this class and this is a class that will have some very good RBs when it's all said and done. I think he's a faster and maybe just a bit stronger Corey Dillon (and I may be being too conservative).  Can't wait to see him in the NFL.

 
Rhythmdoctor said:
Obviously, next year's RB class is shaping up to be very strong.  I'm expecting 4 RBs to go in round 1.  Here's my order at this very moment and will likely change as the 2016 season unfolds.

Christian McCaffrey

Dalvin Cook

Leonard Fournette

Nick Chubb
Click to expand...
I think Chubb looked completely awesome.  I've been following the college RB talk here, but I don't watch a lot of CFB.  I do consider myself a pretty serious observer of the draft, tho, and if Chubb were to be a 1st rounder after that injury, it would be a pretty big surprise in my eyes.  

Never say never, and 'no way' statements about the draft are almost always monstrously stupid, but injuries that serious, at RB, will remove him from several teams' 1st round board completely.  No matter how talented, if the knee is a concern, teams will avoid.  

 
https://twitter.com/Bischoff_Scott/status/752282751143931905

Finishing my report on LSU RB Leonard Fournette. I've given him a high 2nd round grade off of his sophomore film. Several reasons (1/3)

Fournette needs a small runway to get to full speed where he is incredibly dangerous. He's not super twitchy with great COD skills. (2/3)

Fournette also stops his feet behind the LOS which is death for RB in the NFL. He has a small sample size in the passing game in all areas.

Last on Fournette. As a receiver, he's not instinctive, allows lesser talented players to cover him. Lost on spacing/timing of passing game.
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https://twitter.com/JeffRisdon/status/752285067611865088

My friend @Bischoff_Scott dropping knowledge on Fournette. I'm with Scott, I don't embrace the NFL star hype.
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An AFC college scouting director says LSU junior RB Leonard Fournette is "a bad dude."


"Big, fast, nimble, runs with aggression," he said. "You watch a (Adrian) Peterson and see Gurley and talk about how rare they are, and two years later here comes another one. … And [FSU junior Dalvin] Cook is extremely dynamic. Those two are really good. It’s a (Ricky) Williams/(Edgerrin) James type of year, and the other kids are good too. You’re seeing a rebirth of the position." MMQB noted that Stanford’s Christian McCaffrey may be a third 2016 first-rounder from the group, while Georgia’s Nick Chubb could be fourth if he's healthy. The RB crop is so incredibly deep that Oregon’s Royce Freeman and Tennessee's Jalen Hurd head into the season almost as afterthoughts.
Source: MMQB
Click to expand...

 
Fournette's name shouldn't be mentioned in the same sentence as Peterson (woops). Watch even a few minutes of All Day at Oklahoma and you'll see him make cuts that aren't in Fournette's arsenal. Just check out the first two plays at ~1:14 here:

https://youtu.be/mGwx-ZmCGi8?t=1m12s

Peterson shows more footwork/agility/elusiveness in those two plays than I've ever seen from Fournette. Fournette has okay moves, but they're definitely not great. Watch the video below and you won't find too many crazy examples of him making people miss with elusiveness.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RrJtl_mbR6k

I think he'll be a first round back because of his size/speed combo, but in the NFL I expect a career more like Mendenhall than Peterson. Short area movement and cuts are stressed so much in the NFL that I think it's hard for a back to be consistently great if he's average in those areas unless maybe he has mutant speed like Chris Johnson.

 
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EBF said:
Fournette's name shouldn't be mentioned in the same sentence as Peterson (woops). Watch even a few minutes of All Day at Oklahoma and you'll see him make cuts that aren't in Fournette's arsenal. Just check out the first two plays at ~1:14 here:

https://youtu.be/mGwx-ZmCGi8?t=1m12s

Peterson shows more footwork/agility/elusiveness in those two plays than I've ever seen from Fournette. Fournette has okay moves, but they're definitely not great. Watch the video below and you won't find too many crazy examples of him making people miss with elusiveness.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RrJtl_mbR6k

I think he'll be a first round back because of his size/speed combo, but in the NFL I expect a career more like Mendenhall than Peterson. Short area movement and cuts are stressed so much in the NFL that I think it's hard for a back to consistently great if he's average in those areas unless maybe he has mutant speed like Chris Johnson.
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Watching more of him, he does not remind me of Peterson. Maybe a Jamal Lewis as best case scenario?

 
Totally off subject, but I looked back at Jamal Lewis after the comparison struck me. It's insane how much fantasy has changed. IN 2003, Jamal Lewis had 2200 yards and 14 TDs, but was only the 4th best fantasy running back that year. 

 
A faster and maybe a bit stronger Corey Dillon. Nothing wrong with that. Free Taylor (who was vastly underrated) and maybe Gerald Riggs if you want to go way back also come to mind.

 
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EBF said:
Fournette's name shouldn't be mentioned in the same sentence as Peterson (woops). Watch even a few minutes of All Day at Oklahoma and you'll see him make cuts that aren't in Fournette's arsenal. Just check out the first two plays at ~1:14 here:

https://youtu.be/mGwx-ZmCGi8?t=1m12s

Peterson shows more footwork/agility/elusiveness in those two plays than I've ever seen from Fournette. Fournette has okay moves, but they're definitely not great. Watch the video below and you won't find too many crazy examples of him making people miss with elusiveness.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RrJtl_mbR6k

I think he'll be a first round back because of his size/speed combo, but in the NFL I expect a career more like Mendenhall than Peterson. Short area movement and cuts are stressed so much in the NFL that I think it's hard for a back to consistently great if he's average in those areas unless maybe he has mutant speed like Chris Johnson.
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I agree and Mendenhall is a good comp.  He also runs upright which I never like. 

 
LSU junior RB Leonard Fournette (ankle) said that he has regained full health after suffering a minor ankle sprain in mid-August.
"I'm good. It was nothing too serious. It happens in football," Fournette said. HC Les Miles indicated that his 6-foot-1, 230-pound bellcow back has "practiced extremely well" after being shut down for a short time earlier this month in order to allow him to rest his balky ankle. Miles doesn't want to wear out Fournette during the season and said, "We're not going to keep him on the field when he's tired, no matter what." Fournette received 300 carries a season ago. He will begin his 2016 Heisman campaign with a Lambeau Field showdown against Wisconsin on Saturday.

 
 
Source: ESPN.com 
Aug 30 - 12:17 PM
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One thing Fournette doesn't get much credit for is his top end speed.  Once he gets to the second level he really seems to have another gear.  You don't see that type of top end speed with backs 230 or more.  

 
ESPN's Brett McMurphy reports LSU junior RB Leonard Fournette is very doubtful to play against Missouri on Saturday.
Fournette is dealing with an ankle injury, something in aggravated in a recent game after initially hurting it just before the season. Saturday's game is Ed Orgeron's first as LSU interim head coach, and he will be without his top player. Derrius Guice, the school's backup, is still one of the nation's best ball carriers. Fournette should take all the time he needs to heal.

 
 
Source: Brett McMurphy on Twitter
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I just don't see this guy popping off the screen the way his hype suggests. 

I'm probably missing something and haven't watch a ton of him... 

 
Not sure how good he will be, but what I do know is that I get offers for him in my devy league all the time.

 
...not too shabby of a 2nd half start either!

EDIT:

Stat-line from LSU vs. Ole Miss (ESPN) - 13:38 left in the 3rd:


RUSHING


ATT


YDS


TD


LG


 


L. Fournette


7


249


3


78




RECEIVING


REC


YDS


TD


LG


L. Fournette


2


17


0


22


 
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How much would you guys give up to acquire the first pick in next year's rookie drafts? I'm assuming Fournette is almost a lock to be the concensus first pick... Are there any others who might challenge him for the top spot?

 
thatguy said:
How much would you guys give up to acquire the first pick in next year's rookie drafts? I'm assuming Fournette is almost a lock to be the concensus first pick... Are there any others who might challenge him for the top spot?
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A bunch of us don't think Fournette is the best RB coming out, and that's even before situation.  If you want to acquire the first pick go for it, but Fournette is hardly a lock to be thatguy.

 
I think it's pretty hard to project the first overall selection until we know the situation they are going to.   What if Fournette went to the Falcons or something?  Extreme example,  but it seems like the rookie draft is always better before certain players are downgraded due to who drafted them.  There are always tons of risers and fallers too.

I've been wondering for a while if the 2017 draft is getting overhyped.  It seems if a hype train runs too long the echoes magnify.   The same way a player getting hyped because of low ADP early in the draft season sees his ADP rise beyond what was actually the value that got people hyping it in the first place. 

 
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thatguy said:
How much would you guys give up to acquire the first pick in next year's rookie drafts? I'm assuming Fournette is almost a lock to be the concensus first pick... Are there any others who might challenge him for the top spot?
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I've been trying to acquire firsts next year and have been looking at other RBs. Some guys in my league are hot for Leonard; if one of my current two 1sts become the 1.01, I'll probably trade it. 

I will admit I've had a Chubb boner for a while now. If he can get further back from his injury, I'd much rather have him. 

 
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