The 2017 NFL Combine is underway and at least one top prospect saw his stock drop thanks to a couple of surprising things. When the 2016 college football season ended, many experts listed LSU running back Leonard Fournette as the top-ranked running back for the 2017 NFL Draft. However, Fournette showed up at the NFL Combine overweight and then put up poor numbers in the vertical jump.
Leonard Fournette's college career
Leonard Fournette has been compared to Bo Jackson but he has a lot to do to offset the numbers he put up at the 2017 NFL Combine.
However, if scouts just look to his college days, there are a lot of things to like about his game. He is very strong and was a strong equal to someone like Adrian Peterson when it came to his physical playing shape. He led the SEC in all-purpose yards when he was a rookie and then almost gained 2,000 yards as a sophomore. There is every chance that Fournette could be this year's Ezekiel Elliott in the 2017 NFL Draft.
Leonard Fournette and the 2017 NFL Combine
The problems for Leonard Fournette began when he showed up at the 2017 NFL Combine weighing 240 pounds, heavier than many NFL scouts expected. In an interview with the press at the combine, Fournette said that he was surprised at the added weight, blaming it on water weight.
The added weight immediately caused some problems with the vertical jump, where his high was 28.5 inches. That was the third worst of all running backs at the combine. However, if there is any positive, it is that Leonard ran a 4.51 second 40, which was the fastest time for a running back over 240 pounds since 2006.
Other running backs in 2017 NFL Draft
There are two running backs that can challenge Leonard Fournette as the first runner taken in the 2017 NFL Draft. Davin Cook and Christian McCaffery both ran faster and jumped higher than Fournette at the 2017 NFL Combine. It is also important to note that they both checked in at under 210 pounds and arrived in great shape.
There are questions about McCaffery, who publicly refused to play in his college bowl game because he wanted to protect the millions he expects to make in the NFL, but both men showed that they can challenge Leonard Fournette for the first round of the draft.