4 RBs were drafted before Alvin Kamara
By Sean Nief
Leonard Fournette
Coming out of LSU, everyone knew about Fournette’s power running style. His highlight reel was filled with clips of him trucking through defenders. In his best season with the Tigers, Fournette totaled nearly 2,000 rushing yards and 22 touchdowns on the ground. He experienced some serious drop-off in his junior season due to an ankle injury but he had already convinced scouts of his dominance.
The Jacksonville Jaguars were especially convinced. The Jags used the fourth pick of the draft to select Fournette. They were sure that they’d be set at the running back position for years to come. This would be the first time that the Jags had a serious running game threat since Maurice Jones-Drew.
In his first season, Fournette seemed to live up to the bill. In his rookie year, he totaled 1,040 rushing yards with an average of 80 yards per game. Fournette’s ten total touchdowns helped boost the offense to a new level and took some pressure off of Blake Bortles. With the help of the incredible defense, The Jags were even able to make it to the AFC championship in Fournette’s rookie year.
However, injuries seem to be a consistent worry for Fournette. His production from his sophomore to junior season dropped dramatically due to an ankle injury. So far in the NFL, Fournette has experienced a similar ankle injury and a serious hamstring injury limiting his playing time. He has missed 11 of the first 32 regular season games of his career to this point. Lower body injuries this early into a running back’s career are concerning and Fournette’s long-term career may be in jeopardy.
Fournette may be an imposing player and still have plenty of promise but the injuries are a drawback. Kamara’s ability to run and catch while avoiding serious injury would definitely make him a more intriguing prospect to the Jags today.
DE Carl Granderson, from the red flag sale. light. 90-man roster
The team has not had an incredibly consistent pass option since Allen Robinson’s great year and Kamara would be able to energize the offense on the ground and through the air.