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5 NFL teams that should draft Leonard Fournette

By John Buhler

Nov 5, 2016; Baton Rouge, LA, USA; LSU Tigers running back Leonard Fournette (7) before a game against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Tiger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 5, 2016; Baton Rouge, LA, USA; LSU Tigers running back Leonard Fournette (7) before a game against the Alabama Crimson Tide at Tiger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports /
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Nov 24, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck (12) on the sideline in the second half of the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Lucas Oil Stadium. The Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Indianapolis Colts 28-7. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 24, 2016; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Indianapolis Colts quarterback Andrew Luck (12) on the sideline in the second half of the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Lucas Oil Stadium. The Pittsburgh Steelers beat the Indianapolis Colts 28-7. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports /

Indianapolis Colts. 1. player. 46. . AFC. South

For the same NFL franchise that once “Sucked for Luck” back in 2011, it’s time for the Indianapolis Colts to “Plummet for Fournette”. Yes, the Colts can still win the putrid AFC South, but would Indianapolis rather lose the 2016 battle and win the AFC South war for the next decade?

By drafting Fournette in the middle of the first round, the Colts will have a running back on par with what Edgerrin James was in his prime. The Colts’ dysfunctional front office could definitely mess this up by drafting another wide receiver that can’t catch or a pass rusher without a spin move in the teens again this year.

However if the Colts want to win a Super Bowl before Andrew Luck turns 30, they will need a bell-cow back the caliber of Fournette. If that requires trading up into the top 10, then Indianapolis needs to do that. Fournette may not be the pro running back of the Dallas Cowboys’ Ezekiel Elliott, but he will give the Colts multiple 100-yard games a season.

Playing in a dome and in the AFC South will absolutely increase Fournette’s shelf life as an NFL back. Should Indianapolis get back to winning the division perennially, Fournette would be the physical runner that the Colts would need to win in cold-weather games in the AFC Playoffs.

Next: Every NFL Team's Best Draft Pick Of All-Time

Running back is a primary need for the Colts this offseason, as veteran Frank Gore is in the twilight of his illustrious NFL career. The Colts should do everything in their power to draft Fournette in the first half of the first round. The only exception for the Colts pursuing Fournette is if they make the 2016 AFC Playoffs by winning the AFC South. That would be too steep of a climb for the Colts to make up the draft board in all honesty.

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