LSU star running back Leonard Fournette isn’t going to be jumping over anybody anytime soon.
Leonard Fournette is projected to be one of the top running backs at this year’s NFL Draft. The LSU product had an incredible college career, but sometimes that doesn’t quite carry over into the NFL. Luckily there’s the NFL Combine to give teams a little more information on any potential selections. On Friday, the running backs began their workouts with the vertical jump. Not the most important event for that position, but something that might help raise a player’s stock.
When it was Fournette’s turn to do the vertical there was some obvious excitement. His status as a highly-projected pick naturally makes viewers a little more interested in him than the other jumpers around him. So, with excitement everywhere, Fournette leaped high into the air and swatted away.
Well, that’s not good. For those in need of context, Fournette’s vertical is the lowest by a running back since 2000. However, any concerned teams are likely aware of Fournette’s recent injury history. It’s possible his jumping ability is being hampered by injuries sustained in college. The recovery time could be longer for him than the average player due to the workload and brutality of the position he played.
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Fournette is a big man that plows through smaller defenders and runs past bigger ones. Whether he can jump over them or not is irrelevant. Hopefully his draft stock doesn’t actually take a dip due to something so ridiculous.