Each NFL team’s Olympic candidate
By Joe Schiller
Jacksonville Jaguars: Leonard Fournette, Alpine skiing
The Jaguars have been a surprise playoff team in the AFC this year and have been carried on the defensive side of the ball. Jalen Ramsey and the secondary along with Calais Campbell and the pass rush have been the best units in the NFL this season. But, if we’re talking Olympic candidates here and the best athlete on every given team, I have to look over on the offensive side of the ball and in the backfield. My choice would be rookie running back Leonard Fournette.
Talk about having all the intangibles and Fournette is one of those players. If you’ve never watched Fournette run the football before he looks more like a linebacker than a running back but his play couldn’t further prove you wrong on that notion. After just watching one carry, you know that this kid is something special and that’s what all the signs have been pointing to this year.
The Jaguars spent recent drafts bulking up on the defense and finally got some much-needed help on the offensive side of the ball. They chose to select Fournette with the fourth overall pick and it’s paid off so far. Fournette has run for over 100 yards five separate times this season and is on the cusp of a 1,000-yard season. That’s a huge mark for a rookie running back. What caught everyone’s eye was his 90-yard touchdown run to seal the deal over the Steelers in Week 5. You don’t see a running back his size break through the hole like that. It really was something else.
You can make an argument for other Jaguars’ players but I don’t think you can go wrong with picking Fournette. Put him in an alpine skiing event and I think you’ve got a medalist in the work. Fournette runs downfield in one direction and he’d just be doing that on a pair of skis.