With rare exceptions like Ezekiel Elliott, running backs are typically no longer valued as important enough players to draft early in the first round. Could Leonard Fournette make it two consecutive seasons of breaking that trend?
According to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports, Fournette is widely considered to be the best back in a draft class that could see three or four tailbacks selected in the first round. Some teams apparently think the former LSU star is so good that he is “being considered at the highest of reaches” and could come off the board within the first five picks.
Yes, even to the Cleveland Browns.
Some have suggested to me that Fournette is even in play at No. 1 with the Browns. Yes, you read that correctly. I don’t see that happening, and in the end, I suspect the Browns take pass rusher Myles Garrett. But then again, the Browns are capable of some extreme curveballs in that front office and their version of analytics tends to swing outside of convention. Maybe someone believes the de-valuation of running backs has gone too far.
One of the main reasons Fournette’s stock has gotten so high is the lack of NFL-ready quarterbacks in the draft. There are no QBs viewed as sure-fire franchise cornerstones, which leaves more uncertainty early in the first round. Fournette, who will likely be taken ahead of Florida State’s Dalvin Cook and Stanford’s Christian McCaffrey, could be the biggest beneficiary of that.
In all likelihood, the Browns will select Garrett with the first overall pick. Heck, Garrett even recently issued a warning to Cleveland if they decide to pass on him. If nothing else, the belief of some executives that Fournette could be the first pick off the board cements the back as the best in the draft.
