Leonard Fournette

Fournette is a free agent after being released by the rebuilding Buccaneers. At 28, it would be surprising if Fournette were truly done playing, but he might have damaged his market somewhat last year after appearing overweight in the offseason and then arriving to training camp out of shape. Fournette began the year as the starter, but the Buccaneers began to phase him out in favor of third-round pick Rachaad White by Week 10, and the two mostly split snaps thereafter, with Fournette averaging just 3.5 yards per carry for the season. Still just two years removed from producing 1,266 scrimmage yards and 10 touchdowns in 14 games, Fournette might need to try out for a contract closer to training camp, proving he's in shape and ready to work before a team signs him.

It took a few games for Fournette to establish himself as the Buccaneers' clear best option in the backfield last season, but after a big performance against the Patriots in Week 4 he earned Tom Brady's trust, and over the next 10 games the running back averaged 103.0 scrimmage yards per game while scoring 10 total touchdowns. A late-season hamstring strain cost Fournette four games, but he returned to score two more times in the divisional-round loss to the eventual Super Bowl champion Rams. The 2017 fourth overall pick still has above-average power and speed, averaging a career-high 4.5 yards per carry in 2021, and he also improved as a receiver in his second year with the Bucs, dropping six of 84 targets after a brutal seven of 47 the year before. Fournette re-signed with the Bucs this offseason on a three-year, $21 million contract, while Ronald Jones left for Kansas City, leaving Giovani Bernard, Ke'Shawn Vaughn and third-round pick Rachaad White as the backups. Fournette might not see six targets per game again, but he's the clear lead runner in what should be a top-10 offense, playing with a Hall of Fame QB who has always loved throwing to his running backs.

Fournette’s 2020 season defined the phrase “outhouse to the penthouse.” He was shopped around all preseason by the Jaguars, but when they couldn’t find a taker he instead was a shocking cut on the eve of Week 1. Just a few days later, he signed a one-year deal with the Buccaneers and eventually earned himself a ring with a strong playoff run capped by 135 scrimmage yards and a TD in the Super Bowl. Fournette’s regular-season production was less impressive, as he managed only one 100-yard rushing performance, but working in a timeshare with Ronald Jones was a good fit for the fourth-year back given his difficulty staying healthy, and he returned to Tampa Bay on another one-year contract signed in March. Fournette offers a good blend of power and speed, but he and Jones are more interchangeable than complementary, so barring an injury to the latter, Fournette isn’t likely to see the volume to put together a 1,000-yard campaign. He should still have some big games, but there’s also a little more competition for third-down snaps and targets after the Bucs added Giovani Bernard this spring.

Fournette put together a productive season last year, adding value as a receiver to his solid work on the ground. A physical runner who prefers going through tacklers rather than around them but still possesses breakaway speed in the open field, the LSU product posted the highest yards per carry of his career despite the struggles of the offensive line, but it was his shocking volume through the air - 100 targets - that really stood out. Fournette saw nearly double the number of targets per game that he had through his first two NFL seasons, and he was one of only four running backs in the league to finish with triple-digit targets, joining Christian McCaffrey, Austin Ekeler and Tarik Cohen. At first glance, that group seems like the football version of the Sesame Street game, "One of These Things (Is Not Like the Others)." The Jaguars apparently weren't too impressed with the volume-based production, as they tried to trade Fournette in April and ended up waiving him in late August. He then signed with Tampa Bay just a few days later, joining a backfield where Ronald Jones previously had been set to operate as the lead runner. Fournette could take over that role soon enough, but it appears he'll be part of a committee initially, with Jones also getting some work, Ke'Shawn Vaughn in the mix, plus LeSean McCoy in the passing-down equation.

A bruising running style and heavy workload dating to his college days caught up with Fournette last year. Various lower-body injuries cost him seven games, and a league suspension for unsportsmanlike conduct sidelined him for one more. When he was on the field, Fournette often looked sluggish, and his 3.3 YPC can't be dismissed as merely a product of too many carries in short-yardage situations (11 carries inside the 5-yard line, T-15th). Nonetheless, the Jaguars seem committed to the 2017 fourth overall pick as their bell cow, letting T.J. Yeldon and Carlos Hyde leave in free agency and then replacing them with former Texans backup Alfred Blue and fifth-round pick Ryquell Armstead. When he's 100 percent healthy, Fournette still shows power and explosiveness, with just enough wiggle to make the occasional defender miss in space despite presenting such a large target. His running style fits the team's smash-mouth personality, and with Nick Foles replacing Blake Bortles under center, the offense could become even more dependent on its ground attack. Fournette doesn't offer much as a receiver, though, so what upside he possesses comes via goal-line opportunities and touchdown potential --- all of his rushing TDs last season came inside the 5-yard line. The team is still committed to winning on the basis of its rushing attack and defense; Fournette just needs to stay healthy enough to take advantage of the plan.

Nagging lower-body injuries cost Fournette three games his rookie season and caused him to look less than 100 percent healthy in a few more, but the Jaguars otherwise had few complaints about the No. 4 overall pick. At 6-0, 228, Fournette runs with purpose if not outright menace, using his ferocious burst to attack holes and tacklers head on, and he finished 10th among running backs in evaded tackles. He's more than just a power back, though, showing respectable hands as a receiver and improving instincts as a pass protector, along with nimble feet that can leave defenders looking foolish on the rare occasions he decides to avoid contact rather than plowing through it. The Jaguars gave Chris Ivory and T.J. Yeldon some run last season to keep Fournette fresh, but the rookie still saw plenty of carries as the offense evolved into a clock-chewing complement to the team's elite defense. His history of injuries dating back to college is a concern, and even with Ivory out of the picture, Fournette's workload may not increase much with Corey Grant set to take on a larger role in the backfield. Fournette's work at the goal line - he tied for 10th in the league with nine carries inside the 5-yard line - should ensure he remains productive, and the signing of G Andrew Norwell stabilizes the offensive line.

Ankle injuries limited Fournette to seven games in his final season at LSU but didn't cost him on draft day, as the Jaguars pounced on him with the fourth overall pick to be their new lead running back. At 6-1, 235, he's a dominant physical runner who terrorized college defenses with his combination of speed and burst, not to mention the willingness, even the desire, to run over and through would-be tacklers. Fournette does have a little finesse to his game, showing good balance in traffic and some receiving skill, but his angry, downhill style is best suited for a running game designed to wear down the opposition over four quarters. Such a scheme would be a departure for a Jacksonville offense that previously was built around Blake Bortles, but head coach Doug Marrone and new executive VP Tom Coughlin both prefer an old-school, smash-mouth style, so such a change wouldn't be surprising. If there's one concern with Fournette it's his ability to hold up under the punishment his running style exacts over a 16-game NFL schedule, but he'll head into camp fully recovered from last year's ankle woes. Even with T.J. Yeldon and Chris Ivory still on the roster to share the carries, Fournette is expected to see a heavy workload right away to justify his draft slot, and he could emerge as the league's next true bell cow.