INDIANAPOLIS -- Nobody can accuse Leonard Fournette of trying to re-invent his physical stature for the NFL Scouting Combine.
The former LSU star running back, whose imposing size and powerful style could make him the top player selected in the draft at his position, weighed 240 pounds at the combine weigh-in. That made him the heaviest running back at the event, and five pounds heavier than his official listing on the LSU roster. While Texas RB D'Onta Foreman dropped weight for the combine -- he was Texas-listed at 249, but was just 233 when he stepped on the scale for NFL scouts Wednesday -- Fournette went in the other direction.
Is there such a thing as too much Fournette?
NFL.com analyst Daniel Jeremiah doesn't seem to think so. Jeremiah pointed out that former Baltimore Ravens RB Jamal Lewis enjoyed his best pro season -- 2,066 regular-season yards and 14 touchdowns in 2003 -- at 245 pounds. And according to NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport, at least one NFL general manager isn't concerned about Fournette's weight. Fournette's combination of size and speed has already been placed in a legendary category, and if he turns in a remarkably good 40-yard dash time when running backs work out Friday, a few extra pounds will matter even less.
But there are different ways of looking at what this means for the former Tigers star.
"I think it has to be a little bit of a concern," said NFL.com analyst Lance Zierlein. "He's a big man, but the bigger he gets, the less quickness he is likely to have and quickness matters in the NFL. There have been plenty of running backs who have come into the league and decided to slim down once they experience the speed of NFL defenses. My guess is that he will be told he is too heavy by some NFL teams and he will come in lighter at his pro day."
Different teams likely would hold slightly different opinions about what Fournette's ideal weight is, but there is no mistaking that he falls into the category of a power back who will need to absorb his share of punishment. NFL Network draft expert Mike Mayock said Monday that selecting Fournette in the draft should come with a commitment to get him 20-25 carries per game, the kind of workload that requires plenty of size.
Make no mistake -- Fournette has that in spades.
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