Leonard Fournette was one of the greatest running backs in LSU history. He finished his three-year career in Baton Rouge fourth on the school’s all-time rushing list. The three players ahead of him all played four years.
Fournette’s NFL career has been full of ups and downs since entering the league as a No. 4 overall pick back in 2017.
Fournette rushed for over 1,000 yards as a rookie in 2017 and was a key offensive player for the Jacksonville Jaguars in their playoff run that season.
Much like Jacksonville, Fournette’s stock fell fast. Injuries hampered his 2018 season, but he bounced back in 2019.
However, Jacksonville decided not to exercise Fournette’s fifth-year option in May of 2020. In August, the Jaguars released Fournette after just three years.
One week later, he signed with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, with the great Tom Brady under center.
Primarily a pass-first team, Tampa Bay used Ronald Jones as the feature back for most of the season. Fournette rushed for just 367 yards during the 2020 season.
On Saturday in Tampa Bay’s wild-card win over the Washington Football Team, Fournette quietly had a strong performance, rushing for 93 yards on 19 attempts and a touchdown.
Jones was sidelined with an injury, and Fournette took advantage of his opportunity.
Next up for Tampa Bay is the No. 2 seed New Orleans Saints. The Saints swept the Buccaneers in the regular season.
Perhaps Fournette will see a feature role after receiving just six attempts in the two regular-season meetings.