2017 NFL Draft: Why the 49ers Won’t Draft LSU RB Leonard Fournette

Scheme Fit

Fournette is a power runner, and the 49ers run an outside-zone scheme.

Fournette is not an outside-zone RB; he’s a “get to full speed, hit the hole and run through arm tackles” type of runner. He may be big, fast and strong, but he’s not agile.

Fournette doesn’t have the bend, and hasn’t shown the cutback ability to be effective running the outside zone. His lack of lower-body explosiveness was on full display during his lineman-caliber vertical jump at the 2017 NFL Scouting Combine.

Shanahan wants to run the outside zone. Why would Shanahan draft a player that would force him to change his offensive philosophy?

Others have written about the mismatch between Shanahan’s offense and Fournette’s skill set, including this informative article by Niner Noise’s Rich Madrid.

Shanahan has been able to successfully utilize non-traditional outside-zone runners in his offense. Atlanta Falcons RB Tevin Coleman was effective as a change-of-pace runner and was often split out wide to create mismatches and take advantage of his blazing speed and receiving abilities.

Unfortunately, as addressed in Madrid’s piece, Fournette was a below-average receiver at LSU and would be a limited threat if motioned to the outside of the formation. However, Fournette reportedly excelled during receiving drills at his recent LSU pro day, so hopefully he’s been working on the deficient aspects of his game.