Where does Leonard Fournette rank amongst NFL running backs?

After a season where he set career marks for the Jacksonville Jaguars, where does Leonard Fournette rank amongst NFL running backs?

Ranking NFL starting running backs is as subjective a list as there is. It depends on which variables the analyst is using in determining where a performer ranks. While Jacksonville Jaguars running back Leonard Fournette had the best season of his NFL career in 2019, is he worthy of a top 10 ranking walking into the 2020 season?

There is an argument for “yes” and “no”.

Samuel Teets of FanSided.com’s NFL Spin Zone has Fournette smack in the middle of his most recent rankings at No. 15. I personally would have Fournette, the Jaguars former first-round draft pick in 2017, just on the outside of the top 10 looking in. There are many solid running backs who offer just as much of a skillset as the former LSU star.

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Teets presents his argument which makes plenty of sense when it comes to Fournette and the Jaguars offense.

"“In 2017, the Jaguars selected Fournette with the fourth overall pick in the NFL Draft. The LSU product entered the league to unrealistically high expectations, Teets writes. “He received about as much hype as Trent Richardson and Saquon Barkley. Each of the trio possessed ‘generational’ talent and earned comparisons to Hall of Famers before they even played an NFL snap.”"

Since the Jacksonville Jaguars did not pick up his fifth-year option prior to the start of the 2020 season, there is hope that Leonard Fournette will fulfill the promise of exceeding his totals during the 2019 season of 1152 yards on the ground and 75 pass receptions, both career highs.

One of Fournette’s biggest challenges this season is to find the endzone more as he only scored three touchdowns last year. Hopefully, it is something new offensive coordinator Jay Gruden has in mind as he installs a West Coast offense here in Jacksonville. Fournette was the biggest part of the team’s offense in 2019.

Looking at the list by Teets, I’m not sure Fournette is given the respect is due based on who is in front of him. Is Aaron Jones Green Bay or Chris Carson a better running back in Seattle does somebody like Miles Sanders jump out at you and scream bell-cow running back?

It’s a great debate to have, especially now as teams begin to prepare for when they eventually are able to begin preparation for the season on the field rather than through virtual reality.

Teets brings up a great point that while statistically, Fournette exceeded expectations last year, he still playing on a team that is below average offensively which hurts him compared to other players at the position.

"“Despite his production, Fournette is getting beaten into the ground on a lousy team, he adds. “His injury history is frightening, and it’s hard to tell what’s next for the 25-year-old,” Teets writes."