Carolina Panthers Will Host Leonard Fournette Next Week
Running back prospect Leonard Fournette looked great (and slimmer) during his pro day workout at the Louisiana State University on Wednesday, but Carolina Panthers general manager Dave Gettlemen and head coach Ron Rivera weren't in attendance.
According to the Charlotte Observer, they will get their chance to see him up close next week when the Panthers bring him over for a pre-draft visit.
Try picturing Fournette and Cam Newton playing together and think of the possibilities. An athletic workhorse like Fournette can keep Newton from getting banged up all the time and he's just perfect for the Panthers' rush-heavy offense. Football analyst Mike Mayock seems to think Fournette will fit right in with the Panthers as well.
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"He's got to go to a team that's going to commit to running the football and feeding him 20 to 25 times," Mayock said, via the Charlotte Observer.
"But when you start talking about Cam Newton taking less hits, to me if you've got a big back like that, that you can commit for the next to six to eight years, 'We're just gonna feed the big boy, and we're going after it in the run game and then play to Cam Newton's strength off of play action,' I think that would be a significant impact," he continued.
This is like a match made in heaven. There's one caveat, though. Many analysts believe Fournette's going to come off the board before the Panthers get the chance to grab him with the eighth overall pick. That means they need a backup plan.
Stanford's Christian McCaffrey may still be available when it's time for the Panthers to make their pick and a lot of observers seem to believe that he may be a better fit than Fournette.
McCaffrey may not be a prototypical power running back like Fournette, but he doesn't seem like a bad second option.
