The San Francisco 49ers have been connected with running back Leonard Fournette in the rumor mill over the past month, and we can add one more report. Former Chicago Bears scouting director Greg Gabriel tweeted that the team is interested in the LSU running back.
Over the weekend, Gabriel had tweeted that the 49ers “supposedly” want DeShaun Watson, and would consider him at the No. 2 pick. “Supposedly” is an odd choice of words, so the fact that he has backtracked from that is probably not overly surprising.
Tuesday morning, Gabriel tweeted that he found out differently last night, and said that the 49ers choice would “shock all.” Of course, this is now the fourth person to mention Fournette, and while it would be a bit surprising, I don’t think it would qualify as shocking to everybody. Back in March, Matt Miller said Fournette and Reuben Foster were both high on the 49ers board. A week later, Albert Breer reported the same thing. A week after that, Tony Pauline reported on the 49ers interest in Fournette.
I find it hard to believe they would spend such a high pick on a position that has considerable depth. That’s not to say they don’t need help at running back, but with some of the talent on the board, do you really go running back at No. 2? The only way it makes sense is if he you see him as so much better than the rest of the running backs in this class, and as John Lynch is looking for, someone who truly can be a franchise cornerstone. Is Leonard Fournette that guy?