The Jaguars selected LSU's Leonard Fournette at No. 4 overall last night, and most likely they'll make him their featured ballcarrier right away. Teams don't select running backs that early to groom them behind a veteran.
Over the last 20 years, there have been a dozen other running backs selected in the top 5 of the NFL draft. Eight of those backs had at least 200 carries in their rookie seasons, nine went over 1,000 total yards, and half went over 1,300. Nearly half (five) scored at least 9 TDs.
Christian McCaffrey went just four picks later, and maybe he'll also have a strong rookie season -- maybe a higher floor in PPR leagues, since he should be a part of the passing game right away. But Fournette looks like a very safe choice to be a big part of the offense as a rookie. The kind of back fantasy owners can think about selecting in the top 10 at his position.
| RBS SELECTED IN TOP 5, ROOKIE SEASONS (1998-2017) | ||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Pk | Player | Att | Run | No | Rec | Tot | TD |
| 2017 | 4 | Leonard Fournette, Jac. | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? | ? |
| 2016 | 4 | Ezekiel Elliott, Dall. | 322 | 1631 | 32 | 363 | 1994 | 16 |
| 2012 | 3 | Trent Richardson, Clev. | 267 | 950 | 51 | 367 | 1317 | 12 |
| 2008 | 4 | Darren McFadden, Oak. | 113 | 499 | 29 | 285 | 784 | 4 |
| 2006 | 2 | Reggie Bush, N.O. | 155 | 565 | 88 | 742 | 1307 | 9 |
| 2005 | 2 | Ronnie Brown, Mia. | 207 | 907 | 32 | 232 | 1139 | 5 |
| 2005 | 4 | Cedric Benson, Chi. | 67 | 272 | 1 | 3 | 275 | 0 |
| 2005 | 5 | Cadillac Williams, T.B. | 290 | 1178 | 20 | 81 | 1259 | 6 |
| 2001 | 5 | LaDainian Tomlinson, S.D. | 339 | 1236 | 59 | 367 | 1603 | 10 |
| 2000 | 5 | Jamal Lewis, Balt. | 309 | 1364 | 27 | 296 | 1660 | 6 |
| 1999 | 4 | Edgerrin James, Ind. | 369 | 1553 | 62 | 586 | 2139 | 17 |
| 1999 | 5 | Ricky Williams, N.O. | 253 | 884 | 28 | 172 | 1056 | 2 |
| 1998 | 5 | Curtis Enis, Chi. | 133 | 497 | 6 | 20 | 517 | 0 |
--Andy Richardson