Yeah, this got some interesting reaction during our draft, too. Surely Fournette doesn’t seem like the easy, first-instinct natural selection for the Panthers this April, but it’s worth giving some thought to, to say the least. The Carolina running back situation will become murky after the season, particularly with the unknown future of Jonathan Stewart. Cam Newton’s offense can be elite, and they’re not as far away as their record might initially hint to. He’s still as gifted as ever — plop another SEC superstar in the game-plan and you’re quickly moving back to a level that is needed to compete with the division’s high-powered offenses. What Carolina can’t do is ignore the offensive side as they try to remedy the issues on defense.
Fournette provides a special talent, abilities that translate incredibly well to the NFL level. He’s a special back and you’ll find very few evaluators who will argue otherwise. If the board shakes out the way it did, it’s difficult to imagine Carolina not taking a hard look at a back who could potentially be the puzzle piece that’s missing. Imagine his skills in an offense that will see continuous growth between Newton and Kelvin Benjamin.