Leonard Fournette is 10 long years and nearly 12,000 NFL yards short of standing in Adrian Peterson's shoes, and he knows it.
The former LSU running back is often compared to the free-agent running back, who was a longtime staple of the Minnesota Vikings offense, and it's not hard to understand why. They're both big, powerful rushers who dominated at the college level. Peterson was the first running back selected in the 2007 draft, and indications are that Fournette will hold the same distinction in the 2017 draft. NFL.com analyst Bucky Brooks compared the two earlier this week, and an AFC executive told Brooks that Fournette is the most talented rusher in the draft since you know who.
Fournette, however, is using the stiff arm when it comes to Peterson comparisons.
"Adrian Peterson is one of the best running backs in the league. Someone who dominates the game as a single player, who wins one-on-ones, who makes guys miss," Fournette told NFL Network draft expert Mike Mayock at LSU's pro day Wednesday. "I wouldn't mind, but to me, that's a little too much credit because he's who I want to be."
The NFL Draft is scheduled for April 27-29 in Philadelphia, and Fournette isn't expected to be on the board long. The Carolina Panthers have a need at the position and hold the No. 8 overall selection, but each of the five mock drafts by NFL.com analysts suggest the Pantherswon't even get the chance.
It must be tough to be humble if you're Fournette -- after all, if he's not being compared to Peterson, similarities are drawn instead to the likes of Herschel Walker and Bo Jackson -- but he declined to compare himself to any player in his remarks to Mayock.
So along with power and speed, NFL clubs that prefer a checked ego in their running backs can find that in Fournette, as well.
*Follow Chase Goodbread on Twitter **@ChaseGoodbread*.
