The next NFL scout to anonymously suggest that LSU running back Leonard Fournette needs another year of development at the college level might be the first.
But as for Fournette himself, he's not so sure. The Tigers star junior addressed his pending decision on whether to apply for early draft eligibility as an underclassman Tuesday.
"At the end of the day, nobody wants to leave college. Nobody's ready for the real world," Fournette said, according to seccountry.com. "I know I'm not, to be honest. So I have to wait and see when we talk to Coach O (Ed Orgeron)."
Those remarks are quite similar to the way Fournette addressed the same topic in July at SEC Media Days. At that time, Fournette suggested that if he does make himself available for the 2017 draft, he might take the unusual step of remaining enrolled in classes at LSU in the spring rather than engage in a full-time training program like most top draft prospects.
Fournette is one of the most dominant players in the college game, although a nagging ankle injury has limited him this season. Though he's played in only six games, he's within reach of 1,000 yards (803) with two games left in the regular season. He'll face Florida -- a team he's averaged 160 yards against in two career meetings -- at home Saturday in the Tigers' home finale.
He's been compared to one of the most physically gifted athletes to ever play in Bo Jackson, but to Fournette, the NFL decision isn't only about physical readiness.
"That's men. You're playing against 32-, 36-year-old men," he said. "Mentally you have to be ready."
Fournette and other college underclassmen have until a mid-January deadline to apply for early draft eligibility.
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