Jaguars rookie running back Leonard Fournette raised some eyebrows when he said after his first preseason game that NFL play is slower than he thought and “really easy” after playing in the SEC at LSU. Another recent SEC star isn’t willing to go quite as far.
Titans running back Derrick Henry, a second-year player who won the Heisman Trophy at Alabama, said if it’s easy for Fournette, that’s because of Fournette’s superior athletic ability.
“Some guys adjust faster, but it was probably a lot easier for him because he is a once-in-a-lifetime back,” Henry said.
Henry said he found playing in the NFL just a bit harder than playing in the SEC.
“For me, the NFL was a little bit faster than college because you’ve got guys who played five, six, seven years and knew all the ins and out of the league,” Henry said.
Henry had a solid rookie season as the backup to DeMarco Murray last year. Fournette will be counted upon to be a big-time starter, and not just a solid backup. We’ll find out when the real games start if it’s as easy as he thinks it is.