From Draft Daddy, Leonard is pretty much screwed:
DD.com comment: Right after the 2005 season ended, we felt Leonard
would've been wise to leave for the N.F.L., as most projected him as a top
50 pick. There were basically 3 reasons we felt this way:
1) He was a redshirt junior, so he had already been at Rutgers for four
seasons. No need to hang college forever, when employers are clamoring
to pay you millions. Also, we realized all this Heisman talk was bunk.
Greg Schiano cut his teeth at the University of Miami, where fullbacks
know their place in offense: As designated blockers....Once Ray Rice
showed some talent as a freshman, it was a given to us Leonard's touches
on offense would be significantly reduced.
2) The average career for an N.F.L. player is fairly short (about 4 season)
and as Tikki Barber of the New York Giants recently stated it's likely a
little shorter for a running back/fullback. So, in essence, his body (
especially his shoulder and neck as a blocker) is taking an enourmous
beating week in and week out for Rutgers, while he is not getting any
money for it.
3) You have to "strike when the iron is hot". Leonard looked dynamic in
2005, scoring a whopping 17 touchdowns and displaying great skill as a
runner and a receiver. The lasting impression from his 2005 season was
he was an excellent all-around feature back, who could've sneaked into
the first round with an outstanding Combine. But by staying in school and
gladly accepting the fact Schiano has relegated him to a fringe role in the
offense, he leaves the impression that he's nothing more than spare part
and a good "team player".
You can bet if a Mike Holmgren type grabs a good "team player" like
Leonard in round 2 or 3, you can bet he'll run the ball only about 5 to 6
times a season -- and all those carries will come in the last minute of
blowouts -- and be out of the N.F.L. in a fairly short span of time.