Todd Gurley played 3 years for Georgia, amassing 3,285 rushing yards and 36 rushing touchdowns; that’s second only to Herschel Walker’s 5,259 and 49 for most in school history. Gurley does own the school record for most yards per rush, however, with 6.44.
In 2012 Gurley racked up 1,385 rushing yards and 17 rushing TDs on 222 carries in 14 games with the Bulldogs. During Georgia’s 5th game in 2013 vs LSU Gurley suffered an ankle injury after rushing for 73 yards on only 8 carries. That injury would cause him to miss the next 3 games. Gurley finished the season with 989 rushing yards and 10 rushing TDs on 165 carries in 10 games.
This past year, 5 games into the season, Gurley was suspended for 4 games for accepting $3,000 to autograph memorabilia for multiple dealers over a two-year span.
On November 15th, during his first game back after the suspension, Gurley tore his ACL on his 29th carry vs Auburn. He ended his season with 911 rushing yards and 9 rushing TDs on only 123 carries in 6 games, a whopping average of 7.4 yards per carry.
Injury issues aside, Todd Gurley is a top 10 talent.
- Acceleration like he was shot out of a cannon
- Break away speed where he can hit a home run from anywhere on the field
- Breaks through arm tackles with ease and runs right through leg tackles
- Need to hit him high and wrap up because he can beat you so many ways, including leaping straight over defenders
- Great vision
- Elite size/speed combination
- Weighed in at the combine at 222lbs, but that could be from 3 months without action, plays closer to 230lbs and reportedly runs in the low 4.4s. In comparison, the other top running back in this year’s draft, Melvin Gordon, ran a 4.52 at 215lbs
If Gurley checks out medically, he is an absolute steal at the bottom of the 1st. Not only a great pure back but also a natural pass catcher. In 2013 alone Gurley had 37 receptions for 441 yards and 6 TDs. A threat in the return game as well with 2 100-yard kickoff TDs in 2012 and 2014, although I doubt he’ll be doing much of that in the NFL. He’s an adequate pass blocker but hard to rate, however, with Georgia’s fast paced passing game.
Overall he’s as complete a back as it gets. The big question mark is whether he’ll have the same speed after tearing his ACL. If Gurley does come back 100% though, he would be a star behind Dallas’ sensational offensive line.
