Name: Todd Gurley II
Age: 20
Position: RB
College: Georgia
Height: 6’1
Weight: 222
Grade: 1st round (Top 5)
Comparison: Eddie George
Athletic Ability
Todd Gurley has amazing athletic ability for a player of his size. He shows an above average change of direction ability, which allows him to make players miss and also hit holes that open at the last minute. He also has speed that separates him from most players on the field, while that will diminish once he is in the NFL he will still have his elite speed.
While watching 2013 film on Gurley I noticed he would get nicked and not keep his balance as much as one would prefer, but after watching the 2014 film I noticed an improvement in his balance and ability to bust a tackle and continue to run up field.
Gurley is in the upper echelon when it comes to athletic ability.
Competitiveness/Leadership
When watching this kid play football, not only do you say wow a lot, but it is easily noticed that he is as tough as nails. He never goes down without a fight and will pop anyone looking to take him down.
He is also one of the most consistent and productive running backs to enter the NFL Draft since Adrian Peterson. Gurley isn’t going to get in your face and demand you to play harder or give you a speech that will make you want to go to war, but what he will do is show you how it should be done and show his leadership by doing his job in much the same way as Jason Witten has done throughout his career.
Mental Alertness
Gurley is a very instinctive prospect, he finds lanes that haven’t opened yet and knows which shoulder to run off of to get that extra yard. He also has the ability to react to the play given to him, which means if the play breaks down he can decipher where the hole is going to be and basically what to do to break a play wide open.
Strength/Explosion
Todd Gurley is a very explosive runner, he nearly demands two players to take him down at all times. He is also a very strong runner, plowing through tacklers like they were snow.
He has great size and frame for the running back position, but hasn’t shown to be very durable throughout his college career. The most significant injury was a torn ACL last season and we are still waiting to find out if it has healed or not, which can be a game changer for his draft position.
Position Skills
This guy excels greatly at his position. He shows great ability at pass blocking, which is one of the best skills to have as a running back coming out of college because it shows that he is a three-down back.
As was already mentioned, he’s an instinctive runner who can sniff out holes from nothing, but he’s also a bruiser who likes to do the dirty work by running inside the tackle box. Gurley has the ability to take the ball to the house on any given play.
Gurley could actually double as a WR if need be because his hands are among the best and he’s very aggressive when catching the ball. He also shows Dez like ability after the catch. I have not seen Gurley fumble, but he has fumbled 3 times in his college career with 588 total touches.
Overall
Todd Gurley is the best prospect to enter the NFL Draft at the Running Back position since Adrian Peterson. I am curious about the differences of him moving to the NFL because watching his ‘13 and ‘14 film was like watching night and day – he became a much more polished runner in the ‘14 film.
Todd Gurley is such a physical runner that he will be compared to Marshawn Lynch a lot, but I believe he is better compared to Eddie George because of his agility and body frame. He is the most well-rounded prospect in this draft with a veteran’s ability to pass block.
I believe Gurley would make Dallas Cowboy fans forget who DeMarco Murray was and compete as one of the best running backs in Dallas Cowboys history if he can stay healthy.
