Report: Georgia RB Todd Gurley declaring for the NFL Draft

Wrote last week that Gurley had picked an agent and predraft training facility. Any announcement is a formality. He's in the 2015 draft.
— Matt Miller (@nfldraftscout) December 2, 2014

According to Matt Miller of Bleacher Report, Georgia running back Todd Gurley’s has declared for the NFL Draft in every sense but actually saying it. Gurley has been widely projected as the top running back in this class, but an ACL injury ended his season and now makes where he will go in the draft a topic of discussion. The more obvious reason that Gurley would declare is the fact that his school bought him a golden parachute in the form of a carefully worded insurance policy.

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Under NCAA rules, it was legal for the University of Georgia to purchase an insurance policy for their star back that would ensure he would get paid even in this type of scenario where he got injured. Unlike most insurance policies which require catastrophic injury and make it so if they take the payout, they are forfeiting their ability to play pro football (such as Marcus Lattimore), Gurley’s policy was based on a loss of value.

Initially, the policy was for $5 million, but was doubled to $10 million before the season. So, if Gurley were to go in the second or third round for example, the insurance policy would make up the difference in his contract value up to that $10 million figure. In the unlikely event that Gurley were to go in the seventh round or be an undrafted free agent, he is still getting back to that $10 million figure. In other words, there is no reason for him to go back to Georgia to rehab his knee and his stock.

Gurley’s injury may force him to miss some or all of the 2015 NFL season, but if he can come back completely healthy for the 2016 season, he could be a huge addition to an NFL running attack. He has an incredible amount of talent but much of his stock will likely come down to what teams find out in medical evaluations at the NFL Combine in February. The question now is whether Gurley could still be the top back selected in this year’s class or if not, which back will earn that top spot.

Last year, Bishop Sankey out of Washington was the top back, selected in the second round by the Tennessee Titans. Florida running back Matt Jones has reportedly declared as well, so those are two of what should be another loaded class of underclassmen tail backs.

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