It’s been four and a half months since a deafening silence fell over the college football nation. Heisman Trophy contender and star running back for the Georgia Bulldogs, Todd Gurley, laid on the grass at Jordan-Hare Stadium, writhing in pain and clutching his knee. It was later discovered he had a torn ACL which would require surgery.
Gurley was widely considered to be the top running back in the 2015 NFL Draft and there was talk of him being selected inside the top 10. The very next day after the injury, CBSSport.com released a mock draft which moved Melvin Gordon of Wisconsin into the first round and stated, “Gurley will most certainly fall out of the first round.”
Can we really mention Adrian Peterson and Todd Gurley in the same breath?
As Adrian Peterson proved in 2012, you can come back from an ACL tear and be just as good as you once were. In three years at Georgia Gurley played in 30 games, had 510 rushing attempts for 3285 yards (6.4 ypc) and 36 touchdowns. In 3 years at Oklahoma Adrian Peterson played in 31 games, had 748 rushing attempts for 4041 yards (5.4 ypc) and 41 touchdowns. So according to the numbers, yes, yes we can.
There comes a level in all sports when just comparing players with numbers isn’t enough and it becomes a situation where “when you see greatness, you know it.” With Todd Gurley, this saying holds true. Sitting on my couch one Saturday watching Gurley score a touchdown after breaking two tackles I hear broadcaster Vern Lundquist say, “He may be one of the best we have ever seen.”
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So here we sit, four and a half months later with the draft fast approaching and the same “draft expert” who wrote off Gurley now has him going 17th to the Chargers. Mel Kiper has Todd Gurley listed as a “perfect fit” for the Cowboys who own the 27th pick but many league sources do not expect him to still be there.
Gurley is a special talent and getting him in the mid to late first round, even after the knee injury, is going to be a steal. If healthy it can be argued he is the most talented player in this years draft. The only knocks against him are that he’s coming off a major injury and he’s ONLY a running back. Now where have I heard this before?