With most of the running back hype going to Melvin Gordon, people forgot how good Georgia Bull Dogs’ running back Todd Gurley III is. In my eyes he the best running back in the draft. Lets take a look at Georgia’s electrifying rusher.
Nov 15, 2014; Athens, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs running back Todd Gurley (3) runs against the Auburn Tigers during the second half at Sanford Stadium. Georgia defeated Auburn 34-7. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Gurley has a rare mix of Barry Sanders like agility and Jamal Lewis like power. When he gets a full head of steam, Gurley is unstoppable. This 6-1, 226 pound back is a rare talent. He is an intuitive runner.
He has ideal patience and allows the blocks to set up. If he can stay healthy in the NFL, defenses will not want to play whatever team he ends up with.
With 510 carries at Georgia, Gurley rushed for 3,285 yards and 39 touchdowns. If you did the math that’s an unbelievable 6.4 yards a carry.
This season Gurley missed seven games (we’ll get to that in a second) and still had 911 yards with 9 touchdowns averaging 7.4 yards a carry. Gurley also had a knack for finding the end zone on kick off returns.
Gurley was suspended indefinitely on October 9th, 2014. He was accused of making money off his autograph, which is a violation of the NCAA rules. Gurley returned about a month later and he unfortunately tore his ACL. A season that started with him as a Heisman favorite, ended with bad news.
Gurley is a sensational running back. The NFL combine will be crucial for his draft stock to show that he is the same rusher. Gordon may have taken his place as the number one prospect for the 2015 NFL Draft, but Gurley has the freakish talent to earn it back. Gurley will be a hot commodity in the early 2nd round.