If it wasn’t for injuries, Todd Gurley would be a guaranteed, very high first round pick. But reality is different, and the until-recently Georgia star is heading into the NFL with a lot of question marks about his ability to stay healthy. He’s still getting interest, especially from the Houston Texans, Miami Dolphins and Jacksonville Jaguars.
Gurley played in just six games last season, scoring 9 touchdowns and rushing for 911 yards. When healthy, he was the best running back in college except for maybe Melvin Gordon, and not just last year. A guaranteed hit in the pros when you base your projections on ability alone. But durability is also an issue; a very big one.
Gurley played in just 30 games overall in his three seasons with the Bulldogs. While he has looked better and better physically since the college season ended including posting videos of himself running the treadmill at full speed, there are doubts. Not on whether or not he’ll be ready for the beginning of next season – he will be; the doubts are about whether or not he’s worth investing an early pick in.
The Houston Texans have their franchise back, Arian Foster, who had something of a comeback year in 2014, rushing for 1246 yards, scoring 8 touchdowns. Alfred Blue didn’t do a bad job as his backup, rushing for 528 yards as a rookie. With the Texans’ quarterback situation being iffy at best, it’s never a bad thing to have more talented running backs on the roster. That way Gurley isn’t thrown into the deep water too early.
The Dolphins had a good experience with Lamar Miller last season, rushing for over 1000 yards. But Miller isn’t that big (5’11), while Gurley brings in a blend of speed, strength and size that very few players have. Miller is pretty much the only running threat on the Dolphins, so it’s natural they’re interested in Gurley who can add another dimension to their running game and maybe take over.
The Jacksonville Jaguars? At this point, it’s hard to tell what they’re going to do. They need help in about every possible aspect of the football game. Denard Robinson was their leading rusher last season with 582 yards. Bringing in more talent to the running back position is an obvious need, but honestly, if I landed into the GM’s seat in Jacksonville today, I wouldn’t know where to begin