Greg Cosell’s NFL draft preview: Todd Gurley may be best prospect in class
Georgia’s Todd Gurley is clearly the best running back in this class, but I think he might be even more than that.
I think you can make the argument that Gurley is the best prospect, at any position, in the draft.
That doesn’t mean he’ll be drafted first, of course. But I think he’s a great prospect. There are no negatives about Todd Gurley on the field.
I say “on the field” because there’s the matter of his knee injury. He tore his ACL late last season. Based on history, with how guys get treated for this, it doesn’t seem like it will be a big issue. You have to assume he’ll be fine. I don’t know the answer because I’m not a doctor, but that injury doesn’t derail careers anymore. All I can do is analyze his game film, which is fantastic.
If he’s healthy there’s no reason to think that he can’t be a foundation back for a team that wants the running game to be the starting point of its offense. There’s a lot to like about Gurley, but let’s start with how refined and advanced he is in the subtleties of running, like pressing the hole or using his downhill path to impact the defense.
Here on this 40-yard run against South Carolina, Gurley (No. 3) does a great job using his downhill path to impact the second-level defenders and set up his blocks (the run comes at 2:25 of the video after the screen shots):
On that run – and many others – there are a lot of his skills on display. And he has many skills.
At Georgia he did practically all of the runs he will be asked to do in the NFL: inside zone, zone lead, toss and power (gap schemes). The Georgia offense featured a lot of two-back straight “I” formation.
Gurley is a big back at 225 pounds and he shows solid traits of a power back with good size and natural toughness, but he also moves like man much smaller than 225 pounds.
He has great downhill power, possessing a strong lower body with the power and strength to shed and break tackles. He showed the ability to defeat quick penetration with his strong thighs and legs. He consistently ran with power inside, and delivered a blow on contact which jarred second-level defenders.
He also showed the burst and acceleration to get to the perimeter. He has a fluid change of direction and reacts easily to backfield penetration. Gurley has a short area burst through the hole with the speed to take it to the house.
To compare him to another top back in this draft, Gurley is a naturally more powerful runner than Wisconsin’s Melvin Gordon, as he is stronger through his thighs and legs. For an NFL comparison, he is a much smoother runner than Eddie Lacy but not quite as physical; Gurley is a more fluid mover with naturally looser hips and more make-you-miss ability in the open field.
I talk often about being a sustaining back, one that can consistently keep drives moving. He has all the traits of a sustaining NFL back: big frame, patience, vision, contact balance, physical toughness, downhill conviction and determination. He has elements of Stephen Jackson and Marshawn Lynch in his running style. As I said at the beginning, there are no clear negatives to his game.
The question then becomes where Gurley will be drafted. No running back has gone in the first round either of the past two drafts. In my opinion you shouldn’t pass a running back to draft a player ranked significantly lower on your draft board because of this notion that you don’t draft running backs high. If you have Gurley ranked, say, eighth on your draft board and he’s still available (and is the top player left on your board) when you pick in the 20s, you draft Gurley. It’s that simple.
Whoever does draft Gurley will be getting a big-time prospect. He’s a terrific back, a great player and arguably the best prospect in this draft.
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NFL analyst and NFL Films senior producer Greg Cosell watches as much NFL game film as anyone. Throughout the season, Cosell will join Shutdown Corner to share his observations on the teams, schemes and personnel from around the league.
