[SIZE=14pt]Todd Gurley[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14pt]Birthday - August 3, 1994. He will just turn 21 for the 2015 NFL season[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14pt]Rivals 4 star recruit[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14pt]2012: 222 attempts for 1,385 yards 6.2 17 TD, 16 rec for 117 yards 0 TD[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14pt]2013: 165 attempts for 989 yards 6.0 10 TD, 37 rec for 441 yards 6 TD[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14pt]Size - 6’1 195 out of HS, 6’1 218 in 2012, 6’1 232 in 2013. Gurley has a strong upper body, which allows him to throw defenders away, but what makes him elite is his huge lower body. It generates all of his power and makes it tough for would be tacklers to wrap him up all the way around his lower half.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14pt]Speed - Gurley has good speed for a player his size. I suspect his speed is 4.5 flat with a chance to be in the high 4.4's. He was a faster football player in 2012 vs 2013, but he put up significant weight during his time at Georgia and it’s slowing him down, especially his long speed. In 2011, he ran a 10.70 100 meter dash. His acceleration is good and I would say better than his speed.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14pt]Power – Uses his stiff arm well to not only distance himself from defenders or push them away, but also shoving defenders to the ground. Gurley is a very powerful runner than will punish a defender and makes defensive backs weary to come up in run support. Wears down defenses and gashes them late in games. His size and power is so great that defenders literally bounce off of him.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14pt]Elusiveness – Does a really good job of setting up defenders by using the “dead leg” to make decisive cuts. For such a big RB, he is good at getting skinny to sneak by defenders. Has a good jump cut near the LOS that gets him past defenders and quickly into cutback lanes.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14pt]Vision – This is his biggest weakness so far,albeit a small one. He needs to become a more patient runner and wait for his blocks. At times, he is missing huge cutback lanes because he’s in too big of a hurry and doesn't allow for things to develop. Normally this happens when he is tired or he bounces outside too quickly. Overall, his vision is above average and he reads his blocks well most of the time. He has a nose for the end zone and finds a way to get in. Gurley does a good job of changing his running angle at the second level to move away from defenders to gain extra yardage.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14pt]Finishing runs – He isn’t afraid to sacrifice his body near the goal line and is determined to get into the end zone. He lowers his shoulder near the end of runs to blast into defenders to gain yardage. Gurley can make subtle cuts while taking on impact from defenders that allows him to gain yardage other running backs cannot. This is tough to do but speaks to his ability to keep his balance. However, I see many runs when he gets to the second level and goes down easier than he should due to his athletic ability. [/SIZE]
[SIZE=14pt]Hands – Very smooth snagging the ball out of the air and should be a common occurrence at the next level.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14pt]Blocking – Gurley has the size and power to be a good pass protector. However, right now he doesn’t attack defenders as much as he should. Assignment wise, he’s been correct, but he just needs to improve his aggressiveness here.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14pt]Injuries – Gurley missed 3 games due to an ankle injury he suffered vs LSU and wasn’t 100% for the last 6 games he played in 2013. If you watched the 2nd half vs Florida(his 1st game back from the injury), Gurley was completely gas and looked like a shadow of his former self.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14pt]Overall- Todd Gurley is the best RB prospect since Adrian Peterson. He has a freakish size/speed combination but also has a great feel for the position. He is a determined runner with a nose for the end zone, but also has soft hands. If Gurley had 4.4 flat speed and no injury history he would be an almost perfect prospect. My only worry with Gurley is he gets too big, loses his explosiveness and the injuries pile up.[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14pt]Round projection- 1st round NFL pick[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14pt]Comparison- Ricky Williams and Larry Johnson[/SIZE]
[SIZE=14pt]FF – Todd Gurley is my current RB2 in dynasty leagues behind Lesean McCoy. Gurley is an unbelievable prospect that does everything good and is elite in areas as well. Do whatever you can to acquire him and enjoy the ride.[/SIZE]
