Fansided

Dynasty League Rookie Prospect: Georgia RB Todd Gurley

By Bruce Matson

facebooktwitterreddit

Todd Gurley is considered one of the top rookie running backs to come out for the draft since Adrian Peterson. This is a rock solid running back class, and Gurley appears to be the cream of this year’s crop. Gurley suffered an ACL injury during last season, which he is currently rehabbing from, causing him to miss the combine and other off season activities. The question with Gurley is that since he is damaged goods how should we value him? Should he be taken at 1.1 or should he fall in the draft?

Sep 27, 2014; Athens, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs running back Todd Gurley (3) runs for a touchdown against the Tennessee Volunteers during the second half at Sanford Stadium. Georgia defeated Tennessee 35-32. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

College Production

Gurley didn’t waste any time to produce at the collegiate level by dominating during his freshman season. His freshman year (age 18), he rushed for 1,385 yards and 17 TDs for 6.2 yards per carry. He also caught 16 receptions for 117 yards. Breaking out at the age of 18 like Gurley did demonstrates there is a possibility for the player to be a special talent. The earlier the better when it comes to break out age, and with Gurley breaking out at the age of 18, it indicates that Gurley is an elite prospect. Gurley didn’t slow down during his sophomore year (age 19) when he rushed for 989 yards and 10 TDs while hauling in 37 receptions for 441 yards and 6 TDs during 10 games. Gurley missed 4 games due to an ankle injury he suffered playing against LSU. The injury was a “freak” injury; his ankle got caught behind and twisted while getting tackled from behind. It was an injury that could happen to any running back. Gurley didn’t slow down during his junior year where he was projected to be one of the best running backs in the nation. His junior season (age 20) he rushed for 911 yards and 9 TDs while catching 12 receptions for 57 yards during 6 games. Even only playing 6 games, Gurley still turned in some impressive numbers. Gurley was suspended for 4 games for violating NCAA rules. Gurley came back from his suspension on 11/15/14 against Auburn. Gurley encountered some bad luck when he tore his ACL in the 4th quarter against Auburn, ending his junior season. During his career Gurley had two kickoff returns for touchdowns, one during his freshman year and the other during his junior year which was a 100 yard TD return.

Player Metrics

There isn’t any concrete data on Gurley’s metrics since he was unable to run at the combine, and I doubt he will be able to run for his pro-day, which will leave dynasty owners who are evaluating Gurley a little bit confused on how to determine his talent. Even though Gurley didn’t run at the combine, he did show up to take some measurements, and he also did the bench press. Gurley is 6’1 222 LBS with 10 inch hands. These measurements show that Gurley has the size to be a 3-down back at the NFL level. It’s hard to put too much stock into his bench press (17 reps), because he is coming off of a knee injury. I expect his bench press to increase the further he goes through the healing process with his knee. It’s hard to guess a player’s 40-time from watching tape, but it’s easy to tell that he has elite speed when watching him run back a 100 yard kick return for a touchdown against Clemson. Another indicator that he has elite speed is that he ran track for Team USA in Europe, competing in the 110 meter hurdles at the 2011 World Youth Championships. He also has the 7th fastest time in history in the 110 meter hurdle time for the University of Georgia. With that being said, Todd Gurley is very fast and has the ability to burn defense in the NFL. Gurley experienced a lot of controversy during the combine because he didn’t let some of the doctors evaluate his knee. I’m not looking into this too much, because there are reports saying that his knee checked out just fine and that Gurley was just being cautious and didn’t want multiple people testing his knee and risking re-injuring it.

More from College Football Odds

Film Review

Gurley is a beast on film. He is very fast and has the speed to break long gains, and he’s also very powerful and has the ability to run over defenders. He’s very explosive for his size, and has the ability to turn a 2 yard gain into a 10 yard gain. He’s very physical at the end of his runs and is always fighting for that extra yard. With him being that physical he is more likely to get injured because he will take a lot of punishment, but it’s also a good thing because it gets extra yards. Gurley has excellent hands, and is very good at running routes. Gurley is going to very solid in both PPR an standard leagues.

Player Value

Gurley is a generational talent. A player with his talent only comes around once every decade, and he’s going to cost a pretty penny in rookie drafts. I’m currently doing a start-up draft where he was drafted in the mid-2nd round. Gurley is going to be a top 3 pick in rookie draft, and he’s going to be the number 1 overall pick in a lot of drafts. I’m not worried about the knee injury. ACL injuries are not what they use to be and I feel that he’s going to comeback healthy. He is a young rookie, coming into the NFL at 21 years of age, and that will give him some longevity in fantasy.  If you need a running back or really like Gurley I can’t blame you for taking him at the 1.1 in your rookie draft. I like Gurley a lot and I hope to get him on some of my dynasty teams.

Need Help with your dynasty team? Contact me on Twitter @bmatz08 and I will give you the guidance you need to make the best decisions on trades, drafts, and the waiver wire.

Next: Where Will DeMarco Murray End Up?

More from FanSided