Report: RB Todd Gurley visits the Detroit Lions

The Georgia running back was a Heisman front runner and a surefire first round draft pick before injuries derailed his season.

With the departure of Reggie Bush to San Francisco, the Detroit Lions were left with only Joique Bell and Theo Riddick as legitimate options at tailback. The Lions will likely be looking to bolster that position when April 30 rolls around and the first night of the NFL draft kicks off.

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The team has apparently been in contact with injured Georgia product Todd Gurley.

From DetroitLions.com:

"“I’m doing pretty good,” Gurley told detroitlions.com during a pre-draft visit in Allen Park on Monday. “I’m down in Pensacola, Florida rehabbing. I haven’t started running yet. I’ve been squatting, jump ropes, ladder and I’m building strength and definitely feeling a lot stronger.”The Lions, however, got a good look at Gurley Monday morning.“I had a physical this morning and they definitely took a look,” Gurley said."

The Lions interest adds intrigue for how the running back situation will play out in the second half of the first round. Wisconsin running back Melvin Gordon is regarded as the draft’s premier running back, and with teams like the running back hungry San Diego Chargers picking at 17, he may be off the board by the time Detroit’s pick rolls around at 23.

Whereas Gordon is regarded as a well rounded running back with fantastic balance and vision to go along with his burst and power, Todd Gurley is much more of a commodity as a playmaker, demonstrating more top flight speed and angry physicality on runs.

However, Gurley’s durability concerns bring him down lower in the draft. An ACL tear in November killed his fabulous 2014 campaign that saw him make plays both in the running game and as a return man on special teams, and he also was forced to miss three games in 2013. His talent level is considered more tantalizing than even Melvin Gordon, but the injuries are holding him back.

Even without Todd Gurley’s injuries, teams may be wary of drafting a running back in the first round. The last running backs drafted in the first round were the trio of Trent Richardson, Doug Martin and David Wilson in 2012, and with the exceptions of Adrian Peterson and Marshawn Lynch selected at the top half of the 2007 draft, the first round backs of the last ten years have been adequate at best and busts at worst.

Meanwhile, most of the top running backs currently playing for teams were selected in the second round or later, signifying that value can be found later in the draft.

For Gordon and Gurley, they may look like the exception to the rule, but it remains to be seen if a team will take that chance

[H/T: detroitlions.com]

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