Fansided

Todd Gurley gets compared to Adrian Peterson

By Andrew Ross

Sep 20, 2014; Athens, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs running back Todd Gurley (3) runs the ball against the Troy Trojans during the first half at Sanford Stadium. Georgia defeated Troy 66-0. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports
Sep 20, 2014; Athens, GA, USA; Georgia Bulldogs running back Todd Gurley (3) runs the ball against the Troy Trojans during the first half at Sanford Stadium. Georgia defeated Troy 66-0. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports /
facebooktwitterreddit

Todd Gurley has a great chance of being the first running back selected in the upcoming NFL draft.

Former Georgia running back Todd Gurley is coming off of an ACL injury, but that won’t shy away teams from taking a chance on his amazing talent early in the draft.

More from Miscellaneous

Gurley was able to put himself on the national map during his three years as a Bulldog. He finished his collegiate career with a total of 3,285 rushing yards and 36 touchdowns on the ground.

The running back position has been devalued a bit lately, but Gurley might be able to break some of these recent running back trends. The last NFL draft didn’t have a single running back selected in the first round – the Tennessee Titans made Bishop Sankey the first running back taken with the 54th overall pick in the second round – but Gurley could easily be taken in the first round.

Not only is Gurley looking at the possibility of a high draft pick, but some people are saying he is best the best running back prospect to come out of college since Adrian Peterson.

In case you need a reminder as to what Peterson did in three years at Oklahoma: 4,041 rushing yards and 41 touchdowns on the ground. Those are some pretty ridiculous numbers.

Being compared to Peterson is a great thing, but I can’t help but remember the last time a running back was compared to Peterson.

That’s right. Trent-freakin’-Richardson. Richardson isn’t close to Peterson’s level, and he actually isn’t even on the level of a starting running back in the NFL. In four season of being a professional, Richardson only has 2,032 rushing yards (with a whopping 3.3 yards per carry) and 17 touchdowns. Most of that production came in his rookie season when he fooled everyone into thinking that he might be a good running back (rushed for 950 yards and 11 touchdowns in 2012). As of recently, Richardson was cut by the Indianapolis Colts and was signed by the Oakland Raiders – and that franchise sure does have great success with players like Richardson.

Because of the whole Richardson thing, it might be in the best interested of Gurley to stay far away from comparisons like these. And besides, Gurley would probably prefer to have less expectations anyways.

Gurley could very well have been a top ten pick in this draft had it not been for his ACL injury, and that is what makes his draft stock so intriguing. Sure, he could be a player that struggles post-injury or continues to get injured – but what if he isn’t? He might become a little gem for some good team to take a chance on once the first round starts to come to an end.

More from FanSided