Todd Gurley: Georgia RB Still 2015 NFL Draft First Rounder?

We’ve covered Georgia RB Todd Gurley and his “autograph-gate” issues for a while. What more people aren’t talking about is how this relates to the 2015 NFL Draft. Gurley was projected to be a sure-fire first round pick before the issues came up. Will the draft stock change now that he’s in some trouble with the NCAA?

There are several issues to uncover here, starting with his play on the field. It’s no secret that Gurley has the ability to tear it up in the NFL once he gets there. His combined skills are better than any running back we’ve seen in a long time – leaving some to believe he has the on-field potential of Adrian Peterson once he gets there.

Here’s what our Sayre Bedinger had to say about the RB’s skills and how he projects to the next level in his incredibly-titled post, “Todd Gurley is sick”:

"This isn’t ground-breaking news to anyone, but Todd Gurley continues to blow me away with how good he is on a week to week basis. In case you’re looking for the next top 10 player at the running back position, it’s this kid out of Georgia. Gurley possesses elite burst, balance, vision, cutback ability, toughness between the tackles, and has a nose for the end zone. He is also one of the best third down backs I scouted all offseason in terms of both pass protection and ability to catch passes."

Pretty high praise, indeed.

Sayre is correct when he evaluates Gurley. His overall body of work speaks for itself, and there’s no questioning that he is the best running back in this class, (sorry Melvin Gordon fans).

When it comes to the off-field issues, which we all should know about by now, I wouldn’t imagine there will be any lingering issues leading up to the Draft. His mistake was likely just a sharpie on a few footballs… nothing to worry about for an NFL team.

Time will tell, but as of now, still expect Gurley to fly off the board pretty quickly once Draft day comes.