With draft season in full swing most attention is being put on the quarterbacks. Will Jameis Winston's off-field troubles knock him out of the top spot? Will any teams trade up for the No. 2 pick to take either Winston or Marcus Mariota? While all this is going on, a compelling battle is brewing between Georgia running back Todd Gurley and Wisconsin running back Melvin Gordon to be the first tailback taken in 2015.
The Case For Todd Gurley
Gurley is the bigger back of the two, but his extra size (6'1, 236 pounds) doesn't cost him any speed. He didn't do all the drills at the NFL Combine, but he did run the 40-yard dash in 4.45 seconds, ranking him second among all participating rushers.
Last season was tumultuous for Gurley, yet despite playing in just six games he mustered 911 rushing yards and nine touchdowns. On top of that, Gurley was one of the most impactful special teamers in college football, averaging 38.4 yards per return and bringing one to the house. Remember, six games.
It's not all strawberries and balloons for Gurley though. He sustained a major knee injury during the season that came in his first game back from a four-game suspension. Gurley had been banned for profiting off of autographs-regardless of anyone's opinion on how necessary the rule is, Gurley was aware of it and consciously broke it.
Then there's the matter of investing a first-round pick in a running back coming off a major injury. Recoveries from ACL tears have become far more common in today's NFL, and examples like Adrian Peterson, who rushed for more than 2,000 yards the season after tearing an ACL, and Frank Gore, a model of durability despite tearing multiple ligaments in college, mean Gurley isn't doomed. Still, running back has become devalued in today's pass-happy NFL, and he enters as damaged goods.
He also has just one 1,000-yard season under his belt at Georgia, and has 15 fewer games to judge from than Gordon. That could be a plus or a minus. On the one hand, fewer games could mean greater upside. On the other, the longer track record for Gordon might make a team feel safer picking him.
Of course, talent almost always wins out. Gurley's a large back to have 4.45 speed, and he's shown incredible agility to boot. Talent-wise, he is the top running back in the class and could very well go inside the Top 20 despite the torn ACL.
The Case For Melvin Gordon
Gordon is smaller than Gurley, and at the Combine he was a hair slower. However, while Gurley has scouts and fans drooling over what he might become, Gordon has dropped jaws with his production. He briefly held the all-time single-game rushing record when he ripped Nebraska a new one and chewed up 408 yards with four touchdowns in three quarters.
Last season he finished the year with 2,587 yards and scored 29 touchdowns. He had six games of 200 or more rushing yards, and was held to less than 100 yards only twice. Even as a sophomore when he had to share the workload, he was averaging 10 yards per carry. When the job become all his own, he averaged more than seven yards per attempt in back-to-back seasons.
Gordon doesn't have Gurley's injury history, but he doesn't have Gurley's top speed or pure athleticism. He also does not have the receiving chops out of the backfield that Gurley does, which can be crucial in many current offenses where short passes have become a sort of running game.
ESPN analyst Ron Jaworski does not believe Gordon will last beyond the Baltimore Ravens at No. 26, so if he's to be believed there will be at least one Round 1 running back taken. Gurley's been linked to the Cleveland Browns at No. 19, but his injury history makes the situation unpredictable.
Prediction: Todd Gurley will go first because of his upside. Both will be taken in Round 1.
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