The Todd Gurley Thread - Currently FA

[Cameron Giles]

If I am sitting with the 1.01 because I "earned" it, I would not TOUCH Gurley. If he doesn't return to pre-injury form, or he gets reinjured, it's a wasted pick and another year rebuilding. There are safer options.

Incidentally, his tear is not NEARLY as bad as Lattimore's. Lattimore positively destroyed his knee.

Yeah, just as a reminder, this is what Lattimore tore:

ACL, PCL, MCL, LCL in his right knee and ACL in his left knee.

The doc who operated said he had to repair or reconstruct 8 or 9 structures in his knee and he basically only had one ligament left.

Gurley isn't very comparable to that, as he simply tore his ACL with no additional damage. It doesn't seem like much of a concern.

Gordon and Gurley both have risks, Cooper is probably the safest choice if you just want a player who will have a long and productive career.

[dm1129]

It is easy to forget, Jamaal Charles tore his ACL in 2011 and rushed for 1500 yards the following year....

[Jfever]

Yep. And, Adrian Peterson tore his ACL during week 12 vs Washington (on a cheap hit btw) during the 2011 season - then just happened to come back and rush for 2,097 yds the following year - missing Eric Dickerson's record by just a few yards. Not saying Gurley is the physical phenom that AP is / was, but the injury isn't a death sentence that it was just a generation or so ago. I remember mid to late in 2012, distinctly hearing about how Dickerson was hoping and praying that Peterson would not break his record. I've thought ever since - that Eric Dickerson is a major douche bag. I understand he wanted to keep his name in the record books, but, AP was coming off a major knee surgery and realistically - had a better single rushing season that any rb to ever play the game.

[DJB]

My concerns with Gurley have way more do with the 0-line that he ran behind with huge holes to run through than it does with his ACL tear. I am not concerned about the ACL tear whatsoever. I am hoping it drops him a bit but doubt he falls far enough for me to draft him.

That being said, he smells a bit like Trich to me in that I am not convinced about his vision when running the ball and I wonder if he will struggle if he runs behind a weak o-line that doesn't create space for him.

[nabright]

My concerns with Gurley have way more do with the 0-line that he ran behind with huge holes to run through than it does with his ACL tear. I am not concerned about the ACL tear whatsoever. I am hoping it drops him a bit but doubt he falls far enough for me to draft him.

That being said, he smells a bit like Trich to me in that I am not convinced about his vision when running the ball and I wonder if he will struggle if he runs behind a weak o-line that doesn't create space for him.

Funny because I have the same concerns about Gordon. The line he ran behind at Wisconsin was pretty damn good. Better than Gurley's imo

[HawkeyeState]

My concerns with Gurley have way more do with the 0-line that he ran behind with huge holes to run through than it does with his ACL tear. I am not concerned about the ACL tear whatsoever. I am hoping it drops him a bit but doubt he falls far enough for me to draft him.

That being said, he smells a bit like Trich to me in that I am not convinced about his vision when running the ball and I wonder if he will struggle if he runs behind a weak o-line that doesn't create space for him.

Funny because I have the same concerns about Gordon. The line he ran behind at Wisconsin was pretty damn good. Better than Gurley's imo

X2!!! Gordon either ran through a semi-truck hole or got stopped for a 2 yard gain or less

[Cameron Giles]

My concerns with Gurley have way more do with the 0-line that he ran behind with huge holes to run through than it does with his ACL tear. I am not concerned about the ACL tear whatsoever. I am hoping it drops him a bit but doubt he falls far enough for me to draft him.

That being said, he smells a bit like Trich to me in that I am not convinced about his vision when running the ball and I wonder if he will struggle if he runs behind a weak o-line that doesn't create space for him.

If anything, Gordon is the one who should concern you. Wisconsin always has great run blocking and there's a countless number of backs who posted insane numbers there.

I haven't really seen anything to question Gurleys vision.

[DJB]

Hmmm, seems everyone sees the same problem with Gordon running through big holes. I will have to go back and watch more tape and watch for that exclusively.

[HawkeyeState]

There are a few runs here and there were Gordon slips through a tight crease, but it's not on a consistent basis. If I had to guess, probably 2% of his runs this year were through small holes (not including any goal line carries). The dude runs through semi-truck sized holes

[FantasyFreak]

Six of one, half a dozen of the other. Gurley ran through big holes, too. Gordon is not like the other Wisconsin backs previously mentioned. He is much, much better. I'd take him over Gurley in a heartbeat. Gordon has amazing vision and patience, he will have no problems finding smaller holes at the next level, IMO. Gurley is great, but I just feel Gordon's agility, and small space acceleration is so much better. Gurley has great power, and some nice top end speed, but Gordon goes 0-60 so much quicker. Personally, I would like to see Gordon's combine, and Gurley's, but that won't happen. Not seeing any combine/pro day from Gurley makes selecting him that much more of a risk. ACL tears DO matter, although not as much as they used to. Gurley seems to be banged up a lot. Ankle, elbow, knee etc. Just wondering about longevity through a 16 game NFL season. I have a suspicion he will be injury prone. He is a high risk/high reward pick IMO. I feel Gordon is going to be a better NFL back, but everyone is entitled to their opinion.

[Joey Pigskins]

Six of one, half a dozen of the other. Gurley ran through big holes, too. Gordon is not like the other Wisconsin backs previously mentioned. He is much, much better. I'd take him over Gurley in a heartbeat. Gordon has amazing vision and patience, he will have no problems finding smaller holes at the next level, IMO. Gurley is great, but I just feel Gordon's agility, and small space acceleration is so much better. Gurley has great power, and some nice top end speed, but Gordon goes 0-60 so much quicker. Personally, I would like to see Gordon's combine, and Gurley's, but that won't happen. Not seeing any combine/pro day from Gurley makes selecting him that much more of a risk. ACL tears DO matter, although not as much as they used to. Gurley seems to be banged up a lot. Ankle, elbow, knee etc. Just wondering about longevity through a 16 game NFL season. I have a suspicion he will be injury prone. He is a high risk/high reward pick IMO. I feel Gordon is going to be a better NFL back, but everyone is entitled to their opinion.

Totally agree. I feel like Gordon's agility and speed is so good that it makes some completely ignore how good other parts of his game are. The guy consistently breaks initial contact. And whenever he was asked to catch the ball, he did. The comparison is cliche at this point but he looks so much like Jamaal Charles.

Right now I'm Gordon>Cooper>Gurley. I can definitely see Gurley leap frogging Cooper depending on their landing spots, but Melvin will be my 1.01 barring injury. I expect Gordon to go to a running back needy team in the mid to late first round (Chargers ). I have 1.01 and 1.03 in my home league and clearly need RB. The guy at 1.02 needs WR and stable youth in general so I'm probably going to secure Gordon at 1.01 and roll the dice that an injured Gurley falls to me at 3

[Phaded]

Both Gordon and Gurley ran through some huge holes.

I feel like when there is a good offensive line in college football they are VERY good, making it easier for running backs.

Which is also part of why I think it is so much "easier" to miss on a RB.

I don't think Gurley is a lock, nor do I Gordon - although there chances of success are very high; it is not guaranteed at all.

[FantasyFreak]

Six of one, half a dozen of the other. Gurley ran through big holes, too. Gordon is not like the other Wisconsin backs previously mentioned. He is much, much better. I'd take him over Gurley in a heartbeat. Gordon has amazing vision and patience, he will have no problems finding smaller holes at the next level, IMO. Gurley is great, but I just feel Gordon's agility, and small space acceleration is so much better. Gurley has great power, and some nice top end speed, but Gordon goes 0-60 so much quicker. Personally, I would like to see Gordon's combine, and Gurley's, but that won't happen. Not seeing any combine/pro day from Gurley makes selecting him that much more of a risk. ACL tears DO matter, although not as much as they used to. Gurley seems to be banged up a lot. Ankle, elbow, knee etc. Just wondering about longevity through a 16 game NFL season. I have a suspicion he will be injury prone. He is a high risk/high reward pick IMO. I feel Gordon is going to be a better NFL back, but everyone is entitled to their opinion.

Totally agree. I feel like Gordon's agility and speed is so good that it makes some completely ignore how good other parts of his game are. The guy consistently breaks initial contact. And whenever he was asked to catch the ball, he did. The comparison is cliche at this point but he looks so much like Jamaal Charles.

Right now I'm Gordon>Cooper>Gurley. I can definitely see Gurley leap frogging Cooper depending on their landing spots, but Melvin will be my 1.01 barring injury. I expect Gordon to go to a running back needy team in the mid to late first round (Chargers ). I have 1.01 and 1.03 in my home league and clearly need RB. The guy at 1.02 needs WR and stable youth in general so I'm probably going to secure Gordon at 1.01 and roll the dice that an injured Gurley falls to me at 3

Yeah, and he (Gordon) has one mean stiff arm. Every coach raves about his commitment and work ethic, and everything I've ever heard from him has been totally respectable. Seems like a guy who has a lot of inner drive. He also seems to be a team player, all his teammates seem to rally around him. I think will NFL quality strength and conditioning, he could put on a few more pounds of muscle, too. Anyway, this thread is about Gurley. SO I will end by saying I am concerned about his injury history, and his running style leading to a short NFL career. Great talent, but I just don't have a good feeling about drafting him. To each their own.

[HawkeyeState]

It's interesting how injury history can be both positive and negative for a college player. When a college player plays through nagging injuries (sprains, bruises, etc.) he's partially credited for being a tough guy and not willing to let bumps and bruises stop him from playing and being effective. Then, the people who don't like the player, use injury history to say he's brittle and won't last in the NFL.
Obviously the ACL is bigger than bumps and bruises but I'm just commenting in general. I bet there would be a heated debate about whether Gurley is a tough guy and can take an NFL "beating" all season or if he has a short career ahead because of his history, if he had never torn the ACL. Now that part just hinges a lot of peoples opinions on the "short career ahead" side.

[FantasyFreak]

It's interesting how injury history can be both positive and negative for a college player. When a college player plays through nagging injuries (sprains, bruises, etc.) he's partially credited for being a tough guy and not willing to let bumps and bruises stop him from playing and being effective. Then, the people who don't like the player, use injury history to say he's brittle and won't last in the NFL.
Obviously the ACL is bigger than bumps and bruises but I'm just commenting in general. I bet there would be a heated debate about whether Gurley is a tough guy and can take an NFL "beating" all season or if he has a short career ahead because of his history, if he had never torn the ACL. Now that part just hinges a lot of peoples opinions on the "short career ahead" side.

I like Gurley, but he didn't play through all his injuries. He has missed time more than once with injuries through college, and an ACL tear will hamper his rookie year. There is no guarantee he is as good as before the injury, and I happen to think Gordon is the better back, regardless of the injury. I think there should be concerns with whoever drafts him in fantasy, not getting to see him at the combine, to see how he times in some of those drills, especially if you plan to draft him at 1.01.