Why Todd Gurley Will Be The Rookie of the year in 2015

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When NFL commissioner Roger Goodell was set to announce the St. Louis Rams’ pick in the first round, the last player on my mind was Todd Gurley. I was expecting a wide receiver or offensive lineman, but Gurley was the name called.

I’m sure I wasn’t the only person to sit in shock for a few moments, but  looking back on it now, that was the steal of the draft. Pre-injury, Gurley was an almost certain top five pick. If that had of been the case, this would have put the Rams in a very precarious position. They would have the option of a so-so lineman verses a so-so wide receiver with their pick. Instead, they nabbed the best running back in the draft, and the first one selected in the first round since 2012.

Sure, he suffered a torn ACL, but these days, that’s one of the easiest injuries to come back from. In my opinion, the worst injury a player can sustain is a nagging injury. One that isn’t serious enough to require surgery, but enough to keep them from performing at 100 percent.

Word on the street is that Gurley will be ready to rock and roll by week one of the regular season, and wouldn’t surprise many to see him ready to go even before that. Gurley is making strides every day and did get in some solid work during OTA’s in the past few weeks. There is no reason why a November injury would keep as prolific of a running back as Gurley is, off the field for very much longer.

In 2014, the rookie of the year award was a clear-cut decision. Wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. ran away with the award, without even playing in all 16 games. In fact, Beckham Jr. missed the first four games of the season and still won the award. Another reason why Gurley missing more time than expected wouldn’t hurt his chances to bring home the award.

Gurley’s talent won’t be the reason he loses the award if that is the case, but if the offensive line in front of him can pave the way for him. Demarco Murray who was seen as a slightly above average running back before 2014, torched the NFL a season ago mainly in part of the dominant offensive line the Dallas Cowboys have installed.

As far as talent goes, Gurley is better that Murray, and is on the same level as Adrian Peterson. Lets all remember that Peterson suffered the same injury as Gurley a few years back and led the NFL in rushing in the very next season. So, to say Gurley won’t recover from his ACL is blasphemy.

In my opinion, there are only a couple other players who will compete with Gurley for the award. Jameis Winston and running back counterpart, Melvin Gordon who was drafted five spots behind Gurley to the San Diego Chargers. Neither receivers Amari Cooper or Kevin White will stand a chance in my opinion. Cooper doesn’t have the quarterback and White is surrounded by too good of talent. Beckham was lucky enough to be the only receiver Eli Manning had an option of throwing the ball too which allowed him to shine game after game.

Winston on the other hand will have a pretty good rookie season in my opinion, but not quite as good as Gurley. Everyone loves a comeback story. Many people doubted Gurley after he went down with the torn ACL. Some went as far to say that he would drop to the third round in the draft, so that is added motivation for him as well.

I’ll go out on a limb and say that Gurley rushes for 1,250 yards and 12 rushing touchdowns. That is very doable for a man of his talent, and I fully expect him to reach that goal even with teammate Tre Mason stealing reps from him to start the season. But, Gurley will create space between him and Mason by week eight, and the rest will be history. Gurley is poised for a good season, and I fully expect to see it.