a couple of recent things on Gurley for July

from off the net

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nflscouting aka Dave-Te Thomas

While he is still working on recovering from knee surgery, Gurley is perhaps the best franchise back to come out of college the last few years. In my reports to NFL teams, this is what The NFL Draft Report analyzed when breaking down Gurley’s potential pro future;

OVERVIEW

When you are a 230-pound running back with the perfect blend of size, speed and production that Gurley has delivered, immediate comparisons to the likes of former Jacksonville standout, Fred Taylor, and Seattle Seahawks All-Pro, Marshawn Lynch, are inevitable.

There is nothing flashy about Gurley’s game – he’s not going to be like a ballerina spinning away from defenders, but much more like Lynch, as he attacked the line of scrimmage and runs through rushing lanes with the same “Beast Mode” attitude. Despite a troubling 2014 season on-and-off the field that the Bulldogs hopes will not hinder his draft stock.

Gurley started 27-of-30 games during his college career, ranking second on the school all-time record chart with 4,322 all-purpose yards and 3,285 yards on the ground. His average of 6.44 yards per rushing attempt established the Bulldogs’ record and his average gain of 109.5 rushing yards per game is second only to great Herschel Walker on Georgia’s career-record sheets.

Gurley’s 36 touchdowns are tied for second in school annals, as his 44 total touchdowns tied Arkansas’ Darren McFadden (2005-07) for tenth in Southeastern Conference history. That total is also the most for any current player in the league. He’s proven to be quite efficient toting the pigskin, gaining at least 100 yards rushing in eighteen of his 27 career starts.

Gurley attended Tarboro High School in North Carolina, where he not only starred as a tailback, but was also a dominating tackler as the team’s strong safety, helping lead his team to three consecutive Class 2A state championships. His breakout season came as a sophomore, as he collected 1,457 yards with 27 touchdowns on 148 chances in 2009, adding another score on a reception and two more touchdowns returning kickoffs.

As a junior, Gurley rushed 139 times for 1,472 yards and 26 touchdowns. He also had 79 tackles, an interception, and a forced fumble, earning All-Area Offensive Player of the Year accolades. As a senior in 2011, he was named the North Carolina Associated Press Player of the Year after totaling 2,600 yards and 38 touchdowns rushing. He also received Rocky Mount Telegram All-Area Offensive Player of the Year, and NCPreps.com Class 2A Player of the Year accolades.

Gurley helped his team win the Class 2A North Carolina state championship, rushing for 242 yards and four touchdowns in the championship contest vs. Lincolnton High School. In the semifinals, Lincolton had shut down the state’s leading rusher, Thomasville’s Shaquan Johnson, who entered the game with 3,083 yard rushing.

Gurley was rated a four-star recruit by Rivals.com, as that recruiting service listed him as the fifth-best running back prospect in his class and third-best overall prospect in the state. Scout.com rated him the state’s fifth-best athlete and the country’s 13th-ranked running back. ESPN.com tabbed him the state’s tenth-best player and the 11th-best tail-back in the nation.
The Super Prep All-Mid-Atlantic Team pick added All-State honors from the Associated Press and ESPN during his final football season. He also excelled in track, participating in the 100-meter hurdles at the 2011 World Youth Championships in Athletics in Lille Métropole, France for Team USA.

Gurley finished 15th overall in the semifinals. He was timed at 10.7 seconds in the 100 meters in his senior year at the 2011 NCHSAA Class 2A State Track Meet, placing second. He also won the state title in the 200-meter hurdles and ran a 4.30 40-yard time. He also recorded personal bests of 14.13 in the 110-meter Hurdles, 22.85 in the 200-meter dash and 40.89 in the 300-meter hurdles.

Gurley committed to the University of Georgia and saw action as a true freshman. Despite starting as a backup to Ken Malcome, he saw increased involvement after a strong start and helped the team to win the Southeastern Conference East title. Over the course of the year, he rushed for 1,385 yards and 17 touchdowns, including more than 1,000 rushing yards during the regular season.

His touchdowns tied for third on the school season-record list while his rushing yardage ranks as sixth overall and second-best ever by a Bulldogs freshman. Gurley also showed off his other skills, as he pulled in sixteen passes for 117 yards and averaged 34.7 yards on seven kickoff returns, setting the school mark with a 100-yard runback for a touchdown vs. Buffalo in his collegiate debut.

Ankle problems sidelined Gurley for three games (vs. Tennessee, Missouri and Vanderbilt) in 2013 and would limit him in two others, as he also dealt with hip issues. He still started all ten games he appeared in, as his 989 yards on the ground rank as the third-best season total by a Georgia sophomore. He carried 165 times for a 5.99-yard average with ten touch-downs, as he scored six more times and gained 441 yards with a career-high 37 catches.

Gurley’s injury woes would continue during the 2014 season, but he also had a lot of off-field problems that would limit him to six appearances. He finished with 911 yards and nine touchdowns, averaging 7.41 yards on 123 carries. He gained 57 yards on twelve catches and returned another kickoff for a 100-yard touchdown (Clemson), averaging 44.8 yards via four runbacks.

The month of October, 2014, is one that Gurley would just as soon forget. Off the field, he was falsely accused of assaulting a man in a downtown Athens bar. A 20-year-old Georgia student told police that Gurley had punched him after he took a “selfie” of himself with Gurley in the background, police told the Athens Banner-Herald. After police watched surveillance video, they determined the accuser was had been punched by a white male.

Gurley, the Banner-Herald said, cooperated with police. He said he didn’t see the accuser get hit, but he did see some pushing and shoving. The tailback told police that the student had lost his hat and when he reached to pick it up for him, the student approached and used a racial slur. That’s the time someone punched the student, who was kicked out of the bar, police said.

The investigating officer released the following statement: “In consideration of all the information, to include statements and video recordings from the incident location, Todd Gurley’s involvement in this report is unfounded. Based also on the information … I was able to see clearly that Todd Gurley had no involvement in this case other than trying to give an individual his hat back.”

Gurley played in the team’s first five games, but on October 10th, head coach Mark Richt announced that his star player was indefinitely suspended while an investigation continued into a possible violation of NCAA rules. Multiple media outlets reported that Gurley allegedly received compensation for his autograph. According to Sports Illustrated, a person told Georgia’s compliance office that he had Gurley sign 80 items on campus last spring and he paid the running back $400.

The person was said to have photos and video of Gurley signing, but no photos or video showed Gurley being paid. “I’m obviously very disappointed,” Richt said in a statement. “The important thing for our team is to turn all our attention toward preparation for Missouri.”

The NCAA then suspended Gurley after their investigation found that he had taken $3,000 for autographed memorabilia and other items over two years. They enforced a four-game suspension, ending the school’s final hope of having its biggest star in uniform for the Missouri, Arkansas, Florida and Kentucky contests after the NCAA’s student-athlete reinstatement committee denied Georgia’s appeal of the suspension.

Gurley, who already has been held out of two games, was eligible to return on November 15th vs. Auburn. Georgia officials said it was “very disappointed” its appeal for Gurley’s immediate reinstatement was denied. “We believe our case to the NCAA for Todd’s immediate reinstatement was strong and compelling,” Georgia said in a statement.

“However, we now have exhausted all available options and look forward to Todd’s return to competition. The full attention of the Bulldog Nation now needs to be focused on our team.” When announcing the four-game suspension, the NCAA said it “strongly considered” a harsher punishment because Gurley was found to have taken cash from multiple individuals, even though the NCAA said he received “extensive rules education about the prohibition of receiving payment for autographs.”

Gurley had a good news/very bad news return to the lineup. He energized the Bulldog crowd the first time he touched the ball, racing 105 yards on a kickoff return in the Auburn clash. The touchdown was called back on a holding penalty, but Gurley served notice that he was back and determined to make up for lost time. He came off the bench to gain 138 yards and a touchdown on 29 carries, but it would be the last time he would carry the ball as a collegian.

On his final carry – which went for 11 yards – Gurley limped off the field, in obvious pain but under his own power. After the run, with just over five minutes remaining in the contest, he first remained on the turf for several minutes while he was examined by trainers. He limped to the sideline, where his knee was iced down. An MRI after the game revealed that the tailback had suffered a left knee anterior cruciate ligament tear and that surgery was required. His season was over. Later, he would announce that his time at Georgia was also ending – Gurley had declared for the 2015 NFL Draft.

SCOUTING ANALYSIS
Let’s face it, 2014 has not been the best of years for the Bulldogs junior – a suspension for a sports memorabilia signing, only to suffer a knee injury upon his return to wipe out the rest of his final season at Georgia. While Melvin Gordon might have passed Gurley on most team draft boards, he is still a better all-around athlete than the Badgers ball carrier, as he is not only a quality runner, but also excels as a receiver out of the backfield and is a dangerous kickoff returner.

The 232-pound junior has proven to be a potent option in all three phases, as his 4,322 all-purpose yards in just three seasons is second-best in school annals behind Herschel Walker (5,749). His 44 total touchdowns also rank second to Walker’s 52 and his average of 6.44 yards per rushing attempt broke the old Georgia record of 6.42 yards by Charley Trippi (1942, 1945-46).

In just six games, he was twice named National Player of the Week, finishing with 911 yards and nine touchdowns on 123 attempts (7.4 ypc) in 2014. The biggest test for Gurley will be when he steps in front of team medical staffs at the NFL Scouting Combine. He needs to assure GMs that he is not getting to the dreaded “injury prone” stage most ball carriers with a huge work load experience.

In addition to his knee injury this season, he had an ankle injury in 2013 that cost Gurley three games, but there might not be a big back in college that has the pure blend of power, balance and quickness that the Bulldog possesses. Compared favorably to Seattle’s Marshawn Lynch, he can generate a second gear to separate in the open and has the nimble feet needed to make precise lateral cuts.

Gurley has good timed speed, building his acceleration quickly coming out of his stance. He is not an explosive runner around the corner, but shows very good patience waiting for blocks to develop. He can generate a second gear to separate in the open and has the nimble feet needed to make precise lateral cuts. His loose hips and change of direction agility makes him very elusive avoiding traffic.

The Bulldog has nice feet and above average balance in his initial burst, doing a nice job of “getting skinny” to pick his way through tight creases. He keeps his feet after contact and has the pick-&-slide agility to elude when running in-line. He runs with a normal stride, but is very crisp redirecting on the move.

Gurley has a very good understanding of the offense and blocking schemes. He shows the vision to locate the soft areas in the zone and shows no hesitation redirecting when the rush lanes are clogged. He has a natural feel with the ball in his hands, doing a fine job of anticipating in-line openings. He has no problems taking plays from the chalkboard to the playing field.

Gurley excels at finding the cutback lanes. He has the ability to bounce off the tackle and make the initial defender miss. He is a patient runner who gets most of his success because of his feel for the rush lanes, as it is rare to see him run into traffic. He does a very good job of setting up his blocks and shows no hesitation running through openings when he locates them.

Gurley is a very competitive player who will never shy away from contact. He is a very effective blocker and a tough inside runner who loves to challenge the defender in one-on-one situations. He will aggressively take on a tackler and will sacrifice his body to compete for the pass over the middle. He will lower his head and drive hard with his legs after initial contact. He can bounce off tackles and shows good body lean to gain yardage.

Gurley is a hard worker in the training room who takes well to hard coaching. He is a mentally tough character who doesn’t let some mistakes take him out of his game. He is a high motor type who likes playing on special teams. He has natural strength and quickness, but will put in the extra hours to improve in those areas.

Gurley has that extra short area burst to get through traffic and comes out of his stance building to top speed in a hurry. He might not be explosive going long distances, but has the loose hips to redirect and separate. He shows good in-stride quickness when adjusting his direction and can clear the line of scrimmage in an instant when he keeps his pad level down. He has good body lean, but sometimes gets too high in his stance when attempting to race into the second level, failing to sidestep low blocks in the process.

Gurley excels at finding the cutback lanes. He has the ability to bounce off the tackle and make the initial defender miss. He is a patient runner who gets most of his success because of his feel for the rush lanes, as it is rare to see him run into traffic. He does a very good job of setting up his blocks and shows no hesitation running through openings when he locates them.

Gurley is a downhill runner with the slippery moves and change of direction agility to get through trash. He knows how to get skinny through tight creases, but needs to improve his leg drive, as he is not the type to move the piles. He runs with good awareness and body lean, but also has the agility to bounce outside when he generates a short burst. He compensates for a lack of raw power (strength is functional) with his balance and body control running up the middle.

Gurley is a very good stop-&-go runner, whose precise cutting agility will generally see the initial tackler over-pursue. He will sometimes get too fancy and execute multiple moves, allowing the defender to recover, though. He doesn’t have the explosive speed to beat the opponent around the corner, but once he starts turning up field, he has the feet and balance to bounce outside and elude.

Gurley has soft, natural hands, doing a good job of catching the ball outside his frame. He has the vision to look the ball in over his outside shoulder and the cutting agility to separate after the catch. He is used mostly on controlled routes, but has the quick stride to be lined wide or in the slot. He is very effective settling in underneath and is alert to coverage (very rare to see him run into crowded spots).

Gurley is a willing blocker with a good eye for picking up the blitz. He shows good intent and aggression chipping on edge rushers and gives the quarterback enough room to operate when protecting the pocket. He will not hesitate to face up and fight for position blocking in-line and makes a determined effort to engage. He is a good contact seeker in space, taking good angles when cut blocking.

Miami is targeting tailback as a primary draft need and there is talk that Atlanta will look to end the Stephen Jackson era and take the local product before the Dolphins can secure his services. He has the acceleration to separate from defenders in the open, excellent arm strength for the option pass and natural hands as a receiver coming out of the backfield..