St. Louis Rams head coach Jeff Fisher is not shy about his affinity for the ground game. Just take a look at the Rams' drafts since Fisher took over in 2012. In that time, St. Louis has invested five separate draft picks into the position, the most recent being Georgia tailback Todd Gurley.
It may not be a colloquial phrase, but the fifth time is the charm as Gurley, when healthy, has the potential to be a dominant feature back. His talent is so enticing that ESPN NFL Insider Field Yates listed him seventh among the top 10 running backs he would want to build an offense around over the next three seasons.
"Gurley hasn't taken a single snap in the NFL and continues to recover from a torn ACL suffered during his final college season, but in a recent interview on NFL Insiders, Rams coach Jeff Fisher noted that Gurley had a rare lower half," Yates wrote. "Gurley has virtually no holes in his game - he's a power player with explosive skills, vision and burst. The fact that he went 10th overall to a team that has another promising young runner (Tre Mason) shows just how Gurley was perceived during the pre-draft process."
Gurley broke a streak of two consecutive drafts without a running back going in the first round. Looking back on his college numbers, it's easy to see why. The 6-foot-1, 236 pound ball carrier rushed for 911 yards and nine touchdowns with a 7.4 yards per carry average in just six games last year. Overall, he rushed for 3,285 yards with 36 touchdowns and a 6.4 YPC in three seasons at Georgia.
Fisher is hoping that the combination of a healthy Gurley, who is expected to be out at least through the first month of the season, and new quarterback Nick Foles will provide this offense with a much-needed spark. Will it be enough to deliver Rams fans their first winning season in more than a decade? We will see.
