The offseason is a time of rampant speculation and looking too far into meaningless things. So, that is exactly what I'm going to do.
The Chicago Bears were one of several NFL teams present for the University of Georgia's pro day on Wednesday. Although main attraction Todd Gurley did not work out as he continues to rehab from a torn ACL, he still attracted quite a bit of attention.
Todd Gurley having extended conversation with Chicago Bears scout pic.twitter.com/pWOJx54F2I
— vaughn mcclure (@vxmcclure23) March 18, 2015
ESPN's Vaughn McClure snapped this shot of Gurley talking with Chicago Bears scout Sam Summerville.
Even with his injury, Gurley is considered one of the two best running back prospects (along with Wisconsin's Melvin Gordon) in a deep 2015 draft class. Before Gurley went down with his injury, he was averaging 7.4 yards per carry and had scored nine touchdowns in six games. He leaves Georgia with 3,285 rushing yards and 36 rushing touchdowns.
It's possible that Gurley could be selected in the first round, though not with Chicago's No. 7 overall pick. However, if he were to fall to the second round, where Chicago picks 39th, he would be an interesting selection. The Bears would not need to rush him back from his injury with starter Matt Forte already in place. But Forte is entering the final year of his contract that will pay him north of $7 million while counting $9.2 million against the salary cap this season. If the Dallas Cowboys were reluctant to sign DeMarco Murray, who is two years younger than Forte, to a lucrative deal then how do you think Chicago will approach contract talks with Forte?
The Bears could view Gurley as the team's running back of the future, though they may have to compete with the Dallas Cowboys to get him. Gurley has been compared to Marshawn Lynch as a physical runner with deceptive speed. Although the Bears invested a 2014 fourth-round pick into running back Ka'Deem Carey, Gurley's ceiling is much higher.
