Houston Texans running back Arian Foster went from undrafted free agent out of Tennessee to one of the most nimble, bruising and consistent backs in the NFL. For five seasons now - and part of his rookie year - Foster has carried the load for the Texans, managing four 1,000-yard rushing seasons with his physical, yet smooth style.
It seems somehow out of sorts to suggest that a team like the Texans, who found such a running back gem without investing any assets whatsoever, could be eyeing the potential addition of a ballcarrier with their first-round pick in the 2015 NFL Draft.
Still, there's no denying that former Georgia running back Todd Gurley - set to travel to Houston for a pre-draft visit with head coach Bill O'Brien and GM Rick Smith - would look mighty good in a Texans uniform.
"The Texans selecting Gurley at No. 16 overall makes sense in short-term and long-term planning of the team. Houston is likely to miss out on the top three wide receiver prospects, and there won't be an inside linebacker available worthy of the 16th-overall pick," writes Charlie Campbell of Walter Football. "Running back is a need for Houston, as its offense figures to be dependent on a potent rushing attack as the team enters the season with Ryan Mallett or Brian Hoyer as its starting quarterback."
Hoyer, the veteran journeyman, played fairly well for the Cleveland Browns last season before suffering an injury and ceding the starting spot to unworthy upstart, Johnny Football. In 14 games of work - his most extensive NFL starting experience to date - Hoyer completed 242 balls for 3,326 yards, 12 touchdowns and 13 interceptions.
The numbers aren't great - and probably never will be - but he did have the Browns winning games and in contention before going down. Still, he's not what you could ever consider a franchise quarterback.
The 26-year-old Mallett, despite his physical attributes and overall promise, has never thrown more than 41 passes in an NFL season and has appeared in just seven games total in his career.
Add in the advancing age and increasing brittleness of Foster and the idea of O'Brien and Smith making a guy like Gurley their first-round pick come late April, suddenly doesn't seem so farfetched.
"Foster turns 29 during training camp and has had durability issues during his career, so adding another elite runner makes sense," writes Campbell. "Last year, he missed a few games and couldn't finish a few others and that played a significant role in the Texans just missing out on the playoffs despite Houston's weakness at quarterback. With a two-headed monster at running back and one of the best defenses in the NFL, the Texans could have enough around the quarterback to make a run into the playoffs."
The 6-foot-1, 222-pound Gurley is coming off an ACL tear in November, but prior to the injury he was averaging an astounding 7.4 yards per carry. He finished 2014 with 911 yards and nine touchdowns.
Sources tell Campbell that some projections have Gurley able to return to work by training camp. While that seems optimistic, with Foster already in place, the Texans would be well-positioned to allow Gurley to take his time working his way back to full speed.
Texans owner Bob McNair recently intimated while at the NFL owners meetings in Phoenix last month that the Texans didn't require elite quarterback play to turn themselves into legitimate Super Bowl contenders.
While that's probably wishful thinking more than anything, a backfield of Foster and Gurley along with a game manager at quarterback, whether it be Mallett or Hoyer, and a strong - and getting stronger, thanks to the additions of Vince Wilfork and Rahim Moore - defense could turn out to be the right mixture of parts to finally make the Texans a postseason team under O'Brien.
