NFL Draft 2015: Seahawks should target Todd Gurley
By Thomas Oide
When Todd Gurley went down with an ACL injury, all Georgia fans could do was shake their heads and cry, knowing that any college football playoff hopes that the Bulldogs had were gone.
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But Todd Gurley’s injury could be a blessing in disguise for the Seahawks.
Earlier in the month, I wrote a piece about possible draft targets if the Seahawks chose to tank and get a high draft pick for what looks like a loaded 2015 NFL draft class. Most of it was purely hypothetical and one of my ideal fits for the Seahawks was Todd Gurley, who was projected to be the first RB drafted in the first round since 2012.
But Gurley’s knee injury caused his draft stock to plummet. And when I say plummet, I mean plummet. Gurley, a strong Heisman candidate earlier in the year, is now projected as a second-round pick.
What does this mean? It means that with what seems like the inevitable departure of Marshawn Lynch, the Seahawks may be able to draft his replacement: Gurley.
Here’s some of his highlights from this season against Tennessee, South Carolina, Clemson and Troy:
Watch his highlights and you can literally check off everything that an elite running back has: elite vision, elite speed, he can run inside and outside, and he can truck would-be tacklers. This dude is no joke; he can flat out play.
Even though he is injured, the Seahawks can afford to wait on Gurley. Christine Michael and Robert Turbin should be able to do enough while Gurley heals and gets better adjusted to the NFL game.
But the Seahawks still have to find a way to get him in the second round. I would normally say that the Seahawks should reach to get Gurley in the first, but with so many talented players, the Seahawks would be unwise to do so.
“But Thomas,” you say. “How can the Seahawks draft Gurley if he’s projected as a mid-second rounder and the Seahawks are drafting on the back end of the second round?”
Valid point. But remember that trade for that one guy? You know, the guy who got traded to the Jets for a fourth to sixth round pick?
That trade could pay off dividends for the Seahawks. There has to be at least one team picking in the middle of the second round who is willing to trade down in exchange for an extra pick.
It’s ultimately a win-win situation for the Seahawks: they don’t lose any of their original picks and may have the steal of the draft in Gurley, who is a franchise-caliber type of player.
So if Marshawn Lynch does leave, it will indeed leave a big hole in the Seattle backfield. But if Lynch is passing the torch to Gurley?
That doesn’t sound too bad.