St. Louis Rams selection Todd Gurley first shocking pick in 2015 NFL Draft

By Daniel | Apr 30, 2015

The first ‘woah’ moment of the draft has occurred.

With the 10th pick in the 2015 NFL Draft the St. Louis Rams selected running back Todd Gurley. The former Georgia Bulldog running back was a standout in college from 2012-2014 and St. Louis is definitely looking for big things out of Gurley this fall. Head coach Jeff Fisher loves to play tough football by playing a rugged style of defense and running the ball. It’s safe to say this team will be running the ball effectively for years to come.

Interestingly enough, Gurley was the second highest player on the Rams’ draft board and they landed him with the 10th overall pick — talk about value.

The Rams landed a truly talented running back that will certainly help their 28th ranked offense from 2014 (20th in rushing). Gurley will look to contribute from game one and his transition should be fairly seamless considering his success in college. He ran for 3,825 yards and scored 42 total touchdowns in just two and a half seasons with Georgia. Gurley dominated against SEC defenses and seems to be as NFL ready as any running back in recent years.

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The last time the St. Louis Rams selected a running back tenth overall in the draft they selected Jerome Bettis. Gurley definitely has the tools to put together just as great of a career, although much work has to be done. For starters, Gurley has to come back healthy and just as explosive as he was prior to his injury in 2014. That said, all indications point to him being just as dangerous of a player come fall.

Many people, including ESPN’s Mel Kiper, thought the Rams would target an offensive lineman, wide receiver, or cornerback. They were wrong. But they weren’t the only ones, this pick shocked everyone.

Literally no one saw this coming.

NFL.com’s last posted mock draft, published earlier today, featured four experts in Daniel Jeremiah, Mike Mayock, Charles Davis, and Charley Casserly. Three of the four had the Rams taking OG Ereck Flowers from the “U” also known as University of Miami. The fourth expert had the Rams selecting OT Andrus Peat out of Stanford. All four had the Rams taking an offensive lineman.

ESPN released a comprehensive first round mock draft by using the minds of all of its NFL Nation reporters. The results were similar to what NFL.com predicted as ESPN.com had the Rams drafting OT Andrus Peat.

NFL Spin Zone’s own Stephen Forsha released the latest mock draft for this site and he predicted that the Rams would choose WR Devante Parker out of Louisville. Likewise, Bleacher Report’s final comprehensive mock draft put together by Matt Miller had the Rams selecting WR Kevin White, a player taken seventh overall by Chicago.

Instead, the Rams shocked the world.

However, should it really be that shocking? Gurley was one of the most dominant players in college football at the time of his injury and Fisher does love to run the ball.

It should be noted that the entire nation predicted that the Rams would go offense with the 10th overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft and the nation was right about that! Although no one had the position right. And I mean no one.

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This pick obviously comes as a surprise, but is one that will have fans throughout the St. Louis metropolitan area celebrating all night. According to ESPN’s Mel Kiper the best available player at the time of St. Louis’ pick was wide receiver DaVante Parker out of Louisville. No one in St. Louis is upset that the Rams took Gurley though — not even current quarterback Nick Foles.

Sure, Foles would have loved to throw the ball to Parker, but trust me, he’ll love handing off the ball to Gurley even more. Gurley will keep opposing defenses focused on the running game and the entire offense should be better with him on the field. Foles will now be able to throw the ball downfield with safeties looking into the backfield to find Gurley.

Is Gurley the answer for this offense? Absolutely, this pick is an A+.

Is Gurley a great value pick for the Rams? Inarguably yes.

Before Gurley’s injury last year some were projecting him to be a top-5 pick and the Rams got him at No. 10. Not to mention, the Rams had Gurley valued over eight players already selected in the 2015 NFL Draft. Talk about a match made in heaven.

The Rams’ new running back will definitely have a chance to star as early as next year. Here’s to hoping that he makes a full recovery and is as explosive as he was.

Next: Jaguars Bolster Defense With Dante Fowler Jr.

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