Melvin Gordon: Leading rookie rushing title contenders

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Aug 29, 2015; St. Louis, MO, USA; St. Louis Rams running back Todd Gurley (30) during warmups before the game between the St. Louis Rams and the Indianapolis Colts at the Edward Jones Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jasen Vinlove-USA TODAY Sports

5) Todd Gurley, running back, St. Louis Rams

Todd Gurley was the first running back taken off the board in the 2015 NFL Draft, though Melvin Gordon could have arguably been considered the better back.

Coming out of Georgia with 3285 yards in three seasons, Gurley has had high expectations placed upon him from the get-go.

St. Louis Rams head coach Jeff Fisher has worked with some incredibly impressive running backs before, including the esteemed Eddie George and Chris Johnson, and thinks that Todd Gurley can be better than any of them. While George never won a rushing title, he is a 10000 yard running back and was always a title contender. Johnson’s 2000 yard season in 2009 earned him the moniker CJ2K when he led the NFL in rushing that season.

The Rams had a positively graded run blocking unit in 2014 and should continue a positive trend with Gurley spearheading their unit. While there were still talented runners on their roster when Todd Gurley was drafted, he is clearly the best of the bunch and will be given every opportunity to succeed.

He was just too good to pass up for the Rams.

While some question how good Todd Gurley can be on a bad St. Louis offense, I think this will work to his advantage. While I may not agree that the Rams offense is as bad as others seem to contend, it’s clear that Gurley can be not only their primary rusher but their primary offensive weapon.

This brings back memories of Maurice Jones-Drew when he led the league in 2011 with an absolutely terrible Jacksonville Jaguars team supporting him. Gurley could be good enough to pull an MJD and lead the league despite limited support from the rest of the offense.

With all this positivity around Gurley, why isn’t he considered the top rookie contender to win the rushing title? Well with his ACL injury from college, it’s expected that the can’t play until at least Week 4 of the regular season. If that remains true, then it will be incredibly difficult for him to win the rushing title.

Then again, strange things happen in the NFL all the time and Gurley is arguably the best of the bunch among rookie running backs in 2015. He could just be that special and put together a 13 game campaign strong enough to win the title.

Who do you think has the best chance of being the first rookie rushing title winner since Edgerrin James? Can Todd Gurley do it with a limited season? Will Melvin Gordon run away with it? Is someone else I didn’t mention a better candidate? Let your opinion be known in the comments!

Next: 15 bold predictions for the 2015 season

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