Todd Gurley lands in first round of Sports Illustrated NFL Mock Draft

With stud pass rusher Leonard Floyd making a somewhat surprising decision to return to school for the 2015 season, fans of the Georgia Bulldogs have slightly less of a rooting interest in the 2015 NFL Draft. However, All-American running back Todd Gurley is still prominently involved in the draft process (despite his unfortunate knee injury), and with the first batch of mock drafts arriving in full force, it is interesting to monitor his progress.

Sports Illustrated’s Chris Burke has recently unveiled his “Mock Draft 2.0”, and Gurley lands in the first round, albeit as the 32nd overall pick to the New England Patriots. Here is what Burke had to say about Gurley’s projected landing spot:

"Not entirely convinced Gurley holds onto a Round 1 spot post-knee injury. If he does, bank on him landing with a team like New England — one with other options at RB and the patience to wait for talent to emerge. The Patriots’ 2014 Round 1 pick of Dominique Easley, off a similar knee injury, either offers proof of that statement or throws up a red flag given Easley’s difficulty staying on the field. Even as he rehabs, it’s extremely difficult to envision Gurley slipping from Round 1."

As noted by Burke, there seems to be a split opinion on whether Todd Gurley will remain in the first round. Prior to the knee ailment, he was seen as a “lock”, but with the decline of running back value across the league and the uncertainty of Gurley’s recovery in time for the 2015 season, it isn’t a shock to see him falling a bit.

Still, Todd Gurley is a 6-foot-1, 226-pound machine at the running back position, and he was the consensus top running back in the draft, even among a class that includes both Wisconsin’s Melvin Gordon and Alabama’s T.J. Yeldon. It will be interesting to follow the former UGA star’s progress from now until the end of April, but for now, it appears that Gurley may sneak into the first round.