Risk-reward: Gurley's talent outweighs injury concerns for Rams

ST. LOUIS -- Rams coach Jeff Fisher has never met a running back he didn't like, from Eddie George, who fueled the Tennessee Titans' run to the Super Bowl after the 1999 season, to Chris Johnson, who rushed for 2,006 yards in 2009.

So it shouldn't have been a surprise when Fisher and general manager Les Snead took a major gamble Thursday with the selection of Georgia running back Todd Gurley at No. 10 in the first round of the NFL Draft.

It fits the head coach's philosophy.

While Fisher didn't want to compare Gurley to George, who rushed for 10,009 yards and 64 touchdowns in eight seasons with Houston and Tennessee, he did say Gurley is "special."

"But they're different," he continued. "They have different running styles. But when the career is all said and done, he can be that guy."

Gurley, who is now the seventh tailback on the Rams' roster, becomes the fourth runner the team has drafted in the last four years, joining Isaiah Pead (second round, 2012), Daryl Richardson (seventh round, 2012), Zac Stacy (fifth round, 2013) and Tre Mason (third round, 2014).

Taking the immensely talented Gurley is a risk because he is recovering from a torn ACL suffered in the fourth quarter of the Bulldogs' Nov. 15 game against Auburn. That game was his first after returning from a four-game suspension for accepting more than $3,000 for autographed memorabilia.

The Rams were present at his medical recheck on April 18 at Indianapolis.

"His rehab is coming along fine," Fisher said. "We don't know when he's going to be on the field competitively, but we do know he's not having any issues right now and the docs say he's ahead of schedule."

Gurley, who was surprised to be selected by the Rams and didn't visit the team in recent weeks, echoed Fisher's sentiment, saying, "There is no timetable. I know I have a lot of work to do. But opening day is a realistic goal."

"There's always that possibility," Fisher said. "But we're not going to be specific as to when. I will tell you this, we're not going to rush it. We may be a little on the conservative side. This is our running back of the future, so it makes no sense to subject him -- to put him in a bad situation sooner than we have to. We've got outstanding backs on our roster and he's going to add to that group. When that happens, we don't know, but he's going to be the running back of the future for a number of years."

Still, there was significant discussion among the Rams' hierarchy about the wisdom of adding another player with a history of ACL injuries, especially considering they've been burned by torn ACLs the last two seasons, with quarterback Sam Bradford and tackle Jake Long, neither of whom is still with the team.

Pead missed the 2014 season, also with a torn ACL.

"(ACL issues have) been a concern of ours. But every situation is different," Fisher said. "We don't have reservations about him getting back to full speed and 100 percent. That's not going to be an issue with him."

Snead pointed out that Gurley's injury was the reason he fell to St. Louis.

"It was a bonus to be sitting there and 10 and get him," he said. "It was a consensus that he's a player that helps everybody, our defense, he helps our offense, our offensive line, our receivers, our quarterback. That's the pick in a nutshell."

"A talent like him comes along once in a great while," Fisher added. "His body of work speaks for itself. The athletic ability, the strength, the explosion, the acceleration, the instincts he has as a runner. He also has great hands out of the backfield. He's that complete back. We have a good group; we really like our group in the room, but this is an opportunity that we could not pass up."

For the season, the 6-foot-1, 226-pound Gurley rushed for 911 yards on 123 attempts (7.4 per rush) and nine touchdowns in just six games. In his Georgia career, he totaled 3,285 yards and 36 touchdowns, averaging 6.4 yards per carry.

The pick of Gurley came after the Washington Redskins selected Iowa tackle/guard Brandon Scherff fifth overall and the New York Giants picked Miami tackle Ereck Flowers one spot ahead of the Rams. Three picks later, the New Orleans Saints chose Stanford tackle Andrus Peat.

So it was that a reporter asked, "I'll be the smart-ass and ask, Who's going to block for him?"

"They did make this thing a three-day event," Snead replied. "We have to live through Friday and Saturday, so we'll see if we can help improve that position there. We'll still let the board guide us, but ... we're well aware."

Gurley and quarterback Nick Foles sure hope so.

Who's left on the line?

The second and third rounds will be conducted Friday, with the Rams owning the ninth pick in Round 2 (41st overall) and the eighth choice in Round 3 (72nd overall).

Seven offensive linemen were selected in the first round, leaving the following group of blockers available, according to rankings by NFLDraftScout.com:

T Jake Fisher, Oregon (31); T T.J. Clemmings, Pittsburgh (50); C Hronis Grasu, Oregon (61); G A.J. Cann, South Carolina (62); T Donovan Smith, Penn State (64); G Ali Marpet, Hobart (68); G Tre Jackson, Florida State (78); G/C Mitch Morse, Missouri (85).

Howard Balzer can be heard daily on Lunchtime Live with Howard Balzer from 11 a.m.-1 p.m. weekdays on TalkSTL.com 1380 AM.