Todd Gurley’s draft stock took a blow during the 2014 season when he tore his ACL in November in his first game back from a four-game NCAA suspension for receiving compensation for signing autographs.
Gurley was one of the best backs in the country before his injury, but the ensuing surgery and long rehab will push him a bit further down in the order than he likely would have gone without any injury red flags. Gurley’s recovery hasn’t progressed enough for him to get checked out at the combine in Indianapolis this week.
Mike Silver of NFL Media reported that Gurley opted not to have a physical at the combine, something that Silver deemed “highly unusual if not unprecedented.” That may be the case, but it doesn’t seem to be a major red flag.
Silver adds that teams are “overwhelmingly high” on Gurley as a player and person and Bryan Broaddus, a longtime NFL personnel exec who now writes for the Cowboys website, adds that teams are comfortable with Gurley’s choice because “it is common not to pull or twist on a knee that was repaired 3 months ago.”
Gurley will return to Indianapolis for a medical recheck and teams should get a better idea of the outlook for his rookie season at that point.