by Superman55 Thu 9 Oct 2014 - 21:20
Likely first-round pick Todd Gurley suspended by Georgia
Posted by Michael David Smith on October 9, 2014, 5:37 PM EDT
toddgurley
AP
Todd Gurley, a running back so talented that he’s likely to go in the first round of next year’s draft despite the general decline in value among running backs in the NFL, may not play again until he turns pro.
Georgia announced today that Gurley has been suspended indefinitely because there’s an ongoing investigation into whether he violated NCAA rules.
“I’m obviously very disappointed,” Georgia coach Mark Richt said in a statement. “The important thing for our team is to turn all our attention toward preparation for Missouri.”
There’s no word on the nature of the alleged NCAA rules violations, but they’re unlikely to affect Gurley’s draft stock. Plenty of high-profile players, like Dez Bryant and Cam Newton, have been first-round picks despite allegations that they violated the NCAA’s byzantine rules about player eligibility. If anything, sitting out the rest of the season might improve Gurley’s chances of going high in next year’s draft, because an injury is about the only thing that could derail his draft prospects.
Gurley is a 230-pound junior with good speed, and so far this season he’s carried 94 times for 773 yards and eight touchdowns, caught 11 passes for 53 yards, returned a kickoff for a 100-yard touchdown and completed a pass for 50 yards. If that’s all he puts on tape this season, that’s enough to be a first-round pick.