2015 NFL Draft: Todd Gurley Pick Analysis, Grade (w/ Approval Poll)

Is anyone really that surprised by this pick? Shocked, maybe - understandably at a loss of words, even.  It's not a pick many had mocked to the Rams, but let's be real here: we're talking about Jeff Fisher. Drafting a RB, after three straight years of new rushers, should not blow your mind. The last three years, the Rams have been looking for a lead back, unsatisfied with the previous runners:

Todd Gurley is good. Very good. You have to be if you are compared to Adrian Peterson and Marshawn Lynch. Of that, there should be no doubt. Gurley has a rare combination of power and speed that makes him worthy of a top ten pick. With the dust settled, it's clear as day what the Rams are going to do next year.

Run the ball. Again and again, and again.

While Zac Stacy and Tre Mason are good runners (and I was a fan of the Rams grabbing Mason last year, much to my chagrin), Gurley is the best of both of them. That's worth quite a bit to a traditional coach like Jeff Fisher.

But I can hear you screaming at your screen. That offensive line! You're probably right - it looks horrible on paper. The Rams worst case scenario happened tonight. Flowers and Scherff were gone. La'el Collins? In the middle of a murder investigation. With the top pass rushers, quarterbacks and wide receivers gone, the Rams wouldn't have found a team wanting to trade up because there wasn't a player worth trading up for.

So they stood their ground and picked the best player on their board:

And the #Rams take #UGA RB Todd Gurley, the top player on their board. Dr. James Andrews told me this week he’s slated to recover fully

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) May 1, 2015

Luckily, there are offensive line options in the second round: AJ Cann, TJ Clemmings, Jake Fisher and Ali Marpet are all still available. La'el Collins is also a possibility later in the draft - If the Rams can snag a 1st round lock for a middle round pick, he's worth the risk. In other words, it's still a little early to doom the draft.

With those players in mind...there wasn't much that could be done with the tenth pick, so Jeff Fisher did Jeff Fisher and took a dominant offensive weapon. This offense is built around power. Physical backs and tall receivers. The Rams want to abuse opposing defenses in 2015, assuming they can net a positive play or two in the process.

Can Gurley get past the line of scrimmage? That's what Friday and Saturday is for. The Rams finally have a dominant and deeply talented position on offense. It might not have been the one we wanted, but I'll take it. If Steven Jackson is happy, I think the Rams did okay.

Thank you @STLouisRams for drafting a running back in the 1st round of the @NFL Draft! Congrats to @TG3II. #SaveTheRunningBack #STRB

— Steven Jackson (@sj39) May 1, 2015

Grade: B+