5. Todd Gurley– The Los Angeles Rams were one of the biggest surprises in 2017 with a new head coach, the improvement of quarterback Jared Goff and a defense that was punishing their opponents under defensive coordinator, Wade Phillips. However, the Rams offense wouldn’t have been what they were if it wasn’t for the efforts of one guy. Half of the list is done and we are down to the final five guys. Todd Gurley is the fourth player making his debut and he checks in as my fifth best player on my list and my second ranked running back. He’s your textbook back that can mix things up and when I watch him run, I see a lot of Adrian Peterson in his style of play. He’s a very hard runner that loves for contact to be initiated instead of shying away from it. He’s a strong and physical north-south runner and when people see him, they immediately think of him as a power back, but that’s not all he is. This guy is a true sprinter and he shows it consistently. He’s a running back with great poise and that’s usually a term we use when describing a quarterback. He loves running up the middle and getting into open space and when he reaches the open field, he’s very difficult to bring down. He’s also a threat in the passing game and can impact that aspect of the game. You can check the ball to him and he can get you a big gain or turn it into six points no matter where the ball is. There were many games last year where he’d have over 100 yards rushing and 80 or 90 yards receiving. He finished last season with 19 total touchdowns (13 rushing and 6 receiving) was named the NFL’s offensive player of the year. I knew he was a special kid coming out of Georgia and he hasn’t disappointed anyone yet.
