Georgia RB Todd Gurley was the talk of college football after his monster performance against Clemson on Saturday in the season opener for both teams. His style reminded me a lot of Jamal Lewis, a player that came through Baltimore while I was a scout for the Ravens eight years ago.
Who does he remind you of? That's a question I posed to five NFL personnel executives this week. Some interesting names surfaced.
Executive No. 1: Adrian Peterson
"He's in the Adrian Peterson mold -- big, tall, thick trunk, downhill runner with track speed to finish."
Executive No. 2: Marshawn Lynch
"Powerful guy, runs through contact and finishes every single run."
Executive No. 3: Marshawn Lynch
"Strong, powerful and has great vision. Both guys are intense runners. They are both very capable in the passing game."
Executive No. 4: Fred Taylor
"He reminds me of Fred coming out of Florida. Big back with plenty of speed."
Executive No. 5: Jamal Lewis
"He's a bigger version of Jamal. They are both power backs with excellent acceleration. Gurley has better balance and lateral quicks than (Lewis)."
Verdict: Lynch was the only player to garner multiple votes from our panel, receiving two of the five cast.
Conclusion: These are all great comparisons. After seeing Gurley live in action last fall, I immediately thought of Lewis because of the power/speed combo. I had forgotten about Fred Taylor. I like that one even more.
Follow Daniel Jeremiah on Twitter @MoveTheSticks.
