Despite missing four games to start the season, New York Giants WR Odell Beckham Jr. went from off-the-radar rookie to a bonafide NFL star and the league's rookie of the year.
NFL Media analyst Charles Davis believes there's one prospect who can follow in Beckham's footsteps out of the 2015 NFL Draft. Interestingly, this prospect could also miss a few games to start the season yet have a potentially huge impact on his future team. Unlike Beckham, however, he's not from a position that normally produces big rookie seasons.
"Todd Gurley is that player to me," Davis said when discussing his choice for this year's Beckham on NFL Network's "Path to the Draft." "He's electrifying, but because he had the knee injury people are still waiting for the medical. They expect him to be cleared from training camp is what I'm hearing. I think he's the type of player that you can put the ball in his hands or swing it out to him, hand it to him. He can be that (Beckham Jr.) type of a player, and that's why I'm going outside of the wide receiver group."
Gurley is widely considered to be one of the top two running backs in the draft and is increasingly being viewed as a potential top-20 pick. He would probably be mentioned as a top-10 lock had he not torn his ACL last season, but Davis is one of many who believe Gurley's medical issues won't be a hurdle for many clubs.
Timetables with ACL injuries are always up in the air, and it's uncertain when Gurley would be ready to play next season. For that reason and more, fellow NFL Media analyst Daniel Jeremiah stuck to the wide receiver group when picking a potential rookie of the year candidate.
"The wide receiver group last year was special, and there's a lot of talk about those three guys at the top," Jeremiah said, referring to Alabama's Amari Cooper, West Virginia's Kevin White and Louisville's DeVante Parker. "I'm going to go with a wild card and say Dorial Green-Beckham, who was at Missouri and got into some trouble and ended up at Oklahoma.
"This was the No. 1 player coming out of high school, and when he had a chance to get on the field at Missouri, you could see how special he is. The rare blend of size and speed. He tore up the combine. He has the ability to be a double-digit touchdown producer in Year 1."
No matter who winds up exploding onto the scene for their new NFL franchise, one thing is certain though: They'll have a hard time matching Beckham Jr.'s rookie season.
You can follow Bryan Fischer on Twitter at @BryanDFischer.
