Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff passed on running back Todd Gurley during the 2015 NFL Draft. Atlanta instead selected DE Vic Beasley at pick No. 8, while Gurley went two spots later at pick No. 10.
Beasley had his moments, leading the league in sacks (15.5) during the team’s 2016 Super Bowl run. But outside out that Pro-Bowl season, his Falcons tenure left something to be desired.
Gurley, despite a leg injury coming out of Georgia, was pretty much an instant success for the Rams. As we examined here at Falcons Wire a few weeks ago, Gurley’s first five seasons are comparable with Adrian Peterson.
What if Atlanta had drafted Gurley instead? According to Dimitroff, the star RB out of Georgia was very high on the Falcons’ draft board, as reported by ESPN’s Vaughn McClure.
Dimitroff on Gurley, ’15 Draft: “Of course he was very high on the draft board. … You can have guys on your draft board that are really high and in the end, you have another need. So there’s no question he was high on the board.‘’ Falcons took Beasley 8th, Gurley 10th to Rams
— vaughn mcclure (@vxmcclure23) August 11, 2020
Through his first five seasons with the Rams, Gurley racked up 7,494 all-purpose yards and 70 total touchdowns in 73 games played. Although Dimitroff had a point in terms of the team’s needs back then.
Devonta Freeman rushed for over 1,000 yards with double-digit touchdowns in 2015 and 2016. Still, it’s fun to imagine what the offense might have looked like with Gurley starting for Atlanta during those years.
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