Georgia football great Todd Gurley, now of the Atlanta Falcons, hopes to mentor to Los Angeles Rams rookie RB Cam Akers out of FSU.
The Los Angeles Rams turned to the NFL Draft to find their replacement for former NFL Offensive Player of the Year Todd Gurley, who now plays for the Atlanta Falcons.
The Rams, who released Gurley in March, selected Florida State running back Cam Akers with the 52nd overall pick.
The Rams and Gurley might not on the best terms right now due to Los Angeles still owing the former superstar a multi-million dollar payment, but Gurley said that he hopes to be able to mentor Akers as he begins his NFL career.
“Just because whatever I have going on with the Rams, (that) don’t make me upset or want to bash or downplay another man,” Gurley said on Friday’s episode of the UNINTERRUPTED: We Run This Station podcast.
“He’s making his dream come true, just like I made my dream come true in 2015. And they went and got this kid in the second round, so I just want to be able to just tell him or show him early too, just as far as like the way to move. And then everything that comes with LA is so much opportunity out here. It’s like even though I’m going to be playing in Atlanta, I’m going to still be out here during the offseason because I know the amount of opportunities and the relationships that I had and grew out here. So I want to be able to do the same thing for him, man.”
Coming out of high school, Akers was rated as the nation’s No. 3 overall prospect, playing for Clinton High School in his hometown of Clinton, Mississippi. Similar to Gurley, both came from a small-town and both played at a high level in college. Additionally, both had to learn how to adjust to playing in Los Angeles, one of America’s biggest markets, at a young age.
“He’s going to be a running back in the LA market. He’s going to be scoring touchdowns. He’s going to be making plays. So I want him to be able to be on the same type of thing I was on, but even more and at an earlier stage. So it’s just like everyone’s always talking a big game and saying they’re going to do this, they’re going to do that. It’s just about helping the youth. Whether they made it or not, just like when people go back in the communities and do community work, how about reach out to the young guy that’s coming up, that’s getting drafted or the young guy that don’t know anything and tell him.”
Gurley was taken with the 10th overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft. For four years, he was one of the best running backs in the NFL, if not the best. But after his knee began to bother him more and more, Gurley’s touches declined and the Rams would not say why. Gurley was criticized immensely, but never complained. He tuned out the noise and continued doing his thing. In five seasons, Gurley racked up 7, 494 total yards and 70 total touchdowns. His 5,404 rushing yards ranks sixth all-time in Rams history.
“He just made his dream come true, so why not make this guy even better? And obviously, he’s got to focus on the field and stuff like that,” Gurley said, still speaking of Akers. “And that’s going to take care of itself. He’s going to be with a great offense. He’s going to be making plays. He got (quarterback Jared Goff). He got (wide receiver) Robert Woods. He got (wide receiver) Cooper Kupp. He got the opportunity right there in front of him. So I just want to maximize it and take off.”
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