NFL experts: NCAA matter won’t devalue Gurley’s draft stock

Georgia running back Todd Gurley had 773 rushing yards and eight touchdowns in five games this season.

Credit: Mike Zarrilli

Credit: Mike Zarrilli

Georgia running back Todd Gurley had 773 rushing yards and eight touchdowns in five games this season.

Whether it’s for a game, several games or the rest of the year, Todd Gurley’s NCAA plight has definitely had a negative effect on Georgia’s football team. But it’s not likely to devalue his NFL stock.

“Something like this will not affect his draft status,” said Jay Glazer, NFL “insider” for FOX Sports. “When you’ve got a guy like this who’s an athletic freak of nature – he’s a guy that has an awful lot of talent — if you get him as a first-rounder, great. Because of what happened here, you won’t drop him down. It’s not something that will raise a red flag.”

NFL scouts attending Georgia football games this season have said, if he stays healthy, Gurley is a sure-fire first-round draft pick in the 2015 NFL draft, which will be conducted April 30-May 2 in Chicago. Scouts cannot comment on the record about a college underclassmen.

Even after Thursday's news broke that Gurley has violated NCAA bylaws regarding impermissible benefits for student-athletes, Gurley retained the No. 1 spot atop CBSSports.com's NFL prospect ratings for running backs for the 2015 draft.

NFL.com’s media analyst Bucky Brooks wrote that Gurley’s violation of NCAA code will not create a “character concern” for NFL executives.

“The suspension will not have a major impact on Gurley’s draft stock,” Brooks wrote. “While scouts and executives will dig deep to uncover all of the details behind the suspension, it’s not a criminal matter and most observers won’t view it as a serious character concern. … The NCAA-imposed suspension will be viewed as a minor incident within the war room and won’t have a significant impact on his final grade.”