INDIANAPOLIS — Georgia running back Todd Gurley is projected as a first-round pick, but a big piece of his final draft evaluation will be medical tests on his surgically repaired knee.

Gurley plans to wait for the official medical re-check in April to allow teams to examine his left knee. He tore the anterior cruciate ligament Nov. 15 — in his first game back from a suspension handed down Oct. 9 for receiving payment for his autograph — and surgery was performed by renowned surgeon Dr. James Andrews.

All 323 players in attendance at the annual Scouting Combine are scheduled for thorough medical exams performed by NFL team doctors at a local hospital near downtown Indianapolis. But Andrews did not want teams pulling and manipulating Gurley’s knee.

Gurley, who signed with Jay-Z’s Roc Nation agency, will not participate in Georgia’s pro day March 18 and is unlikely to hold a workout in April before the draft. Gurley said he is just beginning to perform lateral agility drills.

“The timetable is six to nine months. I got hurt in November, so I’m not really giving (a) timetable,” said Gurley, who admitted patience is not his strong suit. “I’m just trying to get back safe, but as quick as possible.”

He does not expect his recovery to hinder his draft grade. Along with Wisconsin’s Melvin Gordon, Gurley is a player teams could consider in the bottom half of the first round. No running back was selected in the first round in 2013 or 2014.

“Just going in there, meeting with them, doing the interviews, having that first impression and just showing them my football intelligence off the field,” Gurley said of his approach to the combine. “I can’t do anything, performance-wise. Right now it’s just letting them know me as a person and just showing them what I can do on the field with my brain.”

There are doubts about Gurley’s durability that stretch beyond his season-ending knee injury. He turns 21 in August, but his iron-shoulders running style and contact-seeking persona on the field create some natural doubts about his shelf life in the NFL. He rushed for 911 yards in six games last season, 989 yards in 10 games in 2013 — missing three games with an ankle injury — and a Georgia freshman-record 1,385 yards in 2012.

Gurley can point to two well-known cases for encouragement during rehab.

Miami Hurricanes running back Willis McGahee was a first-round pick in 2003 despite tearing three knee ligaments in the 2003 national championship game.

Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson tore multiple knee ligaments on Christmas Eve 2011, then returned the next season to claim the MVP award with 2,097 rushing yards.

“That definitely motivates you, but I’m definitely not Adrian Peterson,” Gurley said. “I mean, that guy is a freak of nature. But my goal is to be a freak of nature as well and try to get back as fast as possible. But I’m not going to rush anything.”