The Sports Xchange

CHICAGO — Georgia’s Todd Gurley was the first running back selected in the opening round of the NFL Draft in three years.

A rugged runner who brings an edge to a St. Louis Rams offense that lacks potency, Gurley’s impact could be profound. Understandably, Gurley cannot be sure when his first game with the Rams, who drafted him 10th on Thursday night, might take place.

“I have a lot of work to do. But opening day is a realistic goal,” Gurley said.

Gurley had left knee reconstruction surgery in November and is only now beginning to run full speed and make controlled cuts. He said Thursday that returning for training camp was a “realistic goa.l” But for head coach Jeff Fisher, who has a history of riding his running backs (Eddie George, Steven Jackson), caution will temper the excitement of getting the player some considered the best playmaker in the draft.

“His body of work speaks for itself,” Fisher said. “It was an opportunity we couldn’t pass up.”

It was the fourth straight year the Rams drafted a running back, including Auburn’s Tre Mason last season. Zac Stacy, a fifth-round pick in 2013, offered only a one-word response via Twitter on Thursday: “Yikes.”

Fisher, who played with Walter Payton as a member of the Chicago Bears, said players with Gurley’s ability come around “only once in a great while.”

Willis McGahee, Frank Gore and Adrian Peterson each overcame one or more horrific knee injuries and went on to a productive career after ACL tears, but the data proves a full-strength recovery is no given.

Gurley’s rugged running style is often compared with Seattle Seahawks running back Marshawn Lynch, against whom he could compete twice this season. Gurley said he did not visit the Rams in the pre-draft process and was “a little surprised” when his name was called at No. 10. But he also likes the fit.

“I know they like to run the ball,” Gurley said.

In an offseason in which the Philadelphia Eagles gave DeMarco Murray $40 million in free agency and LeSean McCoy scored new money in Buffalo, the running back fraternity as a whole could smile Thursday. Wisconsin’s Melvin Gordon was selected five spots later by the San Diego Chargers, who traded to move up from 17 and needed to replace free agent Ryan Mathews. Mathews signed with the Eagles.

Gordon’s explosiveness and a strong jump cut out of former Chargers running back LaDainian Tomlinson’s arsenal helped him pile up 2,587 yards rushing in 2014, only 42 yards short of Barry Sanders’ FBS record 2,628 yards (Oklahoma State, 1988). Gordon could thrive as Philip Rivers’ sidekick. He had 17 runs of more than 40 yards last season.