When the Rams drafted Todd Gurley in the 2015 NFL Draft, many believed they had gotten the best player in the entire class. Despite his talents, there were also major injury concerns as Gurley was coming off a torn ACL in his final year at the University of Georgia.
The Rams took it slow with Gurley as he missed the team’s first three games, but once he hit the field, he showed why so many scouts were high on him.
The NFL announced its end of the season awards Saturday at the NFL Honors Gala, and St. Louis Rams rookie running back Todd Gurley took home some hardware, winning the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year Award:
2015 Offensive Rookie Of The Year: @RamsNFL RB @TG3II! #NFLHonors pic.twitter.com/hxniiHAOP5
— NFL (@NFL) February 7, 2016
Gurley, who will now be taking his talents to Los Angeles along with the rest of his teammates, had an outstanding rookie season despite only playing in 13 games and starting in 12. The 21-year-old carried the ball 229 times on the season for 1,106 yards, which ranked third in the league. He averaged 4.8 yards per carry, and scored 10 touchdowns. His 85.1 rushing yards per game ranked fourth in the league behind only Adrian Peterson, Le’Veon Bell and Doug Martin.
Gurley is the second straight Rams player to win a Rookie of the Year award, as defensive tackle Aaron Donald won the AP Defensive Rookie of the Year award last season. Other Rams to win the award include quarterback Sam Bradford (2010), running back Jerome Bettis (1993), running back Eric Dickerson (1983), linebacker Isiah Robertson (1971) and defensive tackle Merlin Olsen (1962).
Gurley was also named to his first career Pro Bowl, joining teammates Johnny Hekker and Donald as Rams representatives.
