INDIANAPOLIS — The last time a running back was selected in the first round of the NFL draft, three were picked in 2012. Trent Richardson, selected third overall by Cleveland, has been a bust . Doug Martin, the 31st pick by Tampa Bay, has been injury-plagued since his excellent rookie year. David Wilson went next to the New York Giants, but his career is over because of a neck injury.
Alabama's Eddie Lacy was thought to be a first-round pick in 2013, but North Carolina's Giovani Bernard was the first running back taken ... early in the second round by Cincinnati. Lacy wasn't selected by Green Bay until the 61st pick.
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The first running back selected in 2014 was Washington's Bishop Sankey by Tennessee with 54th overall pick. LSU's Jeremy Hill went next to Cincinnati.
Running backs have been trending downward, but this year's talented class could change that. The Big Ten has five excellent backs in Wisconsin's Melvin Gordon, Indiana's Tevin Coleman, Nebraska's Ameer Abdullah, Minnesota's David Cobb and Michigan State's Jeremy Langford. Many consider Georgia's Todd Gurley as the top back despite a torn ACL last November. Miami's Duke Johnson and Alabama's T.J. Yeldon add to a deep crop of backs.
"This class is definitely deep at the running back position," said Gurley, who will not be able to run at Georgia's pro day on March 18. "I want to be the No. 1 pick, but we'll see how everything goes. I just have to get my knee right and show teams that I can come back healthy."
When Gurley says "No. 1 pick," he's not talking about being the first running back selected. He wants to be the top overall selection. While Tampa Bay will likely select a quarterback with the top pick, Gurley believes he's worthy.
"I know it sounds ridiculous, but that's the confidence that I have in myself," said Gurley, who ran for 3,285 yards and 35 touchdowns in 30 college games. The challenge will be convincing teams that he will be ready for training camp without being able to actually prove it.
"I have to show them my football intelligence," Gurley added. "I can't do anything performance-wise, so right now, just letting them know me as a person and what I can do on the field with my brain.
"I know the type of player I've become over the past couple years, and I'm going to work as hard as possible to get back to be that guy when I come back."
Gurley and Gordon are the consensus top two backs , but if somebody else could go in front of them, it might be Coleman, who is equally explosive. He ran for more than 2,000 yards on a four-win Indiana team and led the nation in runs of 30 yards or more.
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Coleman said Thursday that his "speed, size, burst and my vision and ability to hit the holes fast" make him the best player at the position.
Like Gurley, Coleman will not be able to run at the Combine because of a toe injury, but he will do the bench press. Coleman will also be able to participate in Indiana's pro day on April 15.
Gordon, the best pro prospect Wisconsin has had in a long line of running backs, said it's a "great class with a lot of talent." He ran for 2,587 yards and 29 touchdowns last year and averaged nearly eight yards per carry for his career. He fell 41 yards shy of Barry Sanders' 1988 record for most rushing yards in a season.
"Just to be mentioned in the same sentence as Barry Sanders is an honor," said Gordon, who has drawn comparisons to Kansas City's Jamal Charles. "That's a great person to be second to. He was a phenomenal player."
Gordon could have entered the draft last year but wanted to be more "of a complete running back." After catching just three passes during his first two seasons, he had 19 receptions for 153 yards and three touchdowns last year.
"It was real important, not just to boost my NFL stock, but to help our team in a different way," Gordon said. "I wanted to show people that I can do that. I did my best to show people that I can catch the ball and people can count on me in the passing game."
Gurley could be fully healthy in May at the earliest, but he may not be ready until after the start of training camp. He said Thursday that he feels fine physically and doesn't have any soreness.
"I got over the little limp walk after the surgery," Gurley said, "but I'm just happy to be moving around again."
Vikings running back Adrian Peterson was able to come back from a torn ACL in December of 2010 and was the NFL MVP in 2011.
"He's a freak of nature," Gurley said of Peterson. "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."