The Los Angeles Rams cut Todd Gurley rather than having to pay the running back $10.5 million he would have been due on Thursday. How have the 22 running backs drafted in 2015 fared in the NFL?
Texans: Kenny Hilliard (7th round)
The 235th overall pick, LSU’s Kenny Hilliard has not played in the NFL. He was cut by Houston numerous times and was cut by Washington many times, being added back to the practice squad as late as March 2018.
Bucs: Joey Iosefa (7)
Hawaii’s Joey Iosefa did not stick with Tampa Bay. However, he did manage to catch on with the Patriots and played in two games in 2015. Iosefa rushed 15 times for 51 yards.
Saints: Marcus Murphy (7)
Missouri’s Marcus Murphy played four seasons. He spent two of them with New Orleans, rushing one time for no yards. Next up was two years with Buffalo, where he rushed for 291 yards on 59 carries.
Packers: Aaron Ripkowski (6)
Oklahoma product Aaron Ripkowski spent three seasons with the Green Bay Packers. The fullback had 39 carries for 163 yards over his second and third seasons and scored two rushing touchdowns. He added four other scores on passes.
Colts: Josh Robinson (6)
Mississippi State’s Josh Robinson had 17 carries for 39 yards in five games with the Colts in 2015.
Panthers: Cameron Artis-Payne (5)
Cameron Artis-Payne was most recently seen in the XFL, playing for the Dallas Renegades. The former Auburn star rushed for 491 yards and five touchdowns in four seasons with Carolina.
Lions: Michael Burton (5)
Michael Burton played fullback, after being drafted from Rutgers, for two seasons with Detroit. He also has seen time with the Bears and Washington.
Bills: Karlos Williams (5)
Karlos Williams played in 11 games for the Bills out of Florida State. He has been suspended multiple times during his NFL career.
Dolphins: Jay Ajayi (5)
Jay Ajayi was drafted by the Dolphins out of Boise State. He has played for Miami and for the Philadelphia Eagles, rushing for more than 2,500 yards in the NFL.
Titans: David Cobb (5)
David Cobb played in seven games for Tennessee and rushed for 152 yards after being drafted from Minnesota.
49ers: Mike Davis (4)
Mike Davis played college ball at South Carolina and was a fourth-round pick of the Niners. He spent two seasons with San Franscisco. Davis found his best success in Seattle in 2018 when he rushed for 514 yards. Davis saw time with Carolina and Chicago last season.
Ravens: Javorius Allen (4)
Javorius “Buck” Allen rushed for more than 1,200 yards in four seasons with the Ravens after being selected from USC. He saw minor action in 2019 with the New York Giants.
Titans: Jalston Fowler (4)
Jalston Fowler came to Tennessee from Alabama. He played in 42 games, making eight starts over three seasons.
Bears: Jeremy Langford (4)
Jeremy Langford rushed for more than 500 yards in his rookie season as a Bear. He added another 200 in 2016. Langford saw limited action in 2018 with the Falcons after missing 2017.
Redskins: Matt Jones (3)
Matt Jones is currently in the XFL. He had 950 yards rushing for Washington after exiting Florida. In 2017, he had a cup of coffee with the Colts.
Cardinals: David Johnson (3)
A fantasy superstar was David Johnson, drafted by Arizona out of Northern Iowa. He had 2,000 yards total offense in 2016. Johnson never recreated that success. He was recently dealt to Houston as part of the trade that sent Deandre Hopkins to Arizona.
Browns: Duke Johnson (3)
Duke Johnson came from Miami to the Cleveland Browns. A sturdy third-down back and great pair of hands out of the backfield, Johnson had more than 2,000 yards receiving in four seasons with Cleveland. He played for the Houston Texans in 2019.
Falcons: Tevin Coleman (3)
Tevin Coleman saw plenty of time with the Falcons, rushing and receiving for more than 4,000 yards in four seasons. He went to the 49ers last season and rushed for 544 yards.
Lions: Ameer Abdullah (2)
Ameer Abdullah came to the Lions, who hoped they would get a versatile running back that could also return kicks. It didn’t materialize for the former Nebraska star. He spent three-plus years with Detroit before going to the Minnesota Vikings.
Jaguars: T.J. Yeldon (2)
T.J. Yeldon came to the Jaguars from Alabama. Yeldon spent four seasons with Jacksonville, rushing for a total of 1,872 yards. In 2019, he played for the Bills and rushed for 63 yards and caught 13 passes.
Chargers: Melvin Gordon (1)
The Chargers got quite a dual threat in Melvin Gordon out of Wisconsin. Everything was great until he held out at the start of the 2019 season. Still, Gordon has rushed for 4,240 yards and caught passes for another 1,873.
Rams: Todd Gurley (1)
Todd Gurley rushed for more than 5,400 yards and caught passes for another 2,090 in his time with the Rams. The former Georgia star scored 70 overall touchdowns. He was hampered and slowed in the last couple years by injuries to his legs/knees.
