David Johnson and Todd Gurley were saddled with different expectations as they trained together for the NFL Scouting combine early in 2015.
One was a small-school sleeper pegged for the middle rounds of the draft. The other was a college superstar earmarked for stardom.
But as they hung out at their hotel in Pensacola, Florida each night, they made a pact. In the lead-up to the draft, there was constant chatter about the devaluing of their position, as no running back had been selected in the first round of the two previous drafts.
“That’s what we were hearing, all the way up until the draft,” Johnson said.