Drake, pal Gurley NFL’s hottest rushers
The only running back in the NFL to rush for more yards in the past three weeks than the Dolphins’ Kenyan Drake is Todd Gurley of the Rams.
“That’s my homeboy,” Drake said Wednesday. “(Gurley) came out the same year of high school. It’s a small football world. He was in the SEC, too. I’ve followed his career.”
Drake was a standout at Alabama. Gurley was a star at Georgia.
Over the past three weeks, Gurley has 322 yards, averaging 6.1 yards per carry. Drake is second in the NFL with 312, an average of 4.9 yards per carry. “He’s a real physical running back but also has
the ability to break tackles and make people miss,” Drake said of Gurley. “All-facet type of player. That’s the type of player at running back that teams dream of having, just because he can do it all.”
The Dolphins are believing more and more each week that Drake can do it all, too.
And despite the extra workload, Drake claims his body feels completely fine.
“Just making sure I stay on the same schedule,” Drake said. “Hot tub. Cold tub. Massage. Nothing out of the ordinary.”
Drake has said a few times this year that he regretted not preparing himself better to do more last season, as a rookie third-round draft pick. This year, he feels he was better prepared to handle increased responsibility.
“I feel like as the game goes on, I get stronger,” Drake said. “I’m glad that I’m making the most of the opportunity because last year ... I didn’t, personally, come out feeling like I put myself in the best situation to move forward to be like, ‘I’m comfortable and I can help this team win.’ That was dependent on my level of preparation.
“This year, I got the same-opportunity, and I wasn’t going to be denied this time.”