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          NFL Nation

          Rams running back Todd Gurley on pace to lead NFL in rushing

          • Nick Wagoner, ESPN Staff WriterNov 12, 2015, 09:00 AM ET
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              Nick Wagoner is an NFL reporter at ESPN. Nick has covered the San Francisco 49ers and the NFL at ESPN since 2016, having previously covered the St. Louis Rams for 12 years, including three years (2013 to 2015) at ESPN. In his 10 years with the company, Nick has led ESPN's coverage of the Niners' 2019 Super Bowl run, Colin Kaepernick's protest, the Rams making Michael Sam the first openly gay player drafted to the NFL, Sam's subsequent pursuit of a roster spot and the team's relocation and stadium saga. You can follow Nick via Twitter @nwagoner
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          EARTH CITY, Mo. -- Although he hasn't played as many games as the rest of the league's running backs and isn't yet in the rushing lead, the St. Louis Rams' Todd Gurley has the highest yards per game average.

          That's one of a number of projections that ESPN NFL Nation columnist Kevin Seifert made earlier this week.

          While Minnesota running back Adrian Peterson currently leads the NFL in rushing yards with 758, his per game average only has him on pace for 1,516 yards. Gurley has 664 rushing yards, which lands him in the top five but if you use his 131 yards per game average in his five starts, he actually projects to finish with 1,712 yards.

          That would make Gurley the NFL's rushing champion in his rookie season.

          Of course, Gurley still has a long way to go but the fact that he's even in the conversation already is just another feather in a cap that's quickly running out of room for accessories.

          I.C.Y.M.I.

          A roundup of Wednesday's Rams stories on ESPN.com. ... We opened the day with our midseason report. ... The Ram-blings examined Tedy Bruschi's rankings of the toughest teams in the NFL. ... The St. Louis stadium task force made its presentation to 17 owners in New York City. ... Gurley earned NFL Nation's Rookie of the Year award. ... Receiver Stedman Bailey issued an apology for his suspension via Instagram. ... Gurley got a day off from practice Wednesday.

          Elsewhere:

          Here's the Associated Press recap of the relocation meetings.

          Mike DiRocco writes that it wasn't a good week for rookie receivers and running backs.

          Mel Kiper offers his midseason NFL draft review.

          At 101sports.com, Bernie Miklasz explores hypocrisy from Minnesota coach Mike Zimmer and Rodney Harrison.

          Brad Thompson wonders if it's so hard for guys like Bailey to follow the rules.

          At stltoday.com, David Hunn has the story on one owner who supports the Carson project.