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LA Rams: Todd Gurley and the biggest what ifs in franchise history

By Jason Reed

ATLANTA, GA - OCTOBER 20: Todd Gurley #30 of the Los Angeles Rams rushes during a game against the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on October 20, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images)
ATLANTA, GA - OCTOBER 20: Todd Gurley #30 of the Los Angeles Rams rushes during a game against the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on October 20, 2019 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Carmen Mandato/Getty Images) /
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(Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) – LA Rams
(Photo by Jayne Kamin-Oncea/Getty Images) – LA Rams /

3. Terry Baker

  • Tenure with the LA Rams: 1963-1965

If you are unfamiliar with Terry Baker then there is only one way to properly describe him: he is one of the greatest collegiate athletes of all-time.

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Baker accomplished something that nobody in the history of collegiate sports has been able to replicate: he won the Heisman Trophy and made it to the Final Four of the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament with the Oregon State Beavers.

If Baker was a draft prospect in 2020 then he would be regarded as “bust-proof”. He excelled at everything he did and after setting records for the time period with the Beavers, there was nobody else on planet earth that the LA Rams could think about drafting with the first overall pick.

He was the first overall pick in the 1963 NFL Draft and became one of the earliest examples of a bust. You think Jared Goff is bad? Baker makes Goff look like one of the best first overall picks in NFL history.

So what happened?

Baker appeared in 18 games with the Rams across three seasons, starting just five. He was 12-21 in his passing career with no touchdowns and had one rushing touchdown with 210 yards. He also finished his career with 302 receiving yards.

Ironically, the problem had to do with the scouting of his time. Baker was a sensational athlete and a poster boy player. His one flaw was his throwing arm. Somehow, due to the lack of scouting in 1963 compared to today and the playbook that he ran at Oregon State, Baker had the worst flaw possible.

He could not throw the ball deep.

He was a pitcher without a curveball, a shooting guard without a three-point shot, a fireman without a hose.

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As a result, Baker never played an NFL snap after his three years with the LA Rams.

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