And BTW, if I were going to pick players to compare Gerhart to I'd say: Marion Barber, Corey Dillon, a taller Michael Turner, Brandon Jacobs with a little more swivel and burst, slightly faster Peyton Hillis with slightly more swivel, a faster Shonn Greene (with similar X-Z agility, quickness, burst, power and instincts/a little more X-Y agility), a slightly slower Steven Jackson. These are all very good players!
I don't really see the "poor man's" Adrian Peterson comparison except that both of them run a little high upon getting the hand-off behind the line of scrimmage. Gerhart is more of a cutback X-Y Powerback with good swivel FOR HIS SIZE AND STYLE, where Peterson is a blend of a large scatback and powerback. Peterson is clearly faster, he's a little quicker than Gerhart, has a bit more swivel and therefore is better at making something out of nothing, but isn't quite as powerful and isn't as instinctive as to basically never lose yards or fumble.
Gerhart is an absolute first down machine!