San Diego Chargers: Must draft Melvin Gordon

As stated before, Tom Telesco’s free agent silence speaks louder volumes about the San Diego Chargers’ offseason plans than do recent mock drafts.

With the 17th overall selection the 2015 NFL Draft, the Chargers have a big decision to make regarding the future of their franchise (at least for the imminent future).

Many have been predicting that the Bolts should select a tackle or guard in the first round to bolster their offensive line, however, recent predictions have the Chargers selecting Wisconsin running back Melvin Gordon.

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The question, with the Chargers backfield wide open, remains: “will the Chargers draft a running back?” At this point, it seems almost imperative that the Chargers draft a back with their free agent options dwindling.

According to the San Diego Union-Tribune’s Michael Gehlken, Tom Telesco stated in a press conference a couple of months back, “I like the backs we have right now, I really do. … I like our guys.”

With that type of confidence, the Chargers could stay with the collection of Danny Woodhead, Donald Brown and Branden Oliver.

After all, Telesco stated his confidence in Brown being on the starting roster in 2015 repeatedly in press conferences.

But, whether or not the Chargers front office would like to admit it, they need a starting back. Last season’s 85.4 rushing yards per game (ranked third-worst in the league) is not acceptable for a Super Bowl caliber team. Danny Woodhead is as effective as they come, but only in moderation. And I’ll admit that Brandon Oliver and Brown can ball, however, the three-back offense probably isn’t the most effective given the Bolts personnel and scheme.

In the case that Rivers is in a funk, the Chargers need a solid guy who can they turn to time and time again to lead the Bolts drive down the field. And while Brown and Oliver have shown signs of greatness, they aren’t backs that can be effective carry after carry on long drives.

I think if there was to be a back who would take the starting position, it would probably be Oliver due to his recent history and big days rushing in the replacement of Ryan Mathews.

In the short term though, Melvin Gordon can be that everyday back kind of guy if the Chargers give him that chance. And, looking at it from a health perspective, a rookie running back could be the best fit for the Bolts in that youth and speed can trump experience and age.

Ryan Mathews was an effective back at times during his career, but his overall flaw was his health. Mathews was simply too hurt to make a true impact with the Bolts.

With a back such as Melvin Gordon or Todd Gurley on the board, the Bolts would be almost foolish to pass up backs with such calibers.

If the Bolts did not sign Orlando Franklin or any of their other offensive linemen, then I would agree that Gordon would be useless in the first round. However, their offense line is more solid than people give credit and I think they should take a chance on their starting back of the future.

Out of Kenosha, Wisconsin, Gordon was raised to play Wisconsin football.

During his high school tenure at Mary D. Bradford High School where he played football with potential first-rounder Trae Waynes, Gordon was a football and track star. During his junior season, Gordon rushed for 1,098 yards and 11 touchdowns on 99 carries, while catching five receiving touchdowns and earning honorable mention All-state and All-region by the Wisconsin Football Coaches Association (WFCA). As a senior, Gordon’s unbelievable 2,009 yards and 38 touchdowns earned him a First-Team All-State selection by the Associated Press and the WFCA and the honor of being Wisconsin’s Mr. Football.

Gordon then went to the University of Wisconsin as a four-star recruit by 247sports.com and Rivals.com and played with some of the best backs in the nation including Denver Broncos back Montee Ball and New England Patriots back James White.

After injuring himself his freshman year, Gordon redshirted and rushed for 621 yards and three touchdowns on 62 carries for an unbelievable 10.0 yards per carry average in 2012. During 2012, Gordon could have rushed for a first down every time he touched the ball (at least according to his stats). His season was highlighted by a huge 216-yard performance in the Big 10 Championship against Nebraska.

In 2013, Gordon rushed for 1,609 yards and 12 touchdowns on 206 carries (7.8 yards per carry) and was one of the 10 running backs in the nation in competition for the Doak Walker Award (nation’s best running back).

And while Gordon had decent success in his three seasons with Wisconsin, his 2014 season was what really set him apart from the rest of the nation.

Gordon rushed for 2,587 yards and 29 touchdowns on 343 carries (7.5 yards per carry) in 14 games (184.8 yards per game). MG ended up breaking NCAA, Big 10 and Wisconsin records all over the board. In 2014, Gordon became the NCAA’s fastest player to reach 2,000 yards rushing in a season after doing it on 241 carries and also became Wisconsin’s leader in rushing yards (2,587) and games of over 200 yards (6) in a season.

Over his career, Gordon earned Academic All-Big Ten honors in 2012 and 2013, the Doak Walker Award, First Team All-America and First Team All-Big Ten honors in 2014 and was a finalist or semi-finalist for the Doak Walker Award (2013), Heisman Trophy (2014), Maxwell Award (2013, 2014) and the Walter Camp Player of the Year Award (2014).

Needless to say, Melvin Gordon was one of the best, if not the best running back in the nation in 2014.

At the combine, the 6’1″, 215-pound Gordon lived up to expectations by running 4.52 40-yard dash, 4.07 20-yard shuttle and 11.0 second 60-yard shuttle times and by jumping 126.0 inches in the broad jumps (all tops among running backs).

Despite coming up just 41 yards short of Barry Sanders‘ all-time season rushing record, Gordon showed NFL scouts a dazzling array of skills and abilities that not many other backs can offer in this draft.

Scouts comment on Gordon’s impressive bursts out of the backfield as well as underrated agility and lightning-quick feet. As seen in Gordon’s tape, the Wisconsin native can move his body with the best of them.

Jan 1, 2015; Tampa, FL, USA; Wisconsin Badgers running back Melvin Gordon (25) runs for a touchdown in the second half against the Auburn Tigers in the 2015 Outback Bowl at Raymond James Stadium. The Badgers defeated the Tigers 34-31 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-USA TODAY Sports

According to Dane Brugler of CBSSports.com, Gordon “has the natural balance to bounce off contact without losing momentum with a physical nature to break arm tackles. Lowers his pads and keeps his legs pumping to generate deceiving power. Hits top speed in a flash to quickly get to the second level and beyond.”

Also, when you look at his highlight video, you can see how fast the guy can run. He is so.quick. It is no wonder why he was a track star in high school.

With that stated, the Gordon has shown a lot of NFL-worthy characteristics that the Bolts could definitely use in 2015. The only drawbacks to Gordon’s game are in his pass-catching abilities and patience to wait for his blocks to open up in front of him. Not to mention, fumbling could be a problem seeing that he fumbled six times over his last five games. San Diego Chargers fans know all too well the ball security issues that former first-round pick Ryan Mathews had. Let’s hope that Gordon doesn’t repeat the past.

And although Gordon’s lack of pass-catching or pass-blocking abilities may seem to be a hindrance to the Chargers offense, it could potentially work out for the best for the Bolts.

Think about it.

Gordon is one of the best rushing backs in this year’s draft. Danny Woodhead is one of the best pass-catching backs in the NFL. If you combine those two together, you have one pretty dynamic duo in San Diego.

Also, San Diego personnel were in attendance for Gordon’s pro day and are could potentially be interested in the Wisconsin back.

Regardless though of what I have to say, Tom Telesco and the Chargers front office have definitely thought out their first-round pick pretty thoroughly. We can speculate all we want, but we will never truly know what the Chargers decide until the draft picks hits #17.

Perhaps we could be seeing an offensive tackle being taken. Maybe we could be seeing an inside linebacker. Only time will tell.

Next: Tom Telesco has made a huge off-season impact

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