NFL Draft: Greatest pick from each franchise’s history: Los Angeles Chargers, RB LaDainian Tomlinson
Pick: 2001 NFL Draft, 1st round number 5 overall
Stats:
- 13,684 rushing yards
- 145 rushing yards
Awards:
- Former NFL MVP
- 5 time Pro Bowler
- 3 time All-Pro First Team
Rarely does a team give up the number one overall pick. Even more rarely does that actually work out for said team. For the Los Angeles Chargers, forgoing the opportunity to draft quarterback Michael Vick in order to grab running back LaDainian Tomlinson couldn’t have worked out any better.
Coming out of Virginia Tech, Vick was everything he was cracked up to be. He was fast, elusive and one helluva athlete. He was a multiple-time Pro Bowler and a generational player. LaDainian Tomlinson, on the other hand, was simply one of the greatest running backs the game has ever seen.
Watching Tomlinson move out on the field was breathtaking. It felt as though he’d score each and every time he had the ball in his hands.
While donning a Chargers uniform, Tomlinson failed to rush for over a thousand yards just once. On five separate occasions, he bypassed 1,400 yards on the season, including an outrageous 2006 year where he led the league in rushing with 1,815 yards and rushing touchdowns with 28. That sort of dominance landed him to the league’s MVP award and put the Chargers on the map.
When you think of a certain player, you automatically think of a franchise. When it comes to LaDainian Tomlinson, he will forever be synonymous with the Chargers.