Melvin Gordon, Running Back, San Diego Chargers (1st Round, 15th Pick)
The San Diego Chargers moved up a couple of spots, giving up their fourth and fifth-round picks to secure the Wisconsin product to their roster. Since letting their former first-rounder running back, Ryan Mathews, go to the free agency earlier this spring, Gordon was the prize the Chargers had their eye on. San Diego fortunately landing in the position to make a move for him. Gordon comes to San Diego after finishing up a stunning career at Wisconsin, which earned him first-round privileges. Had the Chargers not selected Gordon, he would not have lasted more than another handful of picks.
As Gordon transitions into the NFL, he will also become one of the more popular fantasy football rookie prospects to observe over the preseason. Let’s take a look at Gordon in depth.
College Career:
Stats: 4,915 Rushing Yards, 631 Attempts, 7.8 Yards Per Carry and 45 Total Touchdowns
Gordon led all other college running backs in rushing yards for 2014. He blew his competition away tallying an insane 2,587 rushing yards and 29 touchdowns in 2014 alone. He nearly won the Heisman Trophy by collecting the second-highest amount of votes. Along the course of his senior year, Gordon was awarded the 2014 Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year and 2014 Doak Walker Awards.
Coming off of a brilliant 2014 season, Gordon helped lead the team to 10 regular wins and a victory at the Outback Bowl against Auburn where he rushed for 251 yards and scored three touchdowns. Highlights from Gordon’s last college season had him scoring five touchdowns in a win over Bowling Green 68-17 on September 20, and putting up 408 rushing yards and four touchdowns against Nebraska for a win 59-24 on November 15.
These numbers are just crazy-good. Over the course of Gordon’s previous three college seasons, he totaled 2,328 rushing yards and 16 total touchdowns. Excelling in speed Gordon averaged a ridiculous 7.8 yards per carry through his entire college career. It’s no wonder the Chargers traded up to nab the 6’-1” large-bodied speeding bullet.
Competition:
Currently the Chargers have running back Danny Woodhead, 30-years-old who is coming off of a season ending broken leg he suffered in Week 3 last year. Additionally there is Branden Oliver, who the team signed from the rookie free agency last season to help pick up the slack for an injured crew of Chargers’ running backs. Oliver was somewhat effective at times, but he isn’t reliable as solid starter. Lastly is Donald Brown who also endured a season-ending injury in 2014.
The Chargers didn’t move ahead and give up draft picks to land one of the top running back draft prospects to let him sit and watch. Gordon will surely find himself in the starting mix taking on the primary rushing duties of the team while Woodhead makes a presence lining up to catch short-yardage passes. Oliver will likely be a change of pace guy and Brown provides further safety net depth.
It would appear at this time, the starting job in 2015 is Gordon’s to lose.
2015 Outlook:
Gordon makes an exciting fantasy football prospect for 2015. If he plays anything like he did in his last season of college in particular, owners who draft the rookie are going to be thrilled. However, the NFL is a different animal and the Chargers blend in a fair mix of the passing game too. We should not set expectations to the level of Gordon’s college performance, however, there is extreme upside if the Chargers rely upon him as their main workhorse this season. He is going to be trouble for holey ground defenses to stop, making him an excellent matchup based RB1 at times.
Gordon has been compared to the Kansas City Chiefs star running back Jamaal Charles. If he is a Charles Jr. in the making he will be a fantastic fantasy option to pick up in 2015. Draft him as an RB2 who comes with a high ceiling of potential. Gordon scored a massive 29 touchdowns last season. He knows what he is doing. Cresting the 1,000-yard mark and scoring 10-12 touchdowns would not be too realistic to expect from Gordon in 2015
Dynasty Outlook:
It is a no-brainer to draft Gordon for the future fantasy value he will offer for several years to come. Gordon is a cream-of-the-crop running back playing for a successful high-scoring offense that should reward loads of fantasy points as long as his health prevails. He is worth the high cost to obtain because the investment in the Wisconsin product will be worth his weight in gold.
Currently, he’s the youngest and fastest running back on the Chargers’ roster. It really does not get much fancier than that. When all is said and done in Gordon’s NFL career, he should develop into a future 10-year back who proudly boasts a 10,000 yard-career.