National Football League

Chargers select former Badgers star Gordon in first-round of NFL Draft

Published Apr. 30, 2015 9:50 p.m. ET

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The San Diego Chargers needed a running back. And they found their man in former Wisconsin tailback Melvin Gordon.

San Diego traded up two spots to snag Gordon at No. 15 in the first round of the NFL Draft in the Auditorium Theatre of Roosevelt University in Chicago. Gordon was the second running back selected Thursday night, behind former Georgia standout Todd Gurley. Gurley went No. 10 to the St. Louis Rams despite tearing his ACL during a game in November.

Gordon became the highest-drafted Badgers player since J.J. Watt went No. 11 to the Houston Texans in 2011. He and Gurley also snapped a three-year streak without a tailback being selected in the first round.

"It means everything," Gordon said on the ESPN telecast. "Everything to the running backs, my family, my school, my state, everything man. I'm so happy right now."

San Diego, which missed the playoffs last season, was in desperate need of a dynamic tailback, and Gordon provides that threat. The Chargers ranked 30th among 32 NFL teams last season in rushing yards during the regular season (1,367), and the team's 3.4 yards per carry average also ranked No. 30. Branden Oliver was San Diego's leading rusher with 582 yards, followed by Ryan Mathews (330) and Donald Brown (223). Mathews signed with the Philadelphia Eagles in free agency.

The Chargers originally owned the 17th pick but surrendered a fourth-rounder this year and a fifth-round selection in 2016 to trade up with the San Francisco 49ers.

Why?

"It's Melvin Gordon," San Diego general manager Tom Telesco said. "This is a player that we had targeted really all the way through. He's such an electric player. He's a threat to score every time he touches the ball. He had a great career at Wisconsin. We think he fits our offense perfectly."

What Gordon accomplished in his junior campaign at Wisconsin won't soon be forgotten and was a big reason he shot up NFL Draft boards.

Gordon finished his season as a Heisman Trophy finalist and the Doak Walker Award winner after rushing for 2,587 yards -- the second-highest FBS total in history -- with 29 touchdowns. He set the FBS record for career rushing average at 7.79 yards per carry, led the nation in rushing at 184.8 yards per game and became the fastest player in FBS history to reach 2,000 yards in a season.

"He's a red-zone threat as a running back," Telesco said. "He's got a nose for the end zone, a great burst for the end zone. We like people that score touchdowns. He's going to fit in just fine."

Gordon's most memorable college performance came Nov. 15 against Nebraska, when he set the single-game FBS record with 408 yards rushing in three quarters -- a mark that was surpassed only a week later. At the time, Gordon broke the single-game record of 406 yards set by former TCU tailback LaDainian Tomlinson -- coincidentally a five-time Pro Bowl running back with the Chargers.

"It's just crazy how that worked out," Gordon said. "I hope he comes (to) watch me play. That's all I can say."

The primary concern about Gordon's game translating to the NFL was his relative inexperience as a pass catching threat out of the backfield. He entered his junior season having caught only three career passes, but he made great strides in that area in 2014. He finished the year with 19 catches -- third-most on the team -- for 153 yards with three touchdowns.

Now, he'll have an opportunity to be the total package in the NFL.

ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr. noted Gordon needed to show improvement in the passing game but praised the pick of Gordon.

"I like the fact he'll get his nose dirty as a blocker," Kiper Jr. said. "He is a tremendous pure runner. What's underrated about him, he can run inside, between the tackles. Also bounce it outside, there's nobody going to catch him. Even though he ran a 4.53 at the combine, he plays a lot faster than that."

Gordon, a 6-foot-1, 213-pound native of Kenosha, Wis., likely would have been a second- or third-round selection had he entered the NFL Draft a year ago. Instead, he returned for his junior season to be a veteran leader, to make a run at the Heisman Trophy, to help Wisconsin try and win a Big Ten championship and to show scouts he could be an all-around tailback.

Gordon will have to buck a recent trend of Wisconsin running backs not becoming stars in the NFL, but he has all the tools to shine.

"He can run in the zone scheme," ESPN analyst Louis Riddick said. "He can run in the gap or the power scheme. He hits the line of scrimmage with great pad level. Just kind of picks and slides and skates. And then once he gets in the open field, it's not great elite speed. But he will rip off plenty of plus 20-yard runs in the running game, which will just gut a defense in the National Football League. It's a great pick and on top of that, he's a great kid you just root for him to do well."

Since 1993, Wisconsin has had 12 different players lead the team with more than 1,000 yards rushing. Only one of those players -- Michael Bennett -- ever rushed for 1,000 yards in an NFL season. Heisman Trophy winner Ron Dayne played seven seasons and did not gain more than 773 yards.

Recent Heisman Trophy finalist Montee Ball hasn't gained more than 559 yards in two seasons with the Denver Broncos, and James White carried nine times for 38 yards last season for the New England Patriots.

"I want to prove to myself first that I can play in this league," Gordon said in March at his Wisconsin pro day. "Obviously it's a different league. Guys are bigger, stronger, faster, smarter, so I want to prove to myself that I can make it. And I don't want to be a bust, a guy that's just in and out. I want some longevity in this league, and I know you've got to stay, you've got to work hard."

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