Melvin Gordon Comments on Disappointing Rookie Season with Chargers

San Diego Chargers running back Melvin Gordon failed to live up to his first-round billing as a rookie in 2015, but the former Wisconsin standout plans to use it as motivation moving forward. 

In an interview with Ricky Henne of the Chargers' official website, the 23-year-old former Doak Walker Award winner was blunt about his performance last season: "It was terrible. I was terrible."

Gordon was taken with the No. 15 overall selection, but he struggled to the tune of 641 rushing yards on an average of 3.5 yards per carry. He also lost four fumbles and didn't score a single touchdown in 14 games.

Per Henne, Gordon feels as though his poor debut will drive him to succeed in 2016 and beyond:

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Oh, I have something to prove. In the NFL, I think every player has something to prove. You can never be complacent. Even if I had the greatest season of any rookie, I'd still be motivated. Unfortunately, my season didn't go the way I wanted it, so I'm extra motivated. I appreciate the fans for hanging with me through the hard times. I appreciate you. And the fans that didn't, I appreciate them too. I'll change minds, and success will definitely feel sweeter after [the last year] I had.

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While such a difficult introduction to the NFL could break the spirit of some, Gordon believes the experience he gained should help him immensely moving forward:

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I have the same confidence I ever had because of work habits, and I'm building new confidence because I know more now. You build confidence throughout the year. From training camp and through the season. I have a year in my back pocket now, so if anything I'm more confident. Pretty much everything went wrong last year that could. We got the injury bug last year, man. If our offense stayed healthy, it would change all of our games. We lost our best receiver in Keenan [Allen], [Antonio] Gates missed some games and our offensive line got banged up throughout the year, too. That makes it hard for everyone. We played through it and stuck together, and that counts for something. But it is hard when you aren't yourself out there.

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Gordon was one of two running backs selected in the first round last year. Although his rookie season was a bust, Los Angeles Rams superstar Todd Gurley rumbled for 1,106 yards and 10 touchdowns in 13 games after returning from knee surgery.

Reaching those levels in 2016 may be asking a bit much from Gordon considering his issues last year, but with wide receiver Travis Benjamin now in the fold to go along with Allen and Gates, the offense could open up more for Gordon and the running game.

Early returns weren't positive for Gordon, and that could give some teams pause in terms of selecting running backs in the first round, but a statement year in 2016 would go a long way toward proving that investing in top talent at the position is still a wise strategy.

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