Melvin Gordon NFL Draft 2015: Scouting Report, Grade for Chargers Rookie

STRENGTHS

A productive back with ideal size and physical ability, Melvin Gordon crushed Big 10 defenses for over 2,500 yards in 2014 and over 4,900 yards in his career. Gordon is built like a linebacker with thick legs and a chiseled physique. At 6’1” and 215 pounds, he’s fast, agile and explosive.

The best asset to Gordon’s game is his vision. He finds cutback lanes and knows how to attack creases and seams to get yards. He has subtle footwork, but it’s exceptional, and it allows him to cut on a dime and then get his shoulders squared to the line of scrimmage. He can be a stretch-zone runner or a simple man-blocking power runner. He’s shifty enough in the open field to make tacklers miss and has enough speed to pull away for huge gains.

WEAKNESSES

Gordon has to beat the stigma that Wisconsin backs haven’t produced in the NFL. The holes at Wisconsin (especially against Nebraska) were huge, and he will have to adjust to smaller creases in the pros. As a receiver, he’s not been used much (only 22 catches total, and 19 of those came in ‘14) and was a non-factor as a pass protector.

Gordon has a habit of stopping his feet behind the line of scrimmage and waiting for north-south holes to come open. That won’t work in the NFL against faster, more disciplined defenses, and it showed when he was held to no gain or a loss at Wisconsin when he tried to take runs outside too often. Fumbles are a concern here, as he put the ball on the ground six times in his last five games.

2014 STATISTICS

Rushing Attempts: 343
Rushing Yards: 2,587
Touchdowns: 29

PRO COMPARISON: DeMarco Murray, Philadelphia Eagles

A strong running back with north-south power and enough shake to make defenders miss in the open field, Gordon has the upside of DeMarco Murray, and they’re similar athletes.

FINAL GRADE: 6.50/9.00 (Rookie Starter)