Melvin Gordon comes from a school known for producing running backs, the most recent of which being Monte Ball. Gordon, however, is much different than any of the previous Wisconsin running backs. He has a speed burst that rivals many starting running backs in the game today, and has elite agility most fans don't get to see in the backfield on a weekly basis. While he only posted a 4.52 forty yard dash time at the combine, he has much faster game speed, and is more explosive, as shown by his 1.62 ten yard split.
He is being compared to Reggie Bush without the injuries by some, and that seems to be a worth comparable for what we saw out of him at Wisconsin. While he struggled mightily against the Ohio State Buckeyes in the Big Ten Championship game, he has put up fantastic numbers almost his whole career except for that start. Urban Meyer had to gameplan to stop Melvin Gordon, as he knew the threat that Gordon could be on the field if multiple eyes weren't watching him carefully.
One thing to watch out for with Gordon is that he isn't known as a pass catcher out of the backfield. He is a pure running back, which may be an issue for teams looking to use him as a three down back. He also isn't as powerful as some may like, but he has enough to get by and it shouldn't cause much concern. However, if Melvin Gordon can replicate what he did in college, breaking LaDainian Tomlinson's single game rushing record of 406 yards rushing for 408 the final play of the third quarter, not many will notice his negative traits. He also managed to get really close to, but not break the FBS single season rushing record set by Oklahoma State running back Barry Sanders in the 1998 season.
Overall, Gordon is likely to produce at the NFL level, and could establish himself as a top ten or even top five running back in the league in the coming years. Some fans even believe he has the chance to win the rushing title as a rookie depending on where he ends up. Gordon should be able to help out his new team in more ways than one.
Melvin Gordon will look to break Ladainian Tomlinson's record again, as the San Diego Chargers traded up to 15th overall to select him. Gordon will instantly improve the backfield that has recently lost Ryan Mathews. Gordon will provide quarterback Phillip Rivers with a threat out of the backfield, and should take pressure off the passing game as well due to the threat he provides in the ground.