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Position
Running Back
School
Wisconsin
Size
6'0, 207 pounds
Strengths
Melvin Gordon is an explosive, agile runner that produced monster numbers at Wisconsin. He tends to run upright, but he still can get low and keep a good center of gravity. Despite his lack of size, Gordon is an effective runner inside. He has an ability to get skinny and fit through tight holes between the tackles. The play below is a great example of that. Check out Gordon's quick feet. Gordon's quick jump cuts really assist him here. He's able to change direction without using very many steps.
Gordon is able to stay balanced through contact. He has a pretty big upper body that allows him to shred arm tackles easily. Don't sleep on Gordon's power, either. He doesn't look like a guy that packs much of a punch, but once he's up to speed he isn't afraid to lower his head and deliver a pop. The play below highlights his tackle breaking ability. After he finds the hole Gordon explodes through two different arm tackles and makes a subtle juke to get around the incoming safety.
Weaknesses
Gordon's vision is just average. He flashes examples of both the good and the bad, but overall it seems like he bounces the run wide too often. He can be indecisive at times too. The clip below is a great example of Gordon over thinking things. He passed up a lot of room off of the right side and ran directly into the swarm.
Perhaps the biggest criticism of Gordon is his lack of experience catching the football. There were very few examples of this during his time at Wisconsin as he was used primarily as a blocker on passing downs. The combine and team workouts will be big for Gordon to prove that he can be effective here.
Summary
I honestly believe that the best comparison for Gordon is Chris Johnson without the long speed. Both have inconsistencies with vision and aren't huge factors in the passing game. Gordon is my third ranked running back behind Todd Gurley and Duke Johnson right now. I think he will be in play as early as pick 17 when the Chargers hit the clock.
Draft Projection
Late 1st