The San Diego Chargers need running back Melvin Gordon to become a star. The Chargers got him in the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft and cannot afford for him to not to become a superstar. Throughout his rookie season, he struggled to gain yards and failed to record his first NFL touchdown.
That has to be an incredible disappointment for the young player. Gordon started in 12 games and recorded 184 rushing attempts, gained 641 yards, averaged 3.5 yards per carry and lost four fumbles. That is hardly the output that San Diego expected when it drafted the young running back, and considering that Todd Gurley went five spots below him, the Chargers should do everything they can to put Gordon in a position to succeed.
Gordon was outplayed by veteran running back and Nebraska alum Danny Woodhead plenty of times throughout the course of the season. Branden Oliver had a lighter role, but still even looked to have more juice than the rookie. A large piece of the blame falls on the Chargers woeful offensive line.
This line, in 2015, let every running back down on the roster as San Diego became one of the worst rushing teams in the league. Now, this line is comprised up of left tackle King Dunlap, left guard Orlando Franklin, center Chris Watt, right guard DJ Fluker and right tackle Joe Barksdale heading into the 2016 NFL season.
If the Chargers want to help this offense become more potent, they have to add a couple of offensive linemen in this draft. The Chargers are staring at the third overall pick in the 2016 Draft and could potentially select a couple of top linemen after the first round. Cody Whitehair (Kansas State) and Vadal Alexander (LSU) appear to be the two best offensive guards that are in this draft, and they both could be selected after the first round.
If one of them is on the board while the Chargers are picking in the second round, they could be worth the selection. With their first round pick, the Chargers have a great chance to fortify this offensive line by taking either the best or the second best offensive linemen in the NFL Draft. If the Tennessee Titans take someone other than Laremy Tunsil, the Chargers could be in for quite a surprise.
