I heard a man say on the radio that Melvin Gordon would obviously be a superstar in the NFL. This man left out all other tailbacks in the draft, including Todd Gurley, and singled out Gordon to be the best tailback taken in the upcoming draft.
Melvin Gordon was a fantastic player in college. The 6’1,” 207 pound running back from Wisconsin decided to come back for another season so he could be the go-to guy for the Badgers. The previous seasons he had played second fiddle to some pretty good backs, including current Patriots tailback James White and Broncos tailback Montee Ball. This season, Gordon got what he wanted. He enjoyed the majority of the reps and he did not disappoint. Gordon rushed for over 2,500 yards and had 29 touchdowns. These are amazing numbers for any rusher in FBS football.
But do these numbers prove Melvin Gordon will be a star in the NFL?
I think it is safe to say Gordon passes the eyeball test. Anyone who has watched this guy play would agree with that statement.
Is it enough?
I don’t think so. I have been watching Wisconsin football for many years now. I love watching the tailback position. The Badgers have had a great running back almost every year I can remember. I watched Brian Calhoun, P.J. Hill, John Clay, as well as the previously mentioned Ball, White and Gordon.
I was not on the bandwagon with White. I wasn’t on Ball’s either, and I will not be on the Gordon’s.
We always see these colleges that make quarterbacks look good, but they never do good in the NFL. Examples are USC, Oklahoma, Oregon, and I think we are now seeing it happen at Texas A&M. We never really think about it at the running back position. However, there is one exception—the Wisconsin Badgers.
Wisconsin running backs all have the same thing in common. They rush for a ton of yards, and for a ton of touchdowns. They all pass the eyeball test, and they are all fools-gold NFL prospects.
Ball has been a bust so far. I know it has only been two seasons, but he has already lost his job to C.J. Anderson. C.J. who?
White is not necessarily a bust, but he is not a beast by any means either. He cannot even prove he is the best back in a crowded Patriots backfield of mediocrity.
This even goes back further. Michael Bennett played at Wisconsin and was drafted in the first round by the Minnesota Vikings in 2001. He was a very good college running back, but he was a journeymen back in the NFL. He played for six teams, totaling about 3,700 yards rushing for his career. He did make one Pro Bowl, but I wouldn’t consider him a star.
How about Ron Dayne? Some of you might have heard of him. He won the Heisman Trophy for being like the best player in college football. That seems to be important. He was the Big Ten Player of the Year. He is in the College Football Hall of Fame. He did all this when the Big Ten was still a “Power House.” If anyone should be great in the NFL, it should be Ron Dayne.
Nope.
He was a journeyman running back for three different teams. He rushed for a little over 3,700 yards for his career.
Is Gordon different?
He did rush for more yards in a single season than Dayne ever did. He also won the Doak Walker Award for being the best running back in the NCAA.
This is true, but the Big Ten was as weak as we have ever seen it. When he played Ohio State, a team with real NFL talent, he had a sub-80 yard performance, and he averaged under 3 years per carry.
Melvin Gordon used his speed to beat tacklers to the outside. The 4.5 40-yard dash time he posted at the combine is not going to be fast enough to beat most NFL defensive linemen to the edge. Gordon rushed for no-gain, or a loss, on 19 percent of his carries last season. He did not prove he has what it takes to run between the tackles, and he cannot block. He lacks the toughness it takes to be an every down back in the NFL.
I may be wrong, but my predictions for Gordon are very similar to Dayne and Bennett’s careers. Gordon will play for 3 to 5 teams. He will rush somewhere under 3,700 yards. He will play about five seasons, and he will turn into: “What ever happened to that Melvin Gordon guy? I thought he was supposed to be a star.”
As fans, if we are looking for a “superstar” running back for our favorite franchise, we may find some clues in Wisconsin, but not in Gordon. Our clues should point us to drafting Wisconsin offensive linemen, learning the blocking schemes from the Badgers, and maybe picking up a Badger O-line or running backs coach.
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