2015 NFL Draft: Most Likely First Round Landing Spots for Melvin Gordon
By Jim Oxley
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Feb 19, 2015; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Wisconsin running back Melvin Gordon speaks to the media at the 2015 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Trevor Ruszkowski-USA TODAY Sports
Come April 30 and the 2015 NFL Draft, Wisconsin Badgers running back Melvin Gordon hopes to hear his name called night one, breaking the recent trend of backs left out of the draft’s first round.
Here we dive into the NFL teams who are most likely to target a running back in round one, and considering Melvin Gordon’s performance at the 2015 NFL scouting combine, it’s safe to say he has made his case to be that first running back selected.
Wisconsin Badgers
There’s definitely teams in the top 15 picks who could use help at running back, but at this point I don’t see an NFL team reaching into the top 15 to grab a back when it looks like Gordon and Georgia product Todd Gurley, and guys like Indiana’s Tevin Coleman, Nebraska’s Ameer Abdullah, Miami’s Duke Johnson and Alabama’s T.J. Yeldon will be available in the late first round or throughout the second round.
In the past few years NFL teams have found success drafting running backs in the second round. In 2013 alone, Cincinnati’s Giovani Bernard, Pittsburgh’s Le’Veon Bell, and Green Bay’s Eddie Lacy were all second round picks, and all three have become impact players in the NFL.
Despite the second round success, 2015 looks likely to be the year a running back breaks back into the first round, and considering the upside of the currently injured Gurley, two backs might even be taken.
Let’s take a look at the teams most likely to target a running back in the first round. We’ll go in order of draft pick, starting with the San Diego Chargers at pick 17.
Next: San Diego Chargers: Round 1, pick 17