2015 NFL Draft: Most Likely First Round Landing Spots for Melvin Gordon
By Jim Oxley
Arizona Cardinals: Round 1, pick 24
Arizona Cardinals running back Andre Ellington dealt with injuries last season, and the team could look for help at the position. Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports
A pick after the Lions, the Arizona Cardinals could also be looking for help at running back.
2014 was expected to be the year of Andre Ellington after a breakout performance in a limited role in 2013 as a rookie. Instead, the running back saw his yards-per-carry fall from 5.5 to 3.3, and injuries cut his season short by four games.
Behind Ellington, Kerwynn Williams and Stepfan Taylor aren’t anything special, and the Cardinals will likely address the position, and could do it in the first round.
The Cardinals would be a tough landing spot for Gordon, but nothing new for the back as the Cardinals are oddly similar to the Badgers.
Kerwynn Williams likely isn’t the answer at running back for the Cardinals. Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports
Arizona doesn’t feature as dominant of an offensive line, and lives in a division with tough defensive line matchups (six games against the Seattle Seahawks, San Francisco 49ers and St. Louis Rams), but the real comparison comes at the quarterback position.
After Carson Palmer went down with an injury, the Cardinals went deep in the depth chart, plain Drew Stanton, Ryan Lindley and even Logan Thomas throughout the season. The only constant was they ran the ball. A lot.
Sound familiar? It should, as the Badgers did nothing but run the ball the majority of the 2014 season. Like the Cardinals, they struggled at QB and relied on Gordon.
Palmer will likely be back this season, but he’s an aging quarterback and is clearly injury prone.
The Cardinals probably wouldn’t be Gordon’s ideal landing spot, but he would be well-prepared for the defenses opposing teams would employ when they face Arizona.
Next: Baltimore Ravens: Round 1, pick 26