Welcome Melvin Gordon, RB, Wisconsin

[Panamamike]

Telesco said they only had 7 guys ranked as impact players in this draft. Gordon was the last one available. If that is what your board says, 7 impact guys, then everyone else, I commend him for going and for getting the player.he feels will most help this team. Three years without a 4th rounder sucks, but he can find a gem in UDFA to make up for it somewhat.

Pass rush and oline in the next two rounds please.

[Steve]

That's why i don't have a problem. No team in the NFL does a good a job finding guys as UDFA then we do. And it is not just the one season where we got Gates and the rest of them. Most teams are lucky if they find a guy every couple of seasons, we find guys every year, and sometimes more then 1 per year.

[CTrout]

Telesco said they only had 7 guys ranked as impact players in this draft. Gordon was the last one available. If that is what your board says, 7 impact guys, then everyone else, I commend him for going and for getting the player.he feels will most help this team. Three years without a 4th rounder sucks, but he can find a gem in UDFA to make up for it somewhat.

Pass rush and oline in the next two rounds please.

Makes sence, overall this is a fairly weak draft class. That 4th rounder will likely be 5th round talent.

[Boltx]

That's why i don't have a problem. No team in the NFL does a good a job finding guys as UDFA then we do. And it is not just the one season where we got Gates and the rest of them. Most teams are lucky if they find a guy every couple of seasons, we find guys every year, and sometimes more then 1 per year.

This is true too.

[KNSD]

The current setup for the draft is boring as hell btw. It was better when it was a marathon on the weekend.

[madcaplaughs]

MG III catching the ball - The QB's at Wisconsin have been abysmal the last couple of years. Opposing defenses knew MG III was the only threat. It didn't make sense to throw the ball to him when he's averaging 7 yards per rush. The offensive line was and is a run blocking line. The year that Russel Wilson was the QB, we has James White and Montee Ball, both of whom had quite a bit of experience on MG III. That being said, I don't think his hands are any way near as bad as Ryan Matthews.

MG III pass blocking - How can you rate a player on something he was not asked to do? Ryan Matthews was taken out on 3rd downs for a reason. He couldn't catch well and was a liability on pass blocking. I'd be willing to bet that we will be surprised at how well MG III does in this regard.

[richpjr]

MG III catching the ball - The QB's at Wisconsin have been abysmal the last couple of years. Opposing defenses knew MG III was the only threat. It didn't make sense to throw the ball to him when he's averaging 7 yards per rush. The offensive line was and is a run blocking line. The year that Russel Wilson was the QB, we has James White and Montee Ball, both of whom had quite a bit of experience on MG III. That being said, I don't think his hands are any way near as bad as Ryan Matthews.

MG III pass blocking - How can you rate a player on something he was not asked to do? Ryan Matthews was taken out on 3rd downs for a reason. He couldn't catch well and was a liability on pass blocking. I'd be willing to bet that we will be surprised at how well MG III does in this regard.

We have Woodhead on the roster - he has a time to learn to pass block and work on his receiving.

[SDFan]

RB, trade up to get him, LT was his childhood idol, issues with fumbling, not a good pass blocker, can't catch. I dunno, sounds a bit familiar for some reason.
Probably makes the Chargers offense better next year and if they're gone the following year then I guess I shouldn't complain. As I said in another thread, I think RBs are the players you look to add when you are a team either in the window or ascending to it. Looking at his scouting report he looks to be a 2 down back and I tend to think unpredictability on offense is something you should covet. Perhaps he is good enough that we can count on third and short routinely so he can be on the field on third down.

When you say you build through the draft, and this team is hardly a young one, then I don't think trading picks is a good idea. Fourth round picks are not camp fodder, and with a team that looks to build depth via the waiver wire I think doing so hurts the team in the long term.

did you just make all that up? TT said he was the best pass protecting RB in the draft and hands are better than advertised and they clocked his speed faster than the combine. A durable RB who makes people miss and can take it to the house every time he touches it sounds more like LT than RM24 to me. People also said LT couldn't catch coming out of college, but the truth was he just wasn't used for that. I disagree with your basic premise you build the whole team up 1st, then add a quality RB like some cherry on top of the ice cream Sunday. LT was the 1 guy on offense that held it all together and kept us competitive in most games despite rotating QBs, shitty OLs, lack of pass catchers (until Gates) and lack of any true #1 WR. If this guy is similar it helps the QB, OL and entire offense while they continue fortifying areas like OL & WR. Hopefully they don't waste Gordon's best years and Rivers's career neglecting the lines from here on out like they did to LT and Brees.

[Coachmarkos]

Things I like about the player, Melvin Gordon.

1. The patience he shows, letting his blocks set up. Just excellent...better than Gurley in this regard.
2. The instant, sudden, acceleration. No back gets to top speed faster.
3. The fact that Wisconsin couldn't really throw the ball at all...and he just ran wild. I mean he broke LT's single game record, against Nebraska...not against Po Dunk University, but Nebraska.
4. The fact that he's stayed healthy his whole career. (unlike Mathews, who had injuries every year in college, and that followed him to the NFL)

Things I didn't like...
1. Giving up 2 picks to move up 2 spots? I'd have been fine with this year's fourth... but that seems like a lot. However, if he can play as well as many think he can, it will be worth it.

[vinabolt]

Gordon is the most dangerous RB in college football and Gurley is the most dependable grinder. The things I love about Gordon is he can take it to the house anywhere. He have better vision than Gurley and I think he is more patient, he use his blockers better. "Vision" is overate thought because in an NFL blocking scheme they'll just tell you where to run and you have little options.

Gurley run with more power, toughness and balance, and always look to run inside, and he loves to cut back. I think if both RBs available at 17 TT and MM would go with Gurley, since he fit better in what the team does last couple of years (a consistent "first-down maker" who eat up yards, first-downs and time, and keep opposing offense waiting on the sideline).

I think the loss of 2 mid-round picks do hurt thought. TT is a good drafter, with him running the warroom there is a good chance we could find a serviceable starter and a solid backup player with these 2 picks.

But they have to move up. With this move, they obviously has some inside information that HOU would take Gordon to groom behind the now suddenly injury-prone Foster.

[Geezbolt]

Telesco said they only had 7 guys ranked as impact players in this draft. Gordon was the last one available.

IMO, this is more than enough justification for moving up. As Fleet mentioned in another thread, the picks we gave up were right in line with what the value chart said it costs to move up from 17 to 15. Sure, I would have liked them to stay at 17 and still have gotten Gordon. I believe though that there were rumblings of not only Houston's interest in him but interest by several other teams willing to trade with them at 16 to pick Gordon. Everyone knew the Bolts would take him at 17 if he was still there.

[Guest]