Melvin Gordon was a disaster last year.
On tape, he looked mostly lost. On the stat sheet he looks like one of the worst first-round NFL Draft picks ever to get at least 175 carries as a rookie.
It was that bad.
He struggled with both inefficiency and fumbles, ranking dead last amongst running backs to rush the ball 180 times with 3.48 yards per carry. He lost goal line work to Danny Woodhead and struggled mightily in short-yardage situations when he got the chance.
The Chargers gave him the ball 29 times with 3 yards or fewer to gain. Gordon picked up the first down juts 58 percent of the time.
What he lacked in production in the running game he exacerbated with equally lackluster production in the passing game. Of the 35 running backs to catch at least 30 passes in 2016, Gordon ranked 33rd in yards per reception, with 5.8.
By just about any measure you would have to consider Gordon the worst running back in football to receive as many touches as he did. But that doesn't necessarily mean he'll be awful forever. Here are all of the first round NFL Draft picks to struggle at even close to the level Gordon did (minimum 175 carries).
Some of these names will surprise you.
| Att | Yds | YPC | Rec | Rec Yds | Y/R | Total TD | |
| Walter Payton | 196 | 679 | 3.46 | 33 | 213 | 6.5 | 7 |
| Keith Byars | 177 | 577 | 3.26 | 11 | 44 | 4.0 | 1 |
| Sammie Smith | 200 | 659 | 3.30 | 7 | 81 | 11.6 | 6 |
| Eric Metcalf | 187 | 633 | 3.39 | 54 | 397 | 7.4 | 10 |
| Leonard Russell | 266 | 959 | 3.61 | 18 | 81 | 4.5 | 4 |
| Rashaan Salaam | 296 | 1074 | 3.63 | 7 | 56 | 8.0 | 10 |
| Lawrence Phillips | 193 | 632 | 3.27 | 8 | 28 | 3.5 | 5 |
| Ricky Williams | 253 | 884 | 3.49 | 28 | 172 | 6.1 | 2 |
| Ron Dayne | 228 | 770 | 3.38 | 3 | 11 | 3.7 | 5 |
| LaDainian Tomlinson | 339 | 1,236 | 3.65 | 59 | 367 | 6.2 | 10 |
| William Green | 243 | 887 | 3.65 | 16 | 113 | 7.1 | 6 |
| Trent Richardson | 267 | 950 | 3.56 | 51 | 367 | 7.2 | 12 |
| Melvin Gordon | 184 | 641 | 3.48 | 33 | 192 | 5.8 | 0 |
There have been 57 running backs selected in the first round and who were given 175 carries as a rookie. This is the bottom 22 percent based on yards per carry. While it's encouraging to see a Hall of Fame back and another future HOFer on the list, a majority of these backs had their best year as a runner in their terribly inefficient rookie year.
To make that more clear, according to this list of backs it is more likely than not that Gordon just had his best year running the football. That's kind of terrifying.
I think it's clear if you're looking for the most similar line, it's Ricky Williams. Like Gordon, Williams also struggled with fumbles. He improved over the next two seasons before breaking out in year four after changing teams. The main difference is that Williams was getting a lot more touches per game, where San Diego has shown no reluctance to spread the ball around.
Woodhead, Donald Brown and Brandon Oliver combined for four more carries and 32 more rushing yards than Gordon in 2015. They also combined for 101 receptions and 10 touchdowns. Woodhead's role in the offense is locked up, but when Brown and Oliver are more productive than you, that's a major problem.
That helps illustrate just how bad Gordon was, but not as well as this chart. These are the only backs in NFL history to match Gordon's inefficiency in both the run game and the pass game in one season.
| Year | Rush Yds | YPC | Rec Yds | Y/R | Total TD | Top 20 | |
| Neal Anderson | 1993 | 646 | 3.20 | 160 | 5.16 | 4 | 0 |
| Leonard Russell | 1994 | 620 | 3.26 | 227 | 5.97 | 9 | 0 |
| Jamal Lewis | 2005 | 906 | 3.37 | 191 | 5.97 | 4 | 1 |
| Edgerrin James | 2006 | 1159 | 3.44 | 217 | 5.71 | 6 | 1 |
| Ray Rice | 2013 | 660 | 3.08 | 321 | 5.53 | 4 | 0 |
| Melvin Gordon | 2015 | 641 | 3.48 | 160 | 5.82 | 0 | N/A |
That far left column shows you the names of some pretty talented backs, right? Well, the far right column matters more. That's how many times those backs posted a top 20 season after their terribly inefficient season. Just as the first chart showed, the odds aren't great.
My main problem with drafting Gordon is his lack of upside compared to his rock bottom floor. If the odds of him reaching that upside are low as well, I can't see why you would draft him in the fifth or sixth round as a borderline No. 2 running back. I'm fine with Gordon as my third back in the seventh round or later, but he's not falling that far very often.
