Chargers add Wattage to Melvin Gordon’s future
The Chargers drafted fullback Derek Watt in the sixth round.
Melvin Gordon is on the clock.
The Chargers running back is facing a season of desperately needing to prove himself in the NFL. And now he has a friend, a familiar face, a familiar voice, a familiar style to perhaps help him become the player he can be and has already been.
“I’m going to go out and try to help him do everything I can,” said Watt, Gordon’s lead blocker for much of his record-breaking final season at the University of Wisconsin. “We’re going to pick up right where we left off, I think.”
Gordon earned his NFL money in a college offense that had a fullback helping clear his path. He never publicly said he would prefer that type of setup in San Diego, but he was clearly frustrated by the difference in styles.
Not only did he get a fullback. He got his fullback.
“Glad to have you back bro,” Gordon tweeted shortly after the Chargers made Watt the 198th pick in this year’s draft.
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Last year’s 15th overall pick texted his former teammate several times in recent months, saying he hoped the Chargers picked him and was lobbying coaches. As the picks progressed Saturday, Gordon expressed confidence to Watt that the Chargers would pick him but also implored Watt to consider the Chargers as a free agent should he go undrafted.
Before the two can team up for anything like the results Gordon achieved his final season in Madison (2,587 yards, 29 touchdowns), Watt has to make the team.
He should. He seems to have the makeup and, as the younger brother of Houston Texans All-Pro defensive end J.J. Watt, certainly has the bloodline.
Too, the Chargers have a need.
Like the rest of the NFL, the Chargers’ use of a fullback has lessened greatly. They didn’t have a true fullback either of the past two years. Not coincidentally, with the return of Ken Whisenhunt as offensive coordinator, they were looking for one this year. Whisenhunt used fullback Le’Ron McClain in ’13, particularly as Ryan Mathews led the NFL in rushing over the final four games (all victories).
Don’t be thinking Lorenzo Neal, the 255-pound tank who spent five seasons with the Chargers and pretty much set the standard for NFL fullbacks. The 6-foot-2, 236-pound Watt is built more like former Charger Jacob Hester, though three inches taller and about 10 pounds heavier.
Like Hester, Watt will make much of his contribution on special teams. But the idea is definitely that will block for and possibly prod Gordon on offense.
“We already know how each other, know what each other sees,” Watt said. “… We communicate what we see on the field to each other. He tells me if he thinks I should have done something different or he saw something other than what I saw. I’ll tell him the same. It will be great to get back with him and the other running backs there and learn from them.”
Gordon showed a number of times in his rookie season that he has the ability to be a difference maker in the NFL. His legs churn and don’t stop. He makes tacklers work, and it often takes a second hit to drop him when he is moving well. He is fast enough.
But it was clear to everyone in the organization about halfway through the ’15 campaign – with the Chargers’ offensive line destroyed by injuries – that Gordon had lost confidence and was essentially lost in the offense, practically dazed by opposing defenses.
Gordon finished with 184 carries for 641 yards. He also found himself on the bench a few times due to his six fumbles (four lost), which is far more times than he found himself in the end zone. He is, in fact, still looking for his first NFL touchdown.
Improving on that is about so much more than adding a fullback. The offensive line has to stay healthy and block well. Whisenhunt and McCoy have to be committed to the run.
But Watt should help.
“I’ve been able to do it in the Big Ten,” Watt said. “I’m looking to take that next step, continue to improve my game, become a true professional, take my game to the next level and be successful.”
If he can lead the way for Gordon doing the same, Watt might end up being the Chargers’ most significant pick in this draft.
