Chargers Trade Picks To 49ers To Select Running Back Melvin Gordon
SAN DIEGO (AP) — The San Diego Chargers have not only kept quarterback Philip Rivers, but they've paid a heavy price to move up two spots to select Wisconsin running back Melvin Gordon with the 15th pick overall.
The Chargers sent their first- and fourth-round picks this year and fifth-round pick next year to the San Francisco 49ers.
San Diego needed a bruising back to help take the pressure off Rivers, and they got it in Gordon. He set the FBS record for career rushing average with 7.79 yards per carry.
The Chargers needed a featured back after letting Ryan Mathews leave as a free agent.
A rumored trade of Rivers to Tennessee, which would have allowed the Chargers to take Marcus Mariota with the second pick, didn't materialize.
