The Sports Xchange

SAN DIEGO –The San Diego Chargers kept their quarterback and drafted a running back.

Wisconsin’s Melvin Gordon came aboard on Thursday, but it came with a price.

Gordon, a Heisman Trophy finalist, was selected with the No. 15 overall pick, which originally belonged to the San Francisco 49ers. But San Diego and San Francisco worked a deal, with the Charger surrendering their first- and fourth-round draft picks this year and next year’s fifth-rounder to move up two spots.

“It’s Melvin Gordon,” Chargers general manager Tom Telesco said, matter-of-factly. “This is a player we had targeted really all the way through. He’s such an electric player. He’s a threat to score every time he touches the ball. He’s had a great career at Wisconsin. We think he fits our offense perfectly. We couldn’t be happier to get him here.”

Gordon will hopefully give a lift to last year’s tepid running game which ranked No. 30 in the NFL. The Chargers only had six rushing touchdowns, and three of those left when Ryan Mathews signed with the Eagles.

“I just was excited,” Gordon said of the getting the call from the Chargers. “I was just happy that somebody took a chance on me and gave me the opportunity to help make their team better. I was so anxious to find out where I was going to be playing. I was pumped up with so much energy.

“I’m glad they took a chance to me.”

Telesco had tried to sell people that he was pleased with his trio of remaining runners: Branden Oliver, Danny Woodhead and Donald Brown. But paying such a steep price to leap the board and snag Gordon tells a different story.

The 6-foot-1, 215-pound Gordon, who average 7.8 yards per carry in four seasons at Wisconsin, is only the third NCAA player to rush for at least 2,000 yards and score 30 touchdowns in a single season.

“We’re really excited to get him,” coach Mike McCoy said. “He’s an impact player we had very high on our board; a guy that we really wanted to get and improve our football team. Explosive player … had a very productive college career. Being close with his head coach, Gary Andersen; having a good conversation with him about what type of player Melvin is, the fit he would be, not only as a player, but as a person in our locker room. Just a great fit for our team.”

The Chargers feel they hit a home run with a running back who can score from anywhere on the field.

“He brings that big-play capability,” Telesco said. “We talk about on offense that we want to get faster, more explosive and he will bring all of that to us. He’s a big-time playmaker.

“He’s a threat every time he touches the ball, but he’s also great in pass protection and he can catch the ball out of the backfield. Usually when you talk about a red-zone threat, it’s a receiver or a tight end, but he’s a red-zone threat as a running back. He’s got a nose for the end zone, a great burst for the end zone a short-area burst. We like people who score touchdowns. He’s going to fit in just fine.”

Gordon can’t wait.

“I can’t believe how this turned out,” Gordon said. “It’s like a dream for me.”