BGN 2010 Mock Draft Pick #28 - The San Diego Chargers

With the 28th pick in the 2010 BGN Draft, IronHank selects...

Ryan Matthews - RB, Fresno State

In 2009, Ladanian Tomlinson was hardly a factor in the Chargers offense, battling injury most of the year. Due to his lack of production and high salary (not to mention his overwhelming egocentrism) he was promptly cut in February. Darren Sproles was average at best when asked to start. As a result, the Chargers were forced to rely on Philip Rivers’ arm. Although they finished the year 10th in yards per game and 4th in scoring, the Chargers were held to an average of just 88 yards on the ground, good for 31st in the league.

Enter Ryan Mathews. This Fresno State star is the big, powerful runner that the Chargers need to reignite their ground game. His combine measurements were impressive to say the least. Not only does Mathews have prototypical size (measures 6’, 218 lb) but he clocked an impressive 4.45 second 40-yard dash. His excellent combine performance is overshadowed by a standout college career. He is entering the draft after a junior season in which he rushed for 1,808 yards and 19 touchdowns on just 276 carries (6.6 YPC) over the course of eleven games. That averages out to an astounding 164 yards per game on the ground.

He’s got extremely good balance for a player his size. He has good patience behind his blockers and hits the hole with power when it opens. He has the speed to beat linebackers to the corner on outside runs, and displays decent but unspectacular agility when in space. His true specialty is running between the tackles. He was not used as a receiver in college, so his hands are questionable.

More after the jump...

Mathews' College Highlights:

Heading into the draft, the San Diego Chargers have obvious holes at three major positions: Running Back, Cornerback, and Nose Tackle. Having lost both Antonio Cromartie and Jamal Williams, the Chargers defense is badly in need of young talent. Although Jared Odrick and Brian Price are both on the board, neither has the size to be a true NT in a 3-4. Terrence Cody would have been a good pick, but he’s already been taken. Although Antoine Cason and Quentin Jammer will probably be a decent pair of starters, this is a deep draft for defensive backs and the Chargers may address this position in the second round. I doubt Cason will be a huge drop in production from Cromartie, and the Chargers pass defense was decent last year, so taking Mathews over Kyle Wilson was justified.

Next on the clock will be Rabbit T with the New York Jets.

Previous picks: #1 Ndamukong Suh, #2 Russell Okung, #3 Gerald McCoy, #4 Sam Bradford, #5 Eric Berry, #6 Trent Williams, #7 Jimmy Clausen, #8 Bruce Campbell, #9 Bryan Bulaga, #10 Derrick Morgan, #11 Rolando McClain, #12 Sergio Kindle, #13 Joe Haden, #14 C.J. Spiller, #15 Mike Iupati, #16 Jason Pierre-Paul, #17 Anthony Davis, #18 Kyle Wilson, #19 Brandon Graham, #20 Dan Williams, #21 Dez Bryant, #22 Tim Tebow, #23 Charles Brown, #24 Sean Weatherspoon, #25 Earl Thomas, #26 Terrence Cody, #27 Maurkice Pouncey