LA Chargers: The team’s track record of trading up in the first round

2010: Ryan Mathews

• Traded 2010 first (28), 2010 second (40), 2010 fourth (126) and Tim Dobbins to Miami for the 12th overall pick, 2010 fourth (110) and 2010 sixth (173)

We move quickly to the modern era of LA Chargers football and Ryan Mathews did not have the kind of impact that the previous trade-ups had on the franchise. Kellen Winslow was the greatest tight end in franchise history before Gates, Byrd has the most interceptions in franchise history and O’Neal is one of the best pass-rushers in franchise history.

Mathews was a solid, above-average running back that played for the team for five seasons. In those five seasons, Mathews was a Pro Bowler once and rushed for over 1,000 yards twice.

If Mathews could have stayed healthy then he could have been a long-term back for the Chargers but he was never going to live up to expectations. Not only did the Chargers trade up 16 spots for him but he was essentially the guy that was coming after LaDainian Tomlinson, which is no small feat.

However, he was productive for five seasons and we cannot really label this trade as a failure for the team. They got the running back production they needed when he was healthy and with the 28th pick the Dolphins selected Jared Odrick, a defensive tackle who was never better than mediocre.

The second-round pick belonged to Seattle and wound up being Koa Misi, who was a serviceable defensive end for several years.

When looking at the rest of the running backs in the 2010 NFL Draft class, Mathews does not look too shabby. He finished his career with the most rushing yards and rushing touchdowns of any back in that class.