INDIANAPOLIS (WITI) -- He thrilled high school football fans in Kenosha and college football fans in Madison. Now, Wisconsin Badgers running back Melvin Gordon is looking to make waves in the NFL.
Gordon had a decent fall -- setting what turned out to be a short-lived new national single-game rushing record. He finished second in the voting for the Heisman Trophy and came up just short of becoming the all-time leader in yards gained on the ground in a season.
"To even be mentioned in the same sentence as Barry Sanders is an honor. That's a great person to be second to. Great player. Phenomenal player. I was 40 yards away, and it sucked a little bit, but it is what it is. It's standing there for someone else to break," Gordon said.
While Gordon didn't threaten any pass-catching records, he has shown progress in diversifying his game.
"I just wanted to go out there and show people that I could do that, and I didn't get as many opportunities as other people. I know that. There's still questions about me being able to catch the ball. I know that too. But the opportunities I got, I did my best to try to show people that I could catch the ball and that people can count on me in the passing game," Gordon said.
Gordon doesn't feel like he's going through this draft process alone. He's the top-rated running back prospect. His high school teammate Trae Waynes from Kenosha Bradford is the top-rated cornerback prospect. Plus, Gordon is following in the footsteps of Montee Ball and James White.
"I talk to James and Montee all the time. I'm really close with those guys still, and I've been talking quite a lot with James throughout this process. He's been coaching me up. He told me 'it's going to be a mental grind, but you'll be able to handle it. You'll be able to get through it,'" Gordon said.
But now, can Gordon get through the wait until he actually finds out where he'll establish the next part of his football legacy? The NFL Combine process and individual workouts between now and then test a prospect in ways a defender never did.
"I'm losing sleep each and every night, even now. They said 'take every interview as if it was a game,' and that's how I do. You're laying in bed at night and you're just thinking about what this coach is going to say and what that coach is going to say and you get a little nervous," Gordon said.
Gordon has shown that he's plenty cool on the field, and he intends to have another pretty good fall this year. He says he watched a lot of NFL running backs, and he doesn't necessarily think he compares to anyone in particular. He says he is a fan of many different professional teams, and he'll be happy wherever he lands.