The Chargers’ draft room was full of excitement when South Carolina’s Melvin Ingram fell to the Chargers with the 18th overall pick in the first round.
A jack-of-all-trades at South Carolina, Ingram posted the fourth-most sacks in school history and the fifth-most tackles for loss. A team captain and full-time starter as a senior, he helped the Gamecocks rank third in the nation in total defense and 11th in scoring defense. Ingram returned two fumbles for touchdowns, played special teams and scored a touchdown on a 68-yard run during a fake punt against Georgia in 2011. It all led toward him being named just the third consensus first-team All-America in South Carolina history and the first since 1984. Ingram was also part of a resurgence at South Carolina that peaked when the Gamecocks won a school-record 11 games in his final season, going 11-2, including a 30-13 win over Nebraska in the Capital One Bowl on New Year’s Day.
Ingram’s athleticism and versatility led teammates to nickname him “Super Melvin” in high school. Ingram can do a standing back-flip, he can dunk a football over the crossbar, he can dunk a basketball with ease and he can throw a football more than 70 yards. Ingram spent most of his life in a single-parent household after his father, George Melvin, died when he was young. His mother, Nancy, taught him to be humble, but his dad had taught him that big-time players make big-time plays in big-time situations. It’s a message that’s stuck with Ingram throughout his football career.
The Chargers’ draft room was full of excitement when South Carolina’s Melvin Ingram fell to the Chargers with the 18th overall pick in the first round.
A jack-of-all-trades at South Carolina, Ingram posted the fourth-most sacks in school history and the fifth-most tackles for loss. A team captain and full-time starter as a senior, he helped the Gamecocks rank third in the nation in total defense and 11th in scoring defense. Ingram returned two fumbles for touchdowns, played special teams and scored a touchdown on a 68-yard run during a fake punt against Georgia in 2011. It all led toward him being named just the third consensus first-team All-America in South Carolina history and the first since 1984. Ingram was also part of a resurgence at South Carolina that peaked when the Gamecocks won a school-record 11 games in his final season, going 11-2, including a 30-13 win over Nebraska in the Capital One Bowl on New Year’s Day.
Ingram’s athleticism and versatility led teammates to nickname him “Super Melvin” in high school. Ingram can do a standing back-flip, he can dunk a football over the crossbar, he can dunk a basketball with ease and he can throw a football more than 70 yards. Ingram spent most of his life in a single-parent household after his father, George Melvin, died when he was young. His mother, Nancy, taught him to be humble, but his dad had taught him that big-time players make big-time plays in big-time situations. It’s a message that’s stuck with Ingram throughout his football career.
