CAREER HIGHLIGHTS
- Made the first Pro Bowl of his career last season after tying single-season career highs in tackles (76) and sacks (10.5), while setting a new personal best with 22.5 tackles for loss.
- Named AFC Defensive Player of the Month for September in 2017, when he led the conference with 5.5 sacks in three games during the opening month of the season.
- With 29 sacks in the last three seasons, ranks tied for eighth in the NFL over that span.
- Posted 7.5 sacks in the first five weeks of 2017, good for the most through five games in Chargers history.
- Combined with DE Joey Bosa to total 23 sacks between them and rank as the No. 2 sack duo in the NFL last season.
2017: Selected to his first Pro Bowl, replacing Los Angeles Chargers DE Joey Bosa after initially being named as an alternate…Named AFC Defensive Player of the Month for September…Led the conference with 5.5 sacks and 16 tackles (13 solo) in three games during the season’s opening month...Started all 16 contests, posting 76 tackles (50 solo), 10.5 sacks, 22.5 tackles for loss, a pass defensed, a forced fumble and two recoveries, including one he returned 39 yards for the first TD of his career...His 10.5 sacks ranked tied for sixth in the AFC and tied for No. 15 in the NFL in 2017…His 7.5 sacks in the first five weeks were the most through five games in Chargers history...Registered the most defensive snaps among all Los Angeles pass rushers with 891...Part of a defensive unit that ranked tied for fifth in the NFL with 43 sacks…Combined with Bosa (12.5 sacks), was the No. 2 sack duo in the NFL with 23 sacks between the two of them…Awards: Pro Bowl Selection (First)…AFC Defensive Player of the Month (September)...at Denver (Sept. 11): Started at DE, playing 60 snaps on defense...Posted four tackles (three solo) and 1.5 sacks...Registered the 1.5 sacks on back-to-back plays in the fourth quarter...Split the first with DE Joey Bosa, collapsing the pocket from both ends to bring down QB Trevor Siemian to force third-and-13...Followed up with a sack of Siemian on the next play, forcing a Denver field goal attempt that was missed by K Brandon McManus...vs. Miami (Sept. 17): Posted six tackles (four solo) and a sack after opening the game at DE...Appeared on 50 defensive plays and five on special teams...vs. Kansas City (Sept. 24): Became the ninth player to reach 30 sacks in a Chargers uniform after posting six solo tackles, including a career-high three sacks...Began his career day by beating T Mitchell Schwartz with a bull rush to get to QB Alex Smith for a two-yard loss in the second quarter...On the final play of the third quarter, lined up just inside of Joey Bosa, running a stunt with Bosa to slip around the offensive line as he brought down Smith for an 11-yard loss...Midway through the fourth quarter, sped past two offensive linemen to post a five-yard sack of Smith...vs. Philadelphia (Oct. 1): Appeared in his 65th career game, starting at DE and contributing on 67 plays on defense and six on special teams...Registered six tackles (four solo) and a tackle for loss for the third-straight game…at New York Giants (Oct. 8): Continued to harass opposing QBs, sacking QB Eli Manning twice, including a strip-sack that he recovered to set up the game-winning TD pass from QB Philip Rivers to RB Melvin Gordon…On the play, slipped through two blockers to spin Manning to the ground, knocking the ball free…Dove into a pile of players to corral the loose ball for his first recovery of the season…Finished with eight tackles (six solo), two sacks, three tackles for loss, a forced fumble and the recovery…Saw action on 60 defensive snaps and two on special teams…at Oakland (Oct. 15): Started at DE and played 50 defensive snaps…Posted four tackles (two solo) and a tackle for loss, marking the sixth game of the season with a tackle for loss…vs. Denver (Oct. 22): Started at DE, seeing action on 51 defensive snaps…Posted four tackles (three solo), an eight-yard sack and two tackles for loss…Dropped RB C.J. Anderson for a two-yard loss in the second quarter, chasing him down from behind…Pushed T Garrett Bolles back with a bull rush into QB Trevor Siemian that resulted in the eight-yard sack…at New England (Oct. 29): Started at DE, seeing action on 78 plays on defense…Finished with three tackles (two solo)…Forced QB Tom Brady to roll to his right before DT Darius Philon registered a seven-yard sack in the fourth quarter…at Jacksonville (Nov. 12): Played 80 defensive snaps after starting the game at DE…It marked the 70th game played of his career…Posted four tackles (two solo) and a tackle for loss…Provided pressure with Joey Bosa in the fourth quarter to force QB Blake Bortles to throw off of his back foot, resulting in an INT by S Tre Boston…vs. Buffalo (Nov. 19): Recovered a fumble by QB Tyrod Taylor on a strip-sack by Joey Bosa and returned it 39 yards for the first score of his professional career…Along with Bosa, pressured QB Nathan Peterman in the first quarter to throw an INT to CB Casey Hayward…Started at DE and played 40 defensive snaps and four on special teams, registering a solo tackle, a tackle for loss and the fumble recovery…at Dallas (Nov. 23): Started at DE, playing 44 snaps on defense…Finished with a solo tackle and a tackle for loss…In the first quarter, collapsed the pocket with Joey Bosa to force QB Dak Prescott to step up into a sack by DT Corey Liuget…Coupled with Bosa, forced Prescott to roll to his left and throw a pass intended for WR Cole Beasley that was picked off by CB Desmond King and returned 90 yards for a TD…vs. Cleveland (Dec. 3): Opened the game at DE and played 57 snaps on defense…Registered five tackles (three solo), including two tackles for loss…Penetrated the backfield on fourth-and-one in the second quarter, bringing down RB Duke Johnson Jr., for a two-yard loss…Applied pressure to QB DeShone Kizer late in the fourth quarter, forcing the QB to make a difficult pass that was picked off by S Adrian Phillips to seal the game…vs. Washington (Dec. 10): Started at DE, posting seven tackles (two solo), 1.5 tackles for loss and a half-sack…Collapsed the pocket in the fourth quarter with a bull rush of T Trent Williams, meeting Corey Liuget to bring down QB Kirk Cousins for the half-sack…Played 36 defensive snaps…at Kansas City (Dec. 16): Appeared in the 75th game of his career, starting at DE and playing 61 snaps on defense…Posted seven tackles (six solo), two tackles for loss, a sack and a pass defensed, his first of the season…Registered his 10th sack of the season, running a stunt with Darius Philon in the first quarter to burst through the middle of the offensive line to bring down QB Alex Smith for an eight-yard loss…at New York Jets (Dec. 24): Posted four tackles (three solo) and a tackle for loss…Started at DE and played 58 snaps on defense…vs. Oakland (Dec. 31): Saw action on all 54 defensive plays after opening the game at DE…Finished with five tackles (two solo) and a half-sack…Sped past T David Sharpe around the edge, meeting Darius Philon in the backfield to split a sack of QB Derek Carr.
2016: Started all 16 games for the second-straight year…Totaled 66 tackles (45 solo), eight sacks and 13 tackles for loss…Added four passes defensed and four forced fumbles…vs. Jacksonville (Sept. 18): Posted a then-career-high two sacks, including a sack-fumble that was recovered by DT Corey Liuget…vs. New Orleans (Oct. 2): Recorded a 10-yard sack on third-and-nine to force the Saints to punt from their own two-yard line…at Atlanta (Oct. 23): Registered a seven-yard sack at the end of the first half…Teamed up with DE Tenny Palepoi for a key, two-yard tackle for loss in overtime that led to a turnover on downs three plays later…Tied a career high with 10 tackles…at Denver (Oct. 30): Posted a nine-yard sack late in the second quarter of QB Trevor Siemian as DE Joey Bosa forced a fumble on play, which was recovered by Tenny Palepoi...vs. Miami (Nov. 13): Posted a nine-yard strip-sack of QB Ryan Tannehill on third-and-five to force a punt on the Dolphins’ opening possession…vs. Oakland (Dec. 18): Posted a seven-yard sack in the fourth quarter on third-and-eight to force a field goal attempt…Forced a fumble by RB Latavius Murray in the red zone in the first quarter that was recovered by OLB Kyle Emanuel…Forced two Murray fumbles on the day…at Cleveland (Dec. 24): Forced a fourth quarter three-and-out with a 10-yard sack on third-and-eight.
2015: Started all 16 games for the first time in his career, setting career highs with 76 tackles (65 solo) and 10.5 sacks…Added 19 tackles for loss, five passes defensed, four forced fumbles and a recovery…Posted at least one sack in five-straight games to close out the season…vs. Detroit (Sept. 13): Pressured QB Matt Stafford to throw under duress, resulting in an INT by OLB Kyle Emanuel…vs. Cleveland (Oct. 4): Posted the first multi-sack game of his career…Finished with 1.5 sacks, a team-high three tackles for loss, a forced fumble and a recovery…Split an eight-yard sack of QB Josh McCown with S Eric Weddle in the first quarter, stripping the ball free from McCown before recovering it…at Baltimore (Nov. 1): Posted the second multi-sack game of his career, finishing with 1.5 sacks…Registered pressures on three-straight plays midway through the third quarter to force a punt…vs. Chicago (Nov. 9): Forced a fumble and recorded a sack…vs. Miami (Dec. 20): Registered a then-career-high 2.5 sacks…Posted a 10-yard sack and forced a fumble by QB Ryan Tannehill on Miami’s final possession of the first half…Shared an 11-yard sack on third-and-nine to force a punt…at Denver (Jan. 3): Registered a sack to bring his season total to a career-high 10.5…In the first half, hit QB Brock Osweiler’s arm while attempting to pass, resulting in an INT by S Adrian Phillips.
2014: Started all nine games that he played in, missing seven games with a hip injury…Placed on injured reserve with designation to return with a hip injury on Sept. 20…Activated on Nov. 15…Registered 40 tackles (25 solo), four sacks, seven tackles for loss and two forced fumbles…Posted his first back-to-back games with sacks…vs. Seattle (Sept. 14): Recorded a three-yard tackle for loss, a nine-yard sack and a forced fumble…Departed with a hip injury and did not return…vs. Oakland (Nov. 16): Started at OLB in his return from injured reserve with designation to return…vs. New England (Dec. 7): Lead the team with a season-high 10 tackles, including a seven-yard sack and three tackles for loss…vs. Denver (Dec. 14): Posted his second sack in as many weeks for his first back-to-back performances with a sack…Added a forced fumble…at Kansas City (Dec. 28): Recorded an eight-yard sack.
2013: Suffered a knee injury early in the offseason and began the season on the Physically Unable to Perform list before returning Dec. 8…Finished the season with 13 tackles (five solo), a sack, two tackles for loss and a forced fumble in four games played (one start)…Started both postseason contests, registering six tackles (two solo) and an INT that he returned three yards for his first NFL pick…vs. N.Y. Giants (Dec. 8): Returned from a knee injury to make his season debut…vs. Oakland (Dec. 22): Posted a sack and a forced fumble in his first start of the season…at Cincinnati (AFC Wild Card, Jan. 5): Posted his first career INT and assisted on three tackles in the first playoff game and start of his career.
2012: Appeared in all 16 games with two starts…Registered 29 tackles (18 solo) and a six-yard sack…Added five tackles for loss, five passes defensed and two forced fumbles…Recorded 12 special teams tackles…at Oakland (Sept. 10): Made his NFL debut…Forced a fumble on the first defensive series…Recovered an onside kick late in the fourth quarter to seal the 22-14 victory…at Denver (Nov. 18): Made the first start of his career…vs. Oakland (Dec. 30): Led the team with a season-high four special teams tackles.
COLLEGE: Played four seasons (2007, ’09-11) at South Carolina while redshirting in 2008 due to foot surgery…Totaled 109 tackles, 21.5 sacks, 30.5 tackles for loss and two INTs…Ranked fourth in school history in career sacks and fifth in career tackles for loss…Named first-team All-America as a senior, the third consensus All-American in school history and the first since 1984…Earned first-team All-Southeastern Conference and was a three-time SEC Player of the Week as a senior…Tied a single-season school record in 2011 with 10 sacks, ranking third in the conference and 13th in the nation…His 15 tackles for loss as a senior were the third-most in a single season in school history and ranked fifth in the SEC…Ranked third in the SEC with a team-high nine sacks as a junior.
PERSONAL: Given name Melvin Ingram III…Nicknames are ‘SupaMelvin’ and ‘Supamel’…Born in Rockingham, N.C. …Son, Prince, was born in 2015…Authored a song, ‘Pops,’ as an up-and-coming rap musician that is a tribute to his late father, George Melvin Ingram Jr. …Left a math class to go to the gym and broke his high school’s hang-clean record while in street clothes with a 380-pound rep…Launched ‘Mission Possible’ in 2015, a non-profit foundation that provides inner-city and low-income youth with educational opportunities and resources…Filmed a public service announcement to combat domestic violence in 2015 with professional skateboarder Tony Hawk and BMX Champion Alise Post…Earned a degree in African-American studies from South Carolina…High School: Earned All-Conference and All-Region recognition as a senior at Richmond County High in Rockingham, N.C. …Finished his senior year with 87 tackles and 2.5 sacks…Rated a four-star prospect by Rivals.com…Played in the Shrine Bowl game, returning a fumble for a TD…Started at point guard for the basketball team for three years.
CAREER NFL TRANSACTIONS:
2012 Selected by San Diego Chargers in the first round (18th overall) of NFL Draft, April 26…Signed rookie contract, May 11.
2013 Placed on Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform (knee), Aug. 26…Activated from Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform, Dec. 13.
2014 Placed on Reserve/Injured; Designated for Return (hip), Sept. 20…Activated from Reserve/Injured; Designated for Return, Nov. 15.
2015 Had fifth-year team option exercised on rookie contract by Chargers, April 8.
2017 Designated franchise player (non-exclusive) by Los Angeles Chargers, Feb. 27…Signed contract extension, June 11.
