RB Ryan Mathews had a busy first day on the job.
The running back, selected 12th overall by the San Diego Chargers in the NFL draft, was the focal point of the team's rookie orientation, which started Friday and includes four sessions through Saturday afternoon.
Mathews was already the workhorse the Chargers expect him to be during the regular season, their first without LaDainian Tomlinson since 2000. He took a lot of reps during his first official practice as a Charger, and admits that everything didn't come easy.
"I knew it was going to be fast paced and I knew there was going to be a lot of reps and mental work," Mathews said. "It's hard work and it's going to take some getting used to, but it's all part of the process. I'm going to take as much as I can from these sessions and use it to prepare for minicamp and the rest of the offseason."
When a team in need of a running back trades up to get you at number-12 in the first round, you're going to play. And, it seems the Chargers aren't hiding the fact he's going to have a huge part in their offense this season. Fantasy-wise, that makes Mathews a very interesting potential draft pick this summer. He won't crack the top-10 RBs coming into the season, maybe not even top-15, but he's one of those guys you may take a round or two early based on his huge potential.
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