We've beaten the drum for Ryan Mathews in the past only to be left holding broken drumsticks. He's never delivered LaDainian Tomlinson-like numbers, which is what many expected of him when he was drafted back in 2010. And it's been made clear that 2013 is his last chance to be the primary rusher for the Chargers -- coach Mike McCoy said as much.
But Mathews looks like he's trying to make this chance count, running quite effectively through a pair of preseason games. Mathews ran for 45 yards on nine carries at Chicago this week and rumbled for 19 yards on three carries against the Seahawks last week. It's a little frightening that most of Mathews' runs went between-the-tackles considering his collarbone issues last year, but he's fighting for yardage, a positive. In fact, of Mathews' 12 preseason carries, only three have gone for under four yards.
Mathews' draft average as of now is 62nd overall. While the Chargers might stink this year and Mathews isn't exactly a lock for 16 games and big stats, the value of picking there or even 10 picks sooner isn't so bad. I'm keeping an eye on him when he plays at Arizona in the third week of the preseason.