Wisconsin's Melvin Gordon has received comparisons to Jamaal Charles, Andre Ellington, Laurence Maroney and LeSean McCoy this season. Now comes an even bigger compliment.
Being compared to Tony Dorsett -- and by Gil Brandt, who was an executive with the Dallas Cowboys when they drafted Dorsett No. 2 overall in 1977 -- obviously is a big deal. Dorsett rushed for 12,739 yards and 77 touchdowns in a 12-year NFL career, and was inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in 1994.
Dorsett, whose official size is listed at 5-foot-11 and 192 pounds on NFL.com, rushed for 6,082 yards in four seasons at Pitt and won the Heisman as a senior in 1976, when he helped the Panthers win the national title.
Gordon (6-1, 213), a junior, leads the nation in rushing and is on a pace to set the FBS single-season record held by Barry Sanders. He has rushed for 4,237 yards in his career and has at least three games left this season and potentially four (if the Badgers get to the Big Ten championship game). Running backs are valued differently in the draft now than they were in Dorsett's day, but Gordon obviously is receiving high marks from NFL executives and scouts.
Mike Huguenin can be reached at mike.huguenin@nfl.com. You also can follow him on Twitter @MikeHuguenin.