OLB Melvin Ingram grew up on the other side of the tracks, which gave him appreciation for what life offers, good and bad. "Coming from a tough neighborhood, nothing was easy," Ingram said. "I had one parent growing up and was less fortunate than some of the other kids, but I never felt sorry for myself. I felt like God put me in a difficult situation because he wanted me to learn something. He wanted me to grow and he wanted me to define the man I am today through hard work." He still answers reporters and new acquaintances with "yes ma'am' and "yes sir", "My mother wouldn't have it any other way," Ingram said.
Staying true to his wheeler-dealer reputation on draft days, general manager A.J. Smith traded up in the third round to secure strong safety Brandon Taylor. To move up five spots, Smith relinquished his third-round pick and a sixth-rounder to get Taylor. "We felt this was the next-best option for us," Smith said. "We added a strong player we believe in, at a spot that needs competition. We felt we could get him there and not much later, and we decided to be aggressive and go get him. We didn't want to fool around."
Smith said the team wanted to strike with defensive players early in the draft and it did just that. On the heels of getting Ingram, the team scored defensive tackle Kendall Reyes from Connecticut and Taylor from LSU. "We had a defensive game plan and an emphasis toward that side of the ball in this draft," Smith said. "That continued on the second day with a pair of players we believe can really help us."
QUOTE TO NOTE:
"Growing up, I wanted to be like Ray Lewis. He is passionate about this game and passionate about his job. He has an obsession for finding the football. I have that, too." - Chargers first-round pick OLB Melvin Ingram on what player he looked up to.
