Melvin Ingram III (born April 26, 1989) is an American football outside linebacker for the Miami Dolphins of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at South Carolina, and earned All-American honors. He was selected by the San Diego Chargers in the first round with the 18th overall pick of the 2012 NFL Draft. He has also played for the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Kansas City Chiefs. Early years Ingram was born and raised in Hamlet, North Carolina. He attended Richmond Senior High School in Rockingham, North Carolina. As a senior linebacker, he recorded 87 tackles and 2.5 sacks. College career Ingram attended the University of South Carolina, where he played for coach Steve Spurrier's South Carolina Gamecocks football team from 2007 to 2011. He played linebacker for the Gamecocks before switching to defensive end. As a junior in 2010, he led the team with nine sacks. In 2011, Ingram registered 10 sacks, 15 tackles for loss, and two interceptions. He also scored three touchdowns. Two of his touchdowns came against Georgia in a 45–42 victory in Athens, including a 68-yard fake-punt for a touchdown. Ingram's strong senior campaign helped propel the Gamecocks defense to a final #4 national poll ranking, and he was a first-team All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) selection, and was recognized as a consensus All-American. Professional career San Diego / Los Angeles Chargers Ingram was selected by the San Diego Chargers with the 18th overall pick in the 1st round of the 2012 NFL Draft. In his rookie campaign, Ingram racked up 18 quarterback pressures, tied for second-most on the squad, along with 12 special teams tackles, which tied for the team lead. He played in all 16 games, with two starts. On May 14, 2013, Ingram tore his anterior cruciate ligament during the Chargers' organized team activities and was expected to miss the entire 2013 season. On August 26, 2013, he was placed on the Reserve/Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list. On December 7, 2013, Ingram was activated off the PUP list prior to Week 14. In Week 16, Ingram sacked Raiders quarterback Matt McGloin while forcing a fumble. In the wild card game against the Cincinnati Bengals, Ingram picked off quarterback Andy Dalton for his first postseason interception. On October 4, 2015, Ingram strip-sacked Josh McCown and recovered the fumble. On February 27, 2017, the Chargers placed the franchise tag on Ingram. On June