Mr. Richardson comes to Cleveland
Alabama running back Trent Richardson is the guy, as the Cleveland Browns took him with the first of their two first-round picks in Thursday’s NFL Draft.
According to NFL.com, “Richardson is as compact and coiled an athlete as the position has seen since Adrian Peterson. Richardson is explosive, powerful and balanced. He is a heady and instinctual player who is patient enough to wait for blocks and quick enough to cut backfield to daylight. Richardson has a strong core that he uses to break arm tackles and get physical leverage under blitzers in pass protection. He is a true three-down back who can be effective on screens.”
“I’m going to be the dude that’s on the field on third-and-three or getting the ball on third-and-three or fourth-and-one. I’m a whole, complete back,” Richardson said at the NFL Scouting Combine. “Not to be cocky or anything, but I work on my game every day and even if it’s not doing physical stuff, I work in the classroom learning plays, learning formations, learning the defensive line and what the linebackers are doing, trying to see what the safety’s doing and if I can pick up my blitzes.”
In three years at Alabama, Richardson ran for 3,130 yards (fifth in school history) and 35 touchdowns on 540 carries. Last fall he rushed for 1,679 yards and 21 touchdowns on 283 carries.
“When it comes down to if you’re going to hit me or I’m going to hit you, nine times out of 10, I’m trying to hit you,” Richardson said. “I love contact. I love running the ball. I love having the ball in my hands on first and second down. When I can, I love putting a team on my back when we can’t throw the ball or it’s a rainy day or something like that. I just love that pressure. You’ve just got to love the game to do what we do.”
The Browns are now a better team than they were before the draft started (and they still haven’t made their second selection of the night).
Right now, that is all that matters.
Red Right 88 