Trent Richardson

choco

@the-gipper said:

Don't you read any of the threads I have put on here? A High pick RB is less of a risk than a high pick QB.

with all due respect, likelihood of drafting a HOFer may not be the best metric for determining when to draft a position. i cant fathom lower rounds turning out HOFers at any position more often than 1sts.....

a HOFer would be nice, but we just need players. success and a HOF career are not mutually exclusive.

The Gipper

@choco said:

with all due respect, likelihood of drafting a HOFer may not be the best metric for determining when to draft a position. i cant fathom lower rounds turning out HOFers at any position more often than 1sts.....

a HOFer would be nice, but we just need players. success and a HOF career are not mutually exclusive.

Again, to me, the big question is the "Bust" factor vs. the success factor when you are drafting that high. Here are the RBs taken in the Top 10 picks of the draft for the past 20 years:

1 2010 1 9 C.J. Spiller RB BUF 2010 2011 0 0 1 4 30 181 844 4 63 426 3 Clemson

2 2008 1 4 Darren McFadden RB OAK 2008 2011 0 0 1 20 45 553 2627 16 116 1191 4 Arkansas

3 2007 1 7 Adrian Peterson RB MIN 2007 2011 2 4 5 47 73 1406 6752 64 137 1309 3 Oklahoma

4 2006 1 2 Reggie Bush RB NOR 2006 2011 0 0 5 35 75 740 3176 23 337 2438 13 USC

5 2005 1 2 Ronnie Brown RB MIA 2005 2011 0 1 6 36 92 1170 4951 37 184 1491 2 Auburn

6 2005 1 4 Cedric Benson RB CHI 2005 2011 0 0 5 28 91 1529 5769 31 106 736 1 Texas

7 2005 1 5 Cadillac Williams RB TAM 2005 2011 0 0 4 26 82 1055 4038 21 148 1002 4 Auburn

8 2001 1 5 LaDainian Tomlinson RB SDG 2001 2011 3 5 10 124 170 3174 13684 145 624 4772 17 TCU

9 2000 1 5 Jamal Lewis RB BAL 2000 2009 1 1 9 70 131 2542 10607 58 221 1879 4 Tennessee

10 2000 1 7 Thomas Jones RB ARI 2000 2011 0 1 8 62 180 2678 10591 68 308 2023 3 Virginia

11 1999 1 4 Edgerrin James RB IND 1999 2009 1 4 9 114 148 3028 12246 80 433 3364 11 Miami (FL)

12 1999 1 5 Ricky Williams RB NOR 1999 2011 1 1 5 74 147 2431 10009 66 342 2606 8 Texas

13 1998 1 5 Curtis Enis RB CHI 1998 2000 0 0 2 10 36 456 1497 4 59 428 2 Penn St.

14 1998 1 9 Fred Taylor RB JAX 1998 2010 0 1 9 88 153 2534 11695 66 290 2384 8 Florida

15 1996 1 6 Lawrence Phillips RB STL 1996 1999 0 0 2 15 35 424 1453 14 34 219 1 Nebraska

16 1996 1 8 Tim Biakabutuka RB CAR 1996 2001 0 0 2 26 50 611 2530 14 77 789 3 Michigan

17 1995 1 1 Ki-Jana Carter RB CIN 1996 2004 0 0 0 12 59 319 1144 20 66 469 1 Penn St.

18 1994 1 2 Marshall Faulk HOF RB IND 1994 2005 3 7 11 133 176 2836 12279 100 767 6875 36 San Diego St.

19 1993 1 3 Garrison Hearst RB PHO 1993 2004 0 2 7 71 126 1831 7966 30 229 2065 9 Georgia

20 1993 1 10 Jerome Bettis RB RAM 1993 2005 2 6 12 79 192 3479 13662 91 200 1449 3 Notre Dame

21 1992 1 9 Tommy Vardell RB CLE 1992 1999 0 0 4

Now, there are a few busts in there...stay away from Penn St. RBs, but the fact is that most of these guys had pretty outstanding careers...so the success rate amongst RBs taken that high seems to be good.....better than for QBs.

Unsympathetic

At 4: The choice now is Blackmon or Claiborne. Richardson shouldn't be a part of it - I'd trade a 3rd for Tate in a heartbeat.

At 22:

a If they don't get Winston from Houston in FA: Mike Adams.

b If they don't get Blackmon or Winston: Stephen Hill [Wright ran a 4.65]

At 37: Minnifield

Harry Buffalo

If there is no trade with Tate, expect Richardson to be the pick.

bringbackbrownie2

@harry-buffalo said:

If there is no trade with Tate, expect Richardson to be the pick.

I still don't buy this. Heckert has never spent a 1st round pick on a RB. We will draft one in the 2nd or 3rd round.

Harry Buffalo

There is a first time for everything.

Canton Mike

There will be solid WRs at 22 & even 37 (plus don't overlook Fleener, TE from Stanford-I really like him), but there is only ONE back like Richardson. I still think we can trade down to 6 & get him. If you want a slam dunk offensive playmaker from what's left on the board, the safest bet is Richardson.

Mike

brownfish

@canton-mike said:

There will be solid WRs at 22 & even 37 (plus don't overlook Fleener, TE from Stanford-I really like him), but there is only ONE back like Richardson. I still think we can trade down to 6 & get him. If you want a slam dunk offensive playmaker from what's left on the board, the safest bet is Richardson.

Mike

i agree but solid like momass, robiskie?

little, norwood, cribbs, mitchell FLOYD, STREETER or WRIGHT, MCNUTT (if we are lucky)

it's amazing how slow norwood ran at his proday and combine 4.57 but yet is our best slot guy

i'm hoping we can get tolbert, clayton and ginn some cheap office semi-talent

Harry Buffalo

@brownfish said:

i agree but solid like momass, robiskie?

little, norwood, cribbs, mitchell FLOYD, STREETER or WRIGHT, MCNUTT (if we are lucky)

it's amazing how slow norwood ran at his proday and combine 4.57 but yet is our best slot guy

i'm hoping we can get tolbert, clayton and ginn some cheap office semi-talent

Game speed vs running speed. He is much faster in a game and he is quick as all get out which is the most important thing. Welker doesn't run faster than a 4.5 and is more around a 4.6 but is a great slot guy.

cambridgeho

Trent put up better numbers then mark did the year before and mark won the Heisman. Rg3 threw against the worst d's in the leauge and he will have cost a team 2 many picks, and all if this in a goddamn hunch. Is trent worth a 4th pick probably not , but what is he worth to this team. He will go to a fn pats team and be a damn beast or better yet to cincy and run on us all year. Like it or not rb has become our biggest need.

brownfish

We will need a RB bad at 4 or 6 or 22...our current 3 Chris, Montario and Brandon had a combined ONE TOUCHDOWN last year....I thought H&H was concentrating on the running game? If we can get Winston signed maybe we can attract tolbert or bush

PoeticG

Richardson is an absolute monster! He's a little shorter but you'd ideally like your runningback to be a bit smaller, however he's built like a tank! The dudes muscles have muscles on them... it's crazy. I can't believe Hillis punked out on us and went to KC... wow. At least we'll have a guy that is Fresh in the league and will be a Brown from the get go.. that's how I like my Browns anyway. I really hope he beasts it out here and retires a Brown after 10 or 12 years and 10 probowls to go along with our 7 superbowl rings and the 15,000+ yards... here's to the future- T1000 terminating the competition! Beast-Mode!

Tim Couch Pulls Out

@poeticg said:

Richardson is an absolute monster! He's a little shorter but you'd ideally like your runningback to be a bit smaller, however he's built like a tank! The dudes muscles have muscles on them... it's crazy. I can't believe Hillis punked out on us and went to KC... wow. At least we'll have a guy that is Fresh in the league and will be a Brown from the get go.. that's how I like my Browns anyway. I really hope he beasts it out here and retires a Brown after 10 or 12 years and 10 probowls to go along with our 7 superbowl rings and the 15,000+ yards... here's to the future- T1000 terminating the competition! Beast-Mode!

He won't be a Brown. He won't be in the league 10 years and he won't have one Pro Bowl, much less 10.

This is just ridiculous.

hoorta

@poeticg said:

Richardson is an absolute monster! He's a little shorter but you'd ideally like your runningback to be a bit smaller, however he's built like a tank! The dudes muscles have muscles on them... it's crazy. I can't believe Hillis punked out on us and went to KC... wow. At least we'll have a guy that is Fresh in the league and will be a Brown from the get go.. that's how I like my Browns anyway. I really hope he beasts it out here and retires a Brown after 10 or 12 years and 10 probowls to go along with our 7 superbowl rings and the 15,000+ yards... here's to the future- T1000 terminating the competition! Beast-Mode!

Great- he can bench 365. Too bad football rules won't let him pick up a 185 pound cornerback with one hand, and toss him into the cheap seats.

I'll admit with Hillis hitting the road the odds of the Browns actually drafting this guy went up slightly.

Michael Bush is a better option, and he won't cost us the #4 pick that we could use on Blackmon or Claiborne.

choco

@poeticg said:

with our 7 superbowl rings and the 15,000+ yards... here's to the future- T1000 terminating the competition! Beast-Mode!

this pie-in-the-sky BS....ugh. care to revisit reality for a minute? you keep emphasizing points that have been repeatedly pointed out as side notes to the position....as in strength, while nice...is not a requisite for a good running back, and certainly not features that will make him elite. rather, these are traits sought in trench players and linebackers to a lesser extent.

why do you keep harping on how much he can bench, like it really matters? are these the things he needs to elevate his status to anything less than a reach at #4? seriously, hillis pulls fucking trucks around to train....so no one cares how much the kid can bench, its not something that will make him be elite. try to understand that before continually posting the same irrelevant bullshit.

thanks.

Shock n Awe

I think Richardson is great fit for Browns. Richardson is quite possibly the best running back prospect since Adrain Peterson in 2007; in whom the Browns passed over. They won't do that again. When you watch him on film it is surprising how good he is in open field. Good clip showcasing that:

Tour2ma

As I posted elsewhere I was worried about TR injury-wise before he went weight training crazy. Now he looks to me like a series of muscle pulls waiting to happen.

With Arian Foster back under contract in Houston, I agree that Michael Bush is interesting. And I still like A&M's Gray 4th-roundish...

Some scuttlebutt around H&H interest in the other Texan RB, Tate, and he did look good in '11, but have to beware of Houston's zone blocking schemes creating RB mirages... ala Shanahan's Broncos.

hoorta

@shock-n-awe said:

I think Richardson is great fit for Browns. Richardson is quite possibly the best running back prospect since Adrain Peterson in 2007; in whom the Browns passed over. They won't do that again. When you watch him on film it is surprising how good he is in open field. Good clip showcasing that:

Yes, I've noticed Richardson has nice field vision. I also noticed him get caught from behind on a couple plays- that will happen much more frequently in the pros.

Best since Peterson? How many games did Peterson help the Vikes win before he got hurt? I believe they're drafting before the Browns. Jones-Drew fared little better for the Jags- and he led the NFL in rushing.

It's been said before- the NFL has morphed into a passing league. The two Super Bowl teams, plus the regular season champ Packers had diddely-doo at running back.

PoeticG

Link: http://insider.espn.go.com/blog/colleges/alabama/post?id=1685&_slug_=pro-day-no-2-could-solidify-draft-standing&action=login&appRedirect=http%3a%2f%2finsider.espn.go.com%2fblog%2fcolleges%2falabama%2fpost%3fid%3d1685%26_slug_%3dpro-day-no-2-could-solidify-draft-standing

Pro day No. 2 could solidify draft standing

March, 28, 2012

10:42

By Alex Scarborough

Kim Klement/US PresswireTrent Richardson will participate in Alabama's pro day on Thursday in Tuscaloosa.

TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- As if one pro day wasn’t enough, the University of Alabama is going for No. 2. On Thursday morning, Trent Richardson, Courtney Upshaw and Mark Barron will work out for NFL personnel in an attempt to improve, or in the case of Richardson, maintain their draft stock.

NFL general managers and scouts will keep a close eye on how Barron and Richardson have recovered from surgeries that have limited their post-college workouts. Barron missed the NFL scouting combine while recovering from a double hernia injury. Richardson made the trip to Indianapolis for the combine, but did not work out, attempting to get back to 100 percent following a knee surgery after the season.

Upshaw will have some work to do in his workouts. The 6-foot-2, 265-pound linebacker experienced a slight dip in interest following a less-than-stellar showing at the NFL combine, where he did not participate in the 40-yard dash. Upshaw’s game film sells a first-round grade, but if he can show the scouts and general managers he can deliver those coveted measurables on Thursday, it could go a long way in solidifying a first-round grade and potentially slide him up in the draft. Upshaw told TideNation on Wednesday that he will participate in every drill but the bench press.

The player with arguably the most to lose is Richardson. Interest in the Heisman Trophy finalist has held steady since he announced his intention to turn pro. The Florida native is viewed as the top running back in the draft, but where he goes in the first round is in question. In recent years, running backs have been devalued, selected lower in the first round as questions of durability haunt the position and the emergence of two-back systems have become the norm in the league.

Richardson’s former teammate, Mark Ingram, was selected No. 28 overall in last year’s draft. No running back has been taken higher than No. 9 in the past three drafts. From 2005-08, five running backs were taken in the top five picks.

Barron’s standing in the draft shouldn’t nosedive even if he turns in an underwhelming performance on the Tuscaloosa campus. Recovering from a double hernia surgery is a process that takes time, and scouts are going to lean more on Barron’s game film than anything else. The Mobile, Ala., native will be fighting the trend if he does go in the first round as ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper Jr. projects. Only three safeties have been selected in the first round in the past four years, one being the final pick in the first round in 2008.

Tags:

Mark Barron, Trent Richardson, Courtney Upshaw

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So tomorrow is Alabama's second pro day, where we will get a better look at first round prospects Trent Richardson, Courtney Upshaw and Mark Barron. I feel that all three guys could help out the Browns. I would like to say that I am not a fan of any college team so I hold no "favoritism or homerism" toward Alabama, Ohio State or Michigan. I don't watch college football until around draft time and then I do a lot of research and view a lot of gamefilm. I watch games via Xbox live's ESPN App which gives you full games minus the commercials. I also read numerous articles and reports by draft scouts, utilize youtube and pay close attention to the NFL combine and various NFL prodays.

WARNING-CONTENT ADVISORY

This is the official Trent Richardson Thread so in this thread you can expect for hear a lot about said player. I will try and avoid posting subject matter concerning Trent Richardson in other threads so as not a annoy posters that don't want to see his name. If you don't want to talk about TR then I would suggest not coming into this thread.

That said, I would like to talk a little about Trent Richardson here. I feel like Trent Richardson is a component that can turn our franchise around, he has all the tools that you look for in a franchise player. He has a great work ethic, he stays out of trouble, he has heart and determination, he's strong, fast, elusive and reliable. There are not many players that you can say all that about... I'm sure I've also missed a few descriptive words as well. He is a GREAT RUNNER, he does a good job receiving and he has tremendous added value in that he is an excellent blocker in pass protection.

Should Trent bomb his Proday tomorrow then I will eat some serious crow...raw, I know. However, I don't think that I will have to because I really believe in this kid, I can see how much he wants this. He is so hungry that where as many guys would be content with where he is, Trent continues to work extremely hard and continues to improve his game and works to be a better player constantly. I feel that if Trent comes out tomorrow and records a 40 time of 4.4 or lower then there should be NO DOUBT in anyones mind that he would be worth the #4 overall selection...

Cleveland Browns Football is known historically as bringing the best backs and having that persona. We DO NOT have that right now with Hardesty, Jackson, and Oobleck. Trent would bring back that identity for us. He would be the back that we all thought that we had in Hillis... but Hillis does not compare to Richardson at all. Hillis never had the kind of potential that Richardson does. Some may say that it is now a passing league or that runningbacks are not valued as high as they once were. To that I do not agree. Yes, there is much more passing going on these days but exactly why we need to have a back like Richardson. Why, you ask? It's because as defenses gear more toward the pass they typically will not be as well suited when having to face off against an ELITE type of runningback. Also, we all watched the Browns last year... The pass didn't kill us(except when maybe throwing at Sheldon Brown), it was the RUN that really dominated us!

I've done a lot of research on Trent Richardson and the one player that I think he compares to most would be Emmit Smith in his prime, IN HIS PRIME! I think that Richardson is faster and more elusive maybe even stronger than Emmit Smith was. I know it's a big order I'm serving but just look at the similarities...

Emmit Smith is 5'9, 216 pounds... Trent Richardson is 5'9, 228 pounds. They both have Florida ties and have similar running styles. Emmit Smith played in the NFL for 15 seasons!... IN A TIME WHEN MANY SAY IT WAS MORE OF A RUNNING LEAGUE! Could Trent have the longevity to play at that level for that amount of time? Only time will tell but I think that it's clear that he certainly has that potential within him. Emmit Smith was selected by the Cowboys in 1990 with the 17th pick overall...

"Aha!" you'd say, "you don't pick a runningback at 4, the Cowboys waited until #17 and got a HOFer!" That is not to say that there are 16 teams that wished they would have taken Emmit Smith before the Cowboys did, if they could redo that draft I would bet my bottom dollar that he'd go #1 overall. Who went #1 that year? - QB Jeff George who went on to play for 8 different teams including the Raiders twice. If the Colts were to redo this I'm sure Emmit would have been the #1 instead. "Still, they nobody picked a RB until 17"... wrong, The New York Jets selected Blair Thomas at #2 overall, he played 4 seasons with them but was mostly a disappointment...

Okay, but Smith was never injured or simply he was in a running offense designed to help the runningbacks succeed. Wrong again, Smith started the 1988 season strong until injuring his knee against Memphis State. The Gators, who had reeled off a 5–0 record with Smith in the backfield, lost the game in which he was injured and then the next three as well while Smith was unable to play. Upon returning, he almost reached 1,000 yards on the season, finishing with 988 yards. Yes, he was in a runningback friendly offense but this fact remains, they were 5-0 with Smith running and then once he was injured they lost that game and the next three... There is no substitute for an Elite back. You can't just plug in Oggey Boogey and expect the same results that an Emmit Smith or a Trent Richardson will give you. They are game changers and that is why they are Elite Runningbacks.

Cleveland has the chance here to draft a game changer. He will be deadly in the running game and take advantage of defenses designed to stop the pass, he will contribute as much as any WR on our team as a receiver out of the backfield(Which the WCO is known), he will also provide added pass protection for Colt McCoy- when they send extra rushers Trent will advert many would be QB sacks and pressures. He also adds another dynamic to the offense that defense will have to prepare for. There is no substitute for having an Elite Runningback. Cleveland has been down a long time... Richardson is the piece we need to raise our game to the next level.

PoeticG

Bill Vilona: Walker rooting for Richardson in NFL

11:00 PM, Mar. 28, 2012

Written by

Bill Vilona

Filed Under

Sports

Trent Richardson

Eglin Air Force Base

Herschel Walker jokes that he's advised and touted Trent Richardson enough to blur the lines of loyalty.

"It's funny. I think I have raised more money for the University of Alabama than I have Georgia these last three years," said Walker, 50, one of football's greatest all-time running backs, during his visit last week with members of the U.S. Air Force at Eglin Air Force Base. "I think a lot of Trent Richardson. I have had the opportunity to spend a lot of time with him.

"I think he will do very, very well in the NFL, because he is very motivated. He takes care of himself. He knows what he has to do and he's doing what it takes to be a winner."

Today is the most important day in Richardson's projected path of stardom in the NFL.

The Pensacola native and Escambia High graduate takes center stage, along with former Crimson Tide defensive stars Mark Barron and Courtney Upshaw, at a specially-arranged pro day at Alabama's football facilities. How big is this? Big enough for the workout to be live-streamed on ESPN3.com at 10 a.m.

Upshaw, a standout outside linebacker, is viewed with Richardson as a first-round lock in the NFL Draft, which starts on April 26 in New York City. Barron, a strong safety, is a possibility, too.

But all eyes will be on Richardson, who has stayed out of the spotlight while training at the Athletes' Performance facility in Phoenix. This will be his test to show he's fully recovered from minor knee surgery.

If he wows during the workout, it most likely seals him becoming a top-five pick. The likely choices right now are either the Cleveland Browns at No. 4 or Tampa Bay at No. 5. The Minnesota Vikings, who have the third pick, have Adrian Peterson — albeit a veteran guy coming off major surgery — in their backfield.

Either way, Richardson is poised to become the highest NFL draft pick from Pensacola. As hard as this is to believe now, Emmitt Smith, the fellow Escambia grad and all-time NFL rushing king, was drafted 17th overall in the 1990 NFL Draft. Derrick Brooks, the Washington High grad, who will soon join Smith in the Pro Football Hall of Fame, was No. 28 overall in 1995.

"As you get ready for the draft, you just have to continue to believe that you can do it," said Walker, who played 13 NFL seasons, after he spurned the NFL for a mega-million dollar contract in New Jersey with the defunct United States Football League for his first three pro years.

"Football is still all about running, tackling, hitting. That is what Trent has to remember. I think I told him that at the college football awards (in December).

"I told him, 'Be yourself, continue to work the way you are working.' And you can see it. The guy is in amazing shape when you see him."

Everyone will be watching today.

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Good luck Trent Richardson, I hope you impress our FO today and make up their minds for them. This is the moment we've all been waiting for...