NFL Combine 2012: Trent Richardson to Miss Combine with Knee Injury

When the running backs take the field Sunday at the 2012 NFL Scouting Combine, one face will be conspicuously absent, as Alabama running back and 2011 SEC Offensive Player of the Year Trent Richardson won't be participating in drills in Indianapolis due to recent arthroscopic surgery on his knee, according to a tweet from the NFL Network's Jason La Canfora:

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Alabama's Trent Richardson, the top RB in this draft, had minor knee scope three weeks ago, and won't do on-field drills at the combine...

— Jason La Canfora (@JasonLaCanfora) Feb. 22, 2012

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According to La Canfora's report, the 5'11", 224 lb. Richardson, who rushed for nearly 1,700 yards and 21 touchdowns in 2011, originally injured the knee in practice leading up to last month's BCS championship game, and a "minor" procedure was performed on his knee about three weeks ago.

Richardson is the consensus choice as the top ball-carrier available in the 2012 NFL Draft, and Bleacher Report NFL draft lead writer Matt Miller has the Crimson Tide star pegged as a Top 5 pick in his latest mock draft. But, this injury won't do anything to dispel the notion that drafting a running back that highly carries with it significant risk due to their relatively short shelf lives.

It's been four years since the Oakland Raiders selected running back Darren McFadden—who has had trouble staying healthy in the pros—with the fourth overall pick. If Trent Richardson is going to buck that trend, he had better hope that he and his knee are ready to put on a show at his "personal" pro day on March 27, or else more than likely, he'll drop from the Top 10 altogether.

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