2012 NFL Mock Draft: Making the Case for Trent Richardson to Kansas City Chiefs

At this very juncture of NFL history, there no more denying that the game of professional football has become as quarterback-centered as it ever has been. I even wrote on Monday about how the running game in the NFL has all but died.

The theory goes, that even if you have a dominant running game, winning Super Bowls requires a quarterback that can take complete control of a football game at any time with his arm. If a team doesn't have a quarterback that is either already considered elite or closing in on the title, it's going to be very difficult to even reach a Super Bowl.

While I'll stand behind that opinion with conviction, I'm also going to make the argument that the Kansas City Chiefs would be absolutely foolish to let Alabama running back Trent Richardson—the 2012 draft's top player at that position—slip past their pick if the opportunity presented itself at No. 11 overall.

Why? There's a couple of good reasons. 

For one, the Chiefs aren't starting over at quarterback. For better or worse, Matt Cassel will step back into the starting role Week 1 of next season. I'm far from convinced Cassel fits anything close to the criteria laid out for a Super Bowl winner in this era, but his security in Kansas City is reality. 

And if that is indeed the case, the Chiefs need to look back one season in order to draw out a blueprint for returning to the playoffs.

In 2010, the Chiefs led the NFL in rushing with almost 2,700 yards. Kansas City ran the football a league-high 556 times, which was almost 50 more than the second-highest team. A surprise team, Kansas City won 10 games and hosted a playoff game.

Things changed in a hurry in 2011. 

After losing Jamaal Charles in Week 2 of this season with a torn ACL, the Chiefs' running game plummeted to No. 15 in the NFL. The yards dropped by almost 800, the carries fell to 487 and the rushing average of 3.9 yards ranked the Chiefs 28th in the NFL.

Getting Charles back in 2012 will help, but you can never bank on a guy that relied on his lateral quickness to be the same player after ACL surgery. And while it's not the same devastating, career-ending injury it used to be, expecting Charles to be his 2010 self is playing with fire.

This is where Richardson enters to make a difference. Back in 2010, the Chiefs actually gave more rushing attempts to backup Thomas Jones, who gained almost 900 yards on 245 carries. Charles gained over 1,450 yards on just 230 carries.

Why couldn't the Chiefs get right back to 2010 rushing status if they added Richardson and let Charles ease his way back? Richardson is a far superior back to Jones but gives the same kind of pace change.

In a still watered-down AFC West, one impact pick like Richardson could make the difference between a six-win season and a playoff berth. 

The Chiefs certainly have other needs for this April, and you wouldn't be able to fault the front office for taking some of the focus off the running game in this evolving era of football.

But in the end, the Chiefs had an offense in 2010 that next year's team could absolutely replicate if they added Richardson. It might be worth the risk if Richardson is available at No. 11.

2012 NFL Mock Draft    

1.  Indianapolis Colts – Andrew Luck, QB, Stanford

2.  St. Louis Rams – Justin Blackmon, WR, Oklahoma State

3.  Minnesota Vikings – Matt Kalil, OT, USC

4.  Cleveland Browns – Robert Griffin III, QB, Baylor

5.  Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Morris Claiborne, CB, LSU

6.  Washington Redskins – Jonathan Martin, OT, Stanford

7.  Jacksonville Jaguars – Alshon Jeffery, WR, South Carolina

8.  Carolina Panthers – Quinton Coples, DE, North Carolina

9.  Miami Dolphins – Riley Reiff, OT, Iowa

10.  Buffalo Bills – Courtney Upshaw, OLB, Alabama

11.  Kansas City Chiefs – Trent Richardson, RB, Alabama

12.  Seattle Seahawks – Michael Brockers, DT, LSU

13.  Arizona Cardinals – Melvin Ingram, DE/OLB, South Carolina

14.  Dallas Cowboys – Dre Kirkpatrick, CB, Alabama

15.  Philadelphia Eagles – Luke Kuechly, LB, Boston College

16.  New York Jets – Nick Perry, LB, USC

17.  Cincinnati Bengals – Janoris Jenkins, CB, North Alabama

18.  San Diego Chargers – David DeCastro, OG, Stanford

19.  Chicago Bears – Michael Floyd, WR, Notre Dame

20.  Tennessee Titans – Zach Brown, OLB, UNC

21.  Cincinnati Bengals – Lamar Miller, RB, Miami

22.  Cleveland Browns – Kendall Wright, WR, Baylor

23.  Detroit Lions – Alfonzo Dennard, CB, Nebraska

24.  Pittsburgh Steelers – Cordy Glenn, OL, Georgia

25.  Denver Broncos – Devon Still, DL, Penn State

26.  Houston Texans – Dontari Poe, NT, Memphis

27.  New England Patriots – Mark Barron, S, Alabama

28.  Green Bay Packers – Whitney Mercilus, DE/OLB, Illinois

29.  Baltimore Ravens – Vontaze Burfict, LB, Arizona State

30.  San Francisco 49ers – Mohamed Sanu, WR, Rutgers

31.  New England Patriots – Peter Konz, C, Wisconsin

32.  New York Giants – Dont'a Hightower, LB, Alabama