NFL Draft 2012: 4 Reasons Trent Richardson Is a Better Pick Than Andrew Luck

Conventional wisdom would suggest that selecting Andrew Luck with the top pick in the 2012 NFL draft is without question the right decision.

Draft experts and analysts, including ESPN's Todd McShay and Mel Kiper, Jr., have pegged Luck as the best quarterback prospect in recent memory, right up there with future Hall-of-Famer Peyton Manning and current Hall-of-Famer John Elway.

With all of the hype Luck is receiving, other prospects, including Alabama's Trent Richardson, are seemingly vying to be selected 2nd in the draft, with little or no shot at being chosen ahead of the Stanford star.

In this article,we will examine four reasons as to why Richardson is not only worthy of more attention, but also worthy of being selected ahead of Andrew Luck.

That thought might sound crazy, right? Let's take a closer look at what makes Richardson the choice over Luck.

Richardson Plays a Position Where Top Prospects Have Been Hard to Come by

With more and more NFL teams opting to rotate running backs as opposed to utilizing a feature back, the need to select a running back prospect in the first round of the draft diminishes.

Trent Richardson defies this logic.

The former Crimson Tide tailback is far and away the top running back prospect we have seen in the last five years.

Standing at 5'11", 220 lbs, Richardson has the size to be an every-down back at the NFL level. Combine that with his quick burst of speed and his superior field vision and you have the makings of an elite level talent.

Some experts have noted that this rare blend of power, size and speed makes Richardson the best running back prospect to enter the league since Adrian Peterson in 2007.

Richardson's strength allows him to break tackles in the open field (49.7% of his 1,583 rushing yards in 2011 came after contact) and his speed let's him get to the outside quickly to beat defenders.

Richardson's size also allows him to develop into a solid pass blocker at the next level, even though he didn't have much experience in that department while at Alabama.

Make no mistake, Andrew Luck also possesses all the tools of a high level prospect. But, he plays a position where highly rated prospects tend to come around every one to two years. It's rare that such an elite talent comes around at the running back position, which makes Richardson such a hot commodity.

With a deep quarterback class waiting in the wings for the 2013 Draft including USC's Matt Barkley, Oklahoma's Landry Jones and Georgia's Aaron Murray, it may be in the best interest of the team selecting first in 2012 (likely Indianapolis) to add a surefire impact player like Richardson and wait a year on taking a quarterback.

Richardson Is Battle Tested Against Top Level Competition

Playing in the SEC, Richardson had the opportunity to go head to head against some of the nation's most stout defenses on a weekly basis.

In Richardson's first game against LSU's fifth ranked run defense, the junior amassed 169 total yards, 89 on the ground and 80 through the air. In the National Championship Game, Richardson tallied 96 rush yards and a touchdown.

While Richardson was doing battle against the SEC, Andrew Luck was facing off against defenses in the pass happy Pac-12. In fact, eight of Stanford's thirteen opponents in 2011 ranked 80th or worse in pass defense nationally (Arizona, Washington, Oklahoma State, USC, Colorado, Washington State, Oregon and Duke).

Obviously success against top level college defenses doesn't necessarily translate to success against top level NFL defenses, but it is reassuring that Richardson was able to thrive against some of the stiffest competition the NCAA had to offer.

As far as Luck is concerned, the fact that he got his numbers against inferior competition doesn't necessarily hurt him and his projection at the next level, but it certainly doesn't help him either.

The fact that Richardson has experience putting up big numbers against hard-nosed defenses is definitely a huge plus and it will certainly pay dividends when he takes the field next year against the likes of the 49ers or the Ravens.

Transition from College to NFL Is Easier for Running Backs Than Quarterbacks

According to ESPN NFL draft expert Mel Kiper, Jr, running back is the position that allows for the easiest transition between college and the NFL.

Other draft analysts agree with Kiper, suggesting that although the hits at the professional level are harder to take and the running lanes may close quicker, the holes still look the same and if you have good vision, you'll still be able to find them.

Any team selecting Richardson will be adding a player with easily the best vision and instincts in this draft class and maybe even in the last ten years.

Combine that with the fact that Richardson plays a position where transitions have a history of going relatively smoothly and you have yourself the makings of an instant superstar.

By contrast, quarterback is regarded as one of the most difficult positions to transition to in the NFL. Yes, Andrew Luck has experience calling his own plays while at Stanford, but in the NFL he will have to learn a convoluted playbook.

This may not be a problem for the architectural design major, but adjusting to the speed and aggression of the defensive schemes in the NFL is no easy task for anyone, even Luck.

There's no such thing as a sure thing in the NFL, but the chances are very high that a player of Richardson's caliber will excel, especially considering he plays running back, the "easiest" position to transition to at the next level.

The Team with the Top Pick Already Has a Franchise Quarterback

Peyton Manning, the top pick in the 1998 NFL draft, is still a member of the Indianapolis Colts. At age 35, the four-time NFL MVP isn't getting any younger, but the good news is that he has been medically cleared to resume his playing career after a neck injury that kept him from the field in 2011.

Yes, Peyton's most recent injury is a cause of concern for Indianapolis, but let's not forget Manning ran off 227 consecutive starts before experiencing complications with his neck surgery prior to the 2011 season, and has shown he can be durable over long stretches of time.

There's no doubt Manning still has at least a few more good years of football in him before calling it a career. Pairing Manning with a solid backfield mate such as Trent Richardson could result in a deadly combination for the Colts.

Although Joseph Addai produced for the Colts during the first two years of his career, he hasn't topped the 1,000 yard mark in a season since 2007. Donald Brown showed flashes of greatness last year, particularly against the Titans, but he hasn't yet lived up the his potential as the Colts' first round pick in 2009.

Richardson could come into Indianapolis and instantly make an impact as an every-down back. As mentioned previously, he owns all the tools of a prototypical NFL running back and he could easily rush for 1,000 plus yards in his rookie season.

A healthy Peyton Manning combined with a complete running back like Richardson could help restore glory to a once-proud franchise. Selecting Richardson won't help the Colts defensive deficiencies, but the offense could prove to be one of the more dynamic in the division.

The duo of Manning and Richardson provides a greater immediate upside than the trio of Luck and two middle-of-the-road backs in Addai and Brown.