Cleveland Browns Need to Draft RB Trent Richardson

Forget conventional wisdom about the draft—after all, a hefty dose of that conventional wisdom helped get the Cleveland Browns in the situation they've been mired in—there's nothing wrong with taking a running back in the first round.

There's nothing wrong about taking a running back in the top 5, either. Not when that running back is Trent Richardson, and not when that team is the Browns.

It's high-risk, to be sure, but any player drafted in the top half of the first round is just as risky. It's a lot of eggs in a basket that has yet to take the professional field.

I'm not saying to entirely kill off the mentality that a top 10 pick shouldn't be used on a running back, but there are running backs who warrant being drafted that high, so it needs to be set aside. Backs like that don't come around often, but when they do (like this year), they're worth taking when a team has the chance.

The Browns have that chance, but many folks are saying they should play it safe and pick up cornerback Morris Claiborne instead. The Browns aren't going to get anywhere in the AFC North this year by playing it safe, and they simply just don't need to add a defensive playmaker when the majority of their holes are on offense.

Yes, Cleveland needs to make additions at wide receiver, but that doesn't mean they need to use the fourth overall pick on Justin Blackmon. This year's draft is full of receivers—playmakers, real ones—who could help the Browns, but no other running back is the complete package like Richardson.

With 13 picks in the draft, receiver can be addressed later on—in their second of two first-rounders, in the second round, whenever. Yes, so can running back, but you're only going to find a facsimile of Richardson later on.

Why do that when you can get the bona fide real deal right now?

You may say, "well, the Browns run a West Coast Offense, who cares about running backs?" But clearly they do, by all the heavy lifting they had Peyton Hillis do in 2010 and what they hoped he'd accomplish last season.

When passing just doesn't work, then you have to run the ball. If you have the best running back prospect since Adrian Peterson getting the carries, then at least you are guaranteed some modicum of success.

Look at Peterson's Vikings (or Maurice Jones-Drew's Jacksonville Jaguars). Both teams struggled in a rebuilding year last season, with young quarterbacks under center and their passing game dipped in turn. The only way they could stay in games and (try to) win them was to rely on Jones-Drew and Peterson.

Last season, the Browns didn't have anyone to regularly rely on. This year, even if the passing game is still developing, there's Richardson—breaking tackles, gaining yards and being a legitimate threat to opponents.

Further, Richardson is a threat in the passing game. He averaged 11.6 and 11.7 yards per reception in 2010 and 2011 and had seven receiving touchdowns over that time. And if that doesn't do it for you, how about his elite-level pass blocking?

His production is no fluke, either. In his three years carrying the ball for Alabama, he's never averaged fewer than 5.2 yards per carry.

Once the starting job became solely his last season, he showed just how incredibly talented he is. On 283 carries, he put up 1,679 yards and 21 rushing touchdowns—against SEC defenses, no less.

I've also heard another argument against taking him: "What's the point? He's just going to be a beast for three seasons and either hold out or move on for more money, so why bother bringing him on to begin with? He'll be too expensive in the decline of his career."

When it comes to the Browns and money, spending below the cap isn't uncommon. But starting next year, it's a luxury they won't have. Teams need to spend 90 percent of their cap beginning in 2013, and it's almost certain the Browns will have the money needed to retain Richardson on his second, non-rookie deal once that time comes.

And decline is relative.

Richardson is just 20 years old and will be 21 by the time he takes an NFL field for the first time. He could have 10 productive years left in him—could—but barring multiple, serious injuries, certainly has more than three or four.

Why worry about worst-case scenarios that could happen seasons down the line? It's worth looking ahead, sure, but when the focus is on improving the Browns' offense in the present, then postulating about what is (in the NFL) practically a lifetime away isn't important.

The Browns need a high-impact offensive player who can power through the strong defenses of the AFC North and around the league. They need someone who can still gain yards and touchdowns even when the passing game struggles. No other player can do that as well as Richardson, period.

The Browns shouldn't look in any other direction but his when it comes to their fourth overall draft pick this year.

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