NFL Draft: How Good Is Alabama's Trent Richardson?

In recent years, former Heisman winner Mark Ingram and star wide receiver Julio Jones were the focuses of Alabama's offense.  With both Ingram and Jones now in the NFL, that will change in 2011.  However, the Crimson Tide's cupboard is not bare; they have Trent Richardson.

Though Ingram received the majority of the team's carries in 2009 and 2010, Richardson still accumulated over 1,400 yards and 18 touchdowns in his freshman and sophomore campaigns.  With Alabama losing the majority of their offensive stars, the team will look for Richardson to carry the rock often.

In 2010, Mark Ingram received 158 carries to Richardson's 145.  Though Ingram did miss some time, this shows how highly thought of Richardson is by the Alabama coaching staff.  They were confident enough in him to take carries away from a Heisman winner.

Even now in the NFL, Ingram is viewed as a power back who should get the bulk of goal line carries.  But at Alabama, Richardson was the goal line guy, and though he didn't get every carry inside the five, he got quite a few of them.

The 5'11" 225-pound bruiser has a rare combination of power and speed.  Richardson's a fantastic natural athlete, but he has an extremely intense training program.  When he arrived on campus as a freshman, Richardson could already squat 600 pounds and coaches have had to limit how much weight the young running back lifts. 

But Richardson isn't just a power back.  He also runs a 4.4 40-yard dash and has great breakaway speed.  Not since Adrian Peterson was drafted with the seventh pick in the 2007 NFL draft has a back demonstrated this unique skill set.

Despite the stereotype about power runners, Richardson is also a good receiver.  While he is no Reggie Bush, the Alabama runner is more than capable of catching the ball out of the backfield and gaining some yards in the process.

However, a running back can have the best tools in the world and still be terribly unsuccessful.  The back has to be able to see the hole immediately, and few are better at it than Richardson.  He does a fantastic job of making a cut towards the hole and keeping his eyes downfield as he advances.

In a football world constantly growing more concerned about character issues, Richardson is a gem.  There seems to be no maturity issues and few players are more humble in interviews.  The young star has often talked about how much Mark Ingram helped him as a player, and he couldn't possibly be more humble.

That's not to say Richardson is a perfect prospect.  He isn't overly quick and does take some time to get up to full speed.  His bulk is also somewhat centered in his upper body and this could cause balance issues in the future.  Also similar to Peterson is Richardson's running style.  His upright style causes his body to absorb more contact and may leave him susceptible to injuries.

The other main flaw that stands out when watching Richardson is a lack of burst towards the hole.  Ideally, the running back will see the hole immediately and attack it without hesitation.  However, Richardson has a slight case of "happy feet" and seems to stutter a bit before hitting the hole.

All of this combines to make Richardson an elite running back prospect and potential top 10 pick in the 2012 NFL draft.  The talent and the production as a backup is present, but now Richardson has to shine as a starter. 

That seems pretty likely.