2012 NFL Draft: Trent Richardson and Top RB Prospects in This Class

If your team wants to waste an early draft pick on a running back despite the fact that a couple of late-round sleepers always blow up, then these are the ones to select.  They ran circles around opposing defenders in college and are expected to be the same thing at the next level. 

Here are the top five backs in the 2012 NFL draft:

5. LaMichael James (Projected Round: 3rd)

At 5’9”, 185 pounds, James doesn’t have the size to become a feature back in the NFL, but he’s a prototypical change-of-pace/third-down back.  As one of the fastest players in college football, he possesses the ability to post sub-4.4 numbers at the combine in the 40-yard dash, a rare feat for a running back. 

His 7.4 yards-per-carry average and 210 receiving yards out of the backfield support the notion that James could be used as a Darren Sproles-like playmaker.

4. Chris Polk (Projected Round: Late 2nd to Mid 3rd)

Despite a lack of talent around him, Polk recorded 1,665 yards from scrimmage and 15 touchdowns this season at Washington. 

He doesn’t boast the top-end speed that James does, but Polk is still lightning-quick and shows great burst for a 222-pound back. 

He will be the last back to go off the board on draft weekend that could start from day one.

3. Montee Ball (Projected Round: 2nd)

Ball’s stock couldn’t get much higher than it is now after being a Heisman finalist this season.  The Wisconsin back found his way into the end zone a whopping 38 times in 2011—32 on the ground and six more as a receiver. 

According to the Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel, Ball would forgo his senior season if he’d be taken in the first two rounds. Translation—he’s NFL-bound.  

2. Lamar Miller (Projected Round: Late 1st to Early 2nd)

Miller will be the next great Miami Hurricane halfback. 

His combination of LaMichael James’ speed and Montee Ball’s size will make Miller an irresistible prospect for a team making a luxury pick at the back end of the first round.  He rushed for 1,272 yards and nine touchdowns on 5.6 yards a pop in 2011.

1. Trent Richardson (Projected Round: Early to Mid 1st)

While the other backs on this list are extremely talented, Richardson has absolutely no competition for the top spot—he’s just that good. 

Many believe he’s a better prospect than his former Alabama teammate Mark Ingram, whom some scouts compared to Emmitt Smith.

This season, the 5’11”, 224-pound beast rushed for 1,583 yards and 20 touchdowns while adding 327 more yards and six touchdowns through the air.

David Daniels is a featured columnist at Bleacher Report and a syndicated writer. Follow him on Twitter.