Alabama Crimson Tide RB Trent Richardson: Why the Cleveland Browns Should Not Pass on Drafting the Workhorse Back

RollTide.com

By Bob Evans


If you told Cleveland Browns fans they would be looking for a starting running back midway through the 2011 season—after Peyton Hillis’ coming out party in 2010—they likely would have called you crazy, among a number of other obscenities.

Yet this is exactly what the Browns organization could be facing after Hillis has seemingly fallen off the face of the Earth this season.

Thanks to strep throat, a hamstring injury and all the drama surrounding his desire for a contract extension, Hillis has quickly found himself out of favor with a fan base which rallied around him to vote him on the cover of the video game Madden 12. Now it seems he hasn’t just burned bridges with the fans, as there are reports coming out of Cleveland saying the front office is ready to let him walk as a free agent at the end of the season.

If the Browns organization is really willing to let Hillis walk, and this isn’t just an overblown article from a “league source,” then the team needs to make sure they do not pass on the 2012 NFL Draft’s version of Adrian Peterson in Alabama Crimson Tide running back Trent Richardson.

The reason Peterson comes to mind is because back in 2007 the Browns were in prime position to draft the former Oklahoma Sooner rusher. Instead, with a shaky quarterback situation, the Browns elected to draft Wisconsin tackle Joe Thomas with the No. 3 pick to shore up their line for whoever was under center. Both players have gone on to enjoy stellar starts to their careers, and the move certainly worked out for the Browns as Thomas has been to the Pro Bowl four times in his short career.

With that said, the time is now for the Browns to add the "next great running back." Especially considering the Browns have two first round picks thanks to their trade with the Atlanta Falcons in the 2011 NFL Draft. The team has used their picks in the last two years to mainly address glaring needs on defense. These moves have worked out pretty well, as the Browns defense has vaulted into the Top 5 in the NFL.

With their defense performing much better, it is time to focus on an offense which lacks true weapons and playmakers—and it all starts with drafting Richardson.

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