Alabama's pro day had the usual whispers about jaw-dropping 40 times. All first-time workouts for a top-ranked prospect that have breathless predictions about their 40 times. Running back Trent Richardson had folks talking about the magic 4.3 threshold, even some whispers of a potential dip into the 4.2 range. Richardson turned in two unofficial 40 times of 4.58 seconds. Now what?
To put those times in context, Richardson was reportedly working out at just 70 percent after offseason minor knee surgery. Richardson will obviously workout again, for individual teams bringing him in for pre-draft visits.
His 40 time at 70 percent is still impressive, but his track record in games and the hours of film teams have of Richardson working are all that need to be said about his future. Richardson should still be a top pick in the 2012 NFL Draft, someone the Rams will consider with the sixth pick.
In a conference call with the media yesterday, Nolan Nawrocki of Pro Football Weekly made the comment that he believed Richardson was the best running back in the draft in a long time and one of his top prospects this year.