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St. Louis Rams Depth Chart: Where Does Daryl Richardson Fit?

By Brandon Bate
Presswire

While players at every position are working diligently to be noticed, and ultimately do enough in the eyes of the coaching staff, there is little talk of competition at running back. Without question, the tried and true #39, Mr. Steven Jackson, will continue to carry the load for the Rams in 2012. It seems a foregone conclusion, as well, that he'll be backed by the shifty, potentially explosive Isaiah Pead.

Pead has certainly gotten his fair share of praise from the coaches, and rightfully so. He does add an element to this offense that it hasn't seen in years, and is a great compliment to the aforementioned future Hall of Famer. His preseason games haven't wowed necessarily, but let's be honest, no one should be searching for the panic button.

Quietly in the background sits Daryl Richardson. The question isn't necessarily 'Can he be the #2?' but more so 'Is he even being given a shot?' In the Rams first two preseason games he's played well, albeit primarily against the 3rd string defenses of the opposition. Why not see what this guy's got a little sooner in the game?

Daryl Richardson, DS #20 RB, Abilene Christian Bookmark and Share
Selected: Round 7, Pick 45, Overall Pick 252 by Rams
Name: Daryl Richardson
College: Abilene Christian Number: 1
Height: 5-10 Weight: 192
Position: RB Pos2:
Class/Draft Year: Sr/2012
40 Low: 4.38 40 Time: 4.47 40 High: 4.58
Projected Round: 6-7 Stock: High: 5-6 Low: PFARated number 20 out of 138 RB's 222 / 1969 TOTAL

Only one pick removed from being Mr. Irrelevant, Daryl was taken by the Rams with their final selection of the 7th round . Richardson's family seems to have a knack for producing NFL caliber players. His older brother, Bernard Scott (Bengals) is going into his 4th season with the team, and his cousin, Clyde Gates, is preparing for his second with the Miami Dolphins. All three played at Richardson's alma mater, Abilene Christian.

I think it goes without saying that you're not going to find ACU in one of the power conferences any time soon, but that doesn't mean that his efforts while there should be discounted. Richardson finished his college career second in TD's scored and fourth in rushing yards. More pertinent, he rushed for 867 yards and scored 11 times in his final season as a Wildcat. He also managed to haul in 40 catches for 371, and finding the end zone two more times.



It's apparent to me that Richardson possesses some of the same characteristics one would use to describe Isaiah Pead. I'm not certain, however, that you'll see Richardson being tackled nine yards behind the line of scrimmage any time soon. As you may have noticed, even in his limited playing time through the first two preseason games, Richardson can be explosive. He does not - and will not - shy away from contact. He makes no qualms about it, either. On his running style, and ever-so-eloquent:

I can take it to the house any play. I’m very explosive, very aggressive. I’m just really explosive and aggressive
Coach Jeff Fisher's take:

Daryl is just real fast, strong, physical, kind of a change of pace guy. He’s a home run type of back and we were real surprised that he was there.
Less mustache, more hair gel. Les Snead:

I’ll give the guy credit: he’s got some run skills, very quick, very fast, elusive. So it will be interesting to see how it works out.


How it works out? I think I know where Richardson's place on the Rams is this season. Third on the depth chart with plenty of opportunity on special teams. Fair enough, I suppose. He his indeed a 7th round draft pick entering into his rookie season. I'm certainly not suggesting that we start conversations about 'roster battles,' and even if I did, I think it'd probably just be myself and the Richardson family willing to entertain the matter. And it wouldn't be fair to compare 'stats' - or what little bit there are - from the amount of time Daryl has seen thus far. I'd be remiss, however, if I didn't slide this video into the mix. It's not unnecessarily high-flying like Pead's TD earlier in the game, but he found a gap the size that only Tebow could part (Get em Rok!), lowered his shoulder, and got in for six.

Will Ferrell wants more cowbell... I want more Daryl Richardson. Anyone with me?

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