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OT Antonio Richardson, Tennessee
Antonio Richardson is nicknamed "tiny" sarcastically for his mammoth size (6'6", 330 lbs), though I'd compare his game to a slightly more refined version of the even-larger tackle Phil Loadholt.
I'd say his game is comparable, his technique is superior, and his athleticism is about the same. Richardson is a massive load with a surprisingly good kick step and when he locks on, your player is usually out on his passrush. Try bullrushing this dude -- ****ing try it.
Not to argue that Richardson is nimble in any way, however. Noooo, no no no. Not at all. Matter of fact, he makes Taylor Lewan look like Usain Bolt. I have no idea what Richardson's 40 time will be but if it's under 5.5, I will be dead shocked. Richardson lumbers around and is mostly unreliable for any screens or blocking downfield, which the Chiefs obviously run.
Loadholt was, coming out of OU, a superior run blocker than Richardson is right now. Richardson can negate his guy, but he doesn't blow him off the blocks like you'd expect a guy his size to. Considering the only offense that Richardson could really fit into is a bruising, downhill rushing offense, that is something he is going to have to work on.
His technique in pass protection is pretty good. He's faced a very, very tough slate of passrushers and handled all of them very well. I think, in the right offense, with the right coaching, he's a potential 10-year guy at RT.
The hole in Richardson's game is his less-than-awesome athleticism. Watching him run is almost painful, compared to somebody as effortless in his motions as Eric Fisher, who, admittedly, is about as athletic a tackle as you're going to see in the NFL. As a result, that means Richardson's recovery speed is butt-****ing terrible. If he doesn't get out of his stance fast enough, you can say goodbye to protecting the edge on that snap. I only saw one passrusher go really low on Richardson, like Dwight Freeney, and he blew right by him. Richardson will struggle against athletic 3-4 OLBs, but most tackles his size do.
However, there is no disputing a successful track record of mostly perfect pocket protection for a whole season against a slate of SEC passrushers. For that, he definitely deserves a look as soon as the 2nd round from some offense that fits his style. Since he is not a very versatile guy, and he's probably only a RT at the next level, he may fall a round or two farther.
Projection for Richardson: I'd grade his talent out at about a 2nd rounder, but his lack of versatility means you can probably get him in the 3rd. Apparently he's projected in some scouting circles as going in the 1st, but I have no idea how a GM could justify drafting somebody with the minimal athleticism of an Ent that soon in the draft.
Projected Chiefs interest @ 23: Zip. I wouldn't think the Chiefs have any interest in this guy, period, especially in the 1st. Again, Dorsey really likes athletes. And while Richardson is a lot of things, he's nobody's idea of an athlete. Although, I suppose some Draft season slimming-down could change people's minds. The Chiefs very well may want a battle-tested tackle like Richardson as a swing tackle if they think they can get his run game on track, but it absolutely will not be in the 1st.
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