One dark horse player to watch in Ravens OTA’s is running back Trent Richardson, whom the Ravens signed off the street just a few months ago. He was out of football last season after getting cut by the Oakland Raiders in training camp. In the span of four years, he had gone from the NFL’s No. 3 overall draft pick to a player nobody wanted.
He got back in the gym and started to cut significant weight. He returned to his college town in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and surrounded himself with positive influences. And perhaps most importantly, he cut ties with many of the people he thought were dragging him down.
Garrett Downing of BaltimoreRavens.com capsulized the history of Trent Richardson’s fall from the top:
“The stress of life away from football impacted the way Richardson performed on the field. He showed great promise as a rookie, rushing for 950 yards despite playing nearly the entire season with broken ribs and a bad knee. He still looked like the bruising ball carrier from his Alabama days.”
“But Richardson took a step back in his second season and the Browns traded him to the Colts after two games. It was the first time in his life that a team didn’t want him anymore. The Colts expected Richardson to be their franchise running back, but that hope never materialized and he rushed for just 977 yards over the course of two seasons. The Colts cut him in 2015.”
He had another shot with the Raiders last year, but got pneumonia before training camp and then disappointed in the preseason. Oakland released him in its first round of cuts.
The Ravens wanted him to report to the offseason program weighing no more than 225 pounds, Richardson said, and he arrived at about 215.
“I’d have to say this is the first time I had to put everything into it,” he said. “I put in all this work and I can’t let it go to waste. I’ve done that too many years.”
One dark horse rookie cornerback thought to be undersized has shown so far in OTA’s that his height is not an issue. Tavon Young was drafted in the 4th round out of Temple at 5-8, 185… but he’s caught the eye and the praise of veteran corner-turned-safety Lardarius Webb:
“I see why we drafted him, because he’s going to be a good one,” Webb said.
Young is projected to compete for the nickel corner job which requires inside coverage on obvious passing downs. If Young is going to work his way into the starting lineup, he’ll have to beat out proven players ahead of him. The Ravens signed veteran Jerraud Powers this offseason, and he started 13 games last season for Arizona’s defense that ranked fifth in the NFL. Powers will go into training camp with an edge in the position battle, but the Ravens will give the youngster plenty of reps to prove himself.
“He just has to keep on learning, keep on learning,” Webb said. “One thing he does [is] he hustles and he competes, and that’s what we need.”
“I feel like I’m ready,” Young said at the start of rookie minicamp. “They always talk about size or, ‘You’re a young guy.’ I feel like if you can play ball, you can play ball. If you can compete, you can take somebody’s spot.”
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