Alabama football NFL Draft bust No. 1: Trent Richardson
2012 NFL Draft, Round 1, Pick 3
Cleveland Browns, 2012-2013
Indianapolis Colts, 2013-2014
If Bryce Young somehow becomes a bust, he will almost certainly be mentioned in the same breaths as Trent Richardson. The former Alabama football running back was the third overall pick in the 2012 draft by a Cleveland Browns team that thought he was going to be their offensive secret weapon for years.
Very few, if any, college football and NFL fans saw the implosion of Richardson coming. In his final season with the Alabama football team, he ran for 1,679 yards and an absolutely insane 21 touchdowns. He also caught 29 passes for another 300 yards. He seemed to have all the tools to become the next great NFL running back.
The Browns certainly gave him every opportunity. He ran for over 900 yards and 11 touchdowns in his rookie season, but there were already signs. Despite almost reaching 1,000 yards, he averaged just 3.6 yards per carry.
In his second year in the league, Cleveland gave up on him after just two games, and he latched on as a member of the Indianapolis Colts. He finished that campaign with more than 500 yards but averaged just 3 yards per carry.
2014 was his final year in the league. He averaged a paltry 3.3 yards per carry and was out of the NFL after three seasons. You’d be hard-pressed to find a running back, Alabama football or otherwise, who came in as highly touted and exited the league so quickly.