2012 7th round – Daryl Richardson, a 2008 Sandalwood graduate and one of the area’s NFL hopefuls, is the younger brother of Cincinnati Bengals running back Bernard Scott. The two play the same position, played at the same college and have a comparable running style.
“A lot of scouts said that me and my brother have some of the same qualities, similarities,” said Richardson, who finished second in rushing touchdowns and fifth in career yardage at Abilene Christian University. “He’s been real supportive. I talk to him every day. If I do get that shot, he told me it’s a long grind and what to expect to have success in the NFL.”
Richardson’s brother, who played high school football in Texas, might make others remember his name a little easier, but he’s put together a nice resume of his own. Richardson averaged 5.9 yards per carry last season for Abilene Christian and scored 13 touchdowns. And he’s done well in the postseason spotlight, too.
Daryl Richardson earned stellar reviews in the Players All-Star Classic in Little Rock, Ark., on February 4. A story in the National Football Post following the game wrote that Richardson helped his stock, and “has the kind of explosive element to his game that is hard to overlook.”
Several draft websites projected Richardson (5-10, 190) as a late-round pick he was drafted by the St. Louis Rams in the 7th round (45th overall) of the 2012 NFL Draft.
His agent, Scott Casterline of Team Sports Agency, projected that could pick Richardson as early as the fifth round. Fifteen teams, including the Jaguars, attended Abilene Christian’s pro day on April 3. Richardson ran a 4.45-second 40-yard dash, a time he called disappointing because he’d been turning in sub-4.4 times in training.
“He’s got one of the best steps I’ve ever been around and this is my 29th year of doing it,” Casterline said. “He is very coachable, very talented. I think he’s going to get drafted and I think he’s going to make a great player.”
Richardson, a Times-Union Super 24 selection in 2007, had offers from a few BCS conference programs in high school. His grades scared others away. So Richardson took the long road to college football success — junior college and then Division II. Richardson spent a year at Cisco (Texas) College and then transferred to Abilene Christian, where Scott had set all kinds of records in his final two seasons in 2007-08. Scott won the Harlon Hill award as the best player in Division II as a senior and was a sixth-round pick by Cincinnati.
“I was a pretty good guy, I kind of made a few mistakes in high school, got into a little trouble, but you live and learn, I guess,” Richardson said. “I want to say Abilene [made me grow up]. When I got to college my coaches and ACU make you try to be a better person, a better man. I was not really focused on the NFL as I was playing and getting coached.”
DARYL RICHARDSON DRAFT FILE
- Age: 21
- Height/weight: 5-10, 190
- High school: Sandalwood
- College: Abilene Christian
Notable: A Times-Union Super 24 selection as a senior in high school, grades forced him to enroll in junior college before transferring to Abilene. He ranks second in program history in rushing touchdowns and fifth all-time in career yardage. … Brother of Cincinnati Bengals running back Bernard Scott. … Fifteen teams attended Abilene Christian’s pro day on April 3, including the Jaguars. Richardson ran a 4.45 in the 40-yard dash.