Paul Richardson patiently making most of opportunities
When the Seattle Seahawks drafted Paul Richardson with the No. 45 overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, many looked at the pick as a Percy Harvin 2.0.
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Both are skinny and lanky, with great hands and incredible speed, but after Harvin was traded to the New York Jets in October, Richardson was given the opportunity to make a name for himself, other than Harvin Jr.
On Sunday, Richardson was a threat comparable to Doug Baldwin and Jermaine Kearse and the best part is, he is only getting better.
Statistically, he only caught three passes for 30 yards, but each of those catches were challenging ones and Richardson showed poise and stature in a spot where some rookies don’t.
Take, for example, Richardson’s first catch of the day on Sunday.
Running across the middle of the field on an “in” route, Richardson caught a low pass in stride from Russell Wilson and buried his head, knowing he was about to get blasted by a very hard-hitting Eric Reid.
Reid did just that, slamming his body into Richardson’s while being flagged for a helmet-to-helmet personal foul that gave the Seahawks a first down.
Richardson showed his sense of humor posting a short video of the hit on his Twitter account after the game.
More importantly, Richardson made the catch and embraced the contact, a rare trait in a lot of receivers, let alone a rookie.
Dec 7, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Seattle Seahawks wide receiver Paul Richardson (10) makes a catch in front of Philadelphia Eagles strong safety Nate Allen (29) during the second half at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports
Pete Carroll said he is very pleased with the progress of Richardson with the regular season hitting the home stretch, per HeraldNet.com:
"“…he’s a terrific catcher, he’s a good route runner — a beautiful curl route he hits on third down, a crucial (third-and-six), just a dynamite route and catch with guys hanging all over him. He’s just doing what he’s been doing, nothing special. He’s a really good football player.”"
It’s surely been an adjustment for Richardson, going from being the go-to receiver at Colorado University, to getting just a few touches a game in Seattle.
Last year as a Buff, Richardson led the team with 83 catches for 1,343 yards and 10 touchdowns.
He hasn’t had the opportunity to go from a No. 1 guy in college to a No. 1 guy in the NFL like Mike Evans in Tampa Bay or Kelvin Benjamin in Carolina.
Instead, he is patiently waiting to make a name for himself, and in due time, he is starting to.
On Sunday, he caught his first career touchdown pass and Baldwin made sure to grab the ball and save it as a souvenir.
That catch was another challenging one, on a slant route in the endzone with two guys all over him.
But Richardson made the catch pretty flawlessly and earned the touchdown.
Richardson’s teammates showed how proud they were of the 22-year-old on Twitter and Richardson was able to get a key milestone in a young, but promising, NFL career.
This season he has 19 catches for 159 yards and the sole TD, but those numbers will inflate soon enough.
What’s important is that he has the ability to take on the role Kearse did last season — be the open man who can make a big play when everyone else on the field is covered.
Congrats to Richardson on his first NFL touchdown catch. Welcome to the league.