Football: Tigers lineman comes up shy of early draft hopes

Once considered a first-day selection, Richardson drops onto the draft bubble

By PAUL STRELOW - pstrelow@thestate.com

CLEMSON — There are so many ways to interpret offensive lineman Barry Richardson’s demeanor that one can only guess the impression left on individual pro scouts.

Richardson, labeled as a “man of few words,” by his former Clemson coaches, can be perplexing when he speaks.

“The NFL people say I’m kind of shy and don’t carry myself well around them,” Richardson said. “And they’re worried about that carrying over onto the field, that’s the vibe I’m getting.”

The 6-foot-7, 320-pound left tackle takes issue with the idea that his NFL draft stock has plunged because of his mellow nature, but admits he can’t do anything to change the problem now.

Entering this past season Richardson was viewed as a potential first-round pick by analysts. When he began the evaluation process two months ago, he was viewed as a possible third-round pick. Now, he is being viewed as a late-round pick or an undrafted free agent.

NFL Network draft analyst Mike Mayock said he believes Richardson’s stock never plummeted; instead, once pro scouts began taking the time to scrutinize his game film, his actual value became apparent.

“It’s more Barry Richardson ultimately ending up where he was going to end up anyway despite the early hype,” Mayock said.

“When you’re a big guy like that and you play in a big BCS conference and you play well and start early, everybody thinks you’re going to be a great pro. That’s not necessarily the case. Barry Richardson’s a big guy, but he doesn’t have great feet. And if you don’t have great feet, you’re going to struggle as a left tackle in the NFL.”

Further diminishing Richardson’s value: He does not play with above average strength, either —making him more of a risk than other left tackles who could be shifted to right tackle if they don’t pan out.

Richardson has spent this spring attempting to improve his foot speed. He lost 25 pounds and improved his 40-time from 5.47 at the combine to 5.27 at last month’s campus pro day.

No teams invited him for a visit this month, but Atlanta and Philadelphia have expressed interest, he said.

That being the case, Richardson suggests his agent, Fletcher Smith — who represents former Clemson star Gaines Adams and Donovan McNabb — has guaranteed Richardson will be picked within the draft’s opening four rounds.

“I don’t know if I’ll get drafted,” Richardson said. “But that’s a good sign.”