Speed is probably the defining attribute of a defensive back. Without it, cornerbacks would be just kickers who are in shape, and safeties would be anorexic linebackers. Great speed is what turns fifth-rounders into third-rounders, and third-rounders into possible first-rounders.
Character. Every player has it, but players with good character seem to be in short supply, especially with the legal troubles of Adam “Pacman” Jones, the me-first, self-promoting attitude of Deion Sanders and the recent arrest of (insert name of random Cincinnati Bengal here). It can turn first-rounders into second-rounders and second-rounders into fifth-rounders.
NFL coaches and scouts endlessly search for DBs with the right blend of speed and character. Sometimes, though, when you look too hard for something, you often let the object of your search go right under your nose.
Until recently, Mike Richardson was seemingly so far under the scouts’ noses that he was barely rubbing up against the stubble of their collective chins. Standing at 5’11”, he wasn’t considered very tall. He wasn’t constantly making highlight-reel plays and getting on ESPN, even despite containing Georgia Tech’s Calvin Johnson in last season’s opener, holding the phenom to just 16 yards in the second half. He wasn’t fast enough – even though many scouts said he possessed exceptional explosiveness – to merit an invitation to the NFL Combine.
It’s amazing what a lot of hard work and little complaining can do to help.
Just days after suffering a disheartening loss to LSU at the Sugar Bowl in his final game, Richardson quietly packed his things and went to a strange, new place to prepare himself for the next level. Richardson left the relative tranquility of South Bend and his central Georgia home of Warner Robins to the maddening frenzy of New York and northern New Jersey. For a five-week stretch in the dead of winter, Richardson spent hours upon hours in converted-warehouse gym to become one of the fastest men ever to come out of Notre Dame.
“I’ve never been to New York or New Jersey before,” Richardson said. “It definitely was a bit of a change. Usually after the season, you get to go home for a bit and relax with your family. For me, I decided to head over to New Jersey and start training right away.”
Richardson had been through some tough training periods before, but few were probably as grueling or as focused as DeFranco’s Training Systems.
In a cavernous building with a Spartan ambiance and enough iron to build more than a few tanks, owner Joe DeFranco builds tanks of flesh and bone. For 10 years, college and pro athletes from baseball, football and hockey have sought him out to better themselves. DeFranco can’t quite remember seeing someone with the same combination of explosiveness, intelligence and desire like Richardson.
“He’s got that explosive burst in him that you just can’t teach,” DeFranco said. “I’ve worked with [Seattle Seahawks wide receiver] Deion Branch when I was at another facility, and even though Deion is a wide receiver, both he and Mike show similar kinds of speed bursts and the ability to come out of a cut. He’s just got some God-given skills that neither I nor anyone else can take credit for.
“And it didn’t take him long to pick up anything, either. Mike has a sponge-like ability just to take in what he’s taught. He’s a quiet kid, but he basically absorbed everything I said in a short amount of time. I don’t know if that’s a Notre Dame thing or what.”
What is a Notre Dame “thing,” though, is selflessness. Richardson was not DeFranco’s lone pupil in those five weeks as he shared time with 10 other defensive backs from across the nation. With all the information and tips he was gleaning from DeFranco and his staff, Richardson offered whatever advice and help he could to his counterparts, even though they all were basically competing against one another.
If anything was lacking, though, both DeFranco and Richardson agreed that his technique needed some improvement. To most people, .05 seconds may seem incredibly insignificant, but when those .05 seconds could mean the difference between a big money, first-round contract and a second or third-round selection, any little thing that can shave off even a fraction of a second. Richardson essentially had to re-learn how to run, jump and change direction, all in the course of five weeks.
DeFranco wasn’t the only man in charge of Richardson’s development, though. With at least nine other hopeful draftees around, he needed help and got it in the form of former NFL cornerback Dwayne Harper. A 12-year veteran cornerback with Seattle, San Diego and Detroit, Harper actually first met up with Richardson through their agent, Eugene Lee, prior to the training period. Harper, who started in Super Bowl XXIX against Deion Sanders, said that after watching just a few of Richardson’s games that he has the ability to be a true burner at the next level.
“When I first saw him, I couldn’t believe his speed, his acceleration and his quickness,” Harper said. “He definitely has the great quickness and speed you need to have in the NFL.”
“You can tell he’s definitely a student of the game, and he became a real student of the combine tests real quick,” DeFranco said. “Within two weeks, we (DeFranco and Harper) saw a drastic change for the better in his numbers, across the board.”
Back in South Bend two months later, Richardson attended ND’s Pro Day on March 4.
“Heading into it, I was a little bit anxious, just wanting to get this going,” Richardson said. “It was more anticipation than anything else. Once things got going, some of that stuff started to fade away.
“I had done all these drills, especially the running, so many times that it felt routine for me. I could feel that I running well, I was light on my feet, but it didn’t seem that much out of the ordinary.”
Richardson did well in the 40-yard dash, crossing the line in 4.48 seconds, but it was in the faster dashes that had the scouts checking to see if their stopwatches were right. Richardson ran the short shuttle drill in 4.05 seconds – 19th-fastest time in the nation – and 1.47 seconds in the 10-yard dash – tied for 15th-quickest with standout WR Ted Ginn Jr. (Johnson ran his in a 1.52) – but blew away the competition in the three-cone drill by nailing it with a 6.27 mark.
The closest man to him was Sacred Heart’s Jon Corto, who ran his in 6.50 seconds.
To give a little perspective, the Atlanta Falcons’ DeAngelo Hall ran his in a 6.39 and the Houston Texans’ Dunta Robinson finished with a 7.77 time. Many scouts were coming up to Richardson afterwards and asked him how in the world did he not get an invite to the Combine.
“I definitely felt that I ran the three-cone well,” Richardson said, “but I wasn’t really paying attention to what the scouts were doing or saying. When somebody told me what the time was and that all the scouts were looking at each other’s watches, I actually was a little surprised.”
“There’s definitely a lot of Donnie Abraham in Mike,” Harper said, comparing Richardson to the former Tampa Bay Buccaneers Pro-Bowler. “He’s a lot like Donnie not just on the field, but both are the quiet, class-act kind of guys that let their play do the talking. Donnie was fast and explosive on the field and had that quiet confidence around him, but after the game, one of the humblest and kindest people you could know. Mike gives off that same vibe.”
Richardson realizes that good numbers at the Combine or a pro day may lead to big paydays, but not necessarily success in the NFL. If anyone has seen such cases time and time again, it has been DeFranco.
“These tests are just another evaluation, and I think what it shows, overall, is a guy a good athlete,” DeFranco said. “As a guy who prepares guys for the NFL Combine and pro days for a living, I’ll be the first to tell you that (the test results) don’t always translate to success on the field. What I think these days do is that if you post incredible numbers, like what Mike did, that just helps you open some doors to get into a camp with a team. It raises your profile among the scouts.”
Since that record-setting day in South Bend, half a dozen teams have expressed major interest in Richardson, inviting him on more than one occasion to a private workout. Now, just before the draft, all the reports are being filed and summarized as the tension and anxiety mounts. Many teams are on the lookout for quality defensive backs, but with cost concerns about the salary cap and meeting the salary demands of a flashier name, will look to find a steal in the later rounds.
They better keep their eyes open, though. If they blink, Richardson could be gone in a flash without making a sound.
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Just days after suffering a disheartening loss to LSU at the Sugar Bowl in his final game, Richardson quietly packed his things and went to a strange, new place to prepare himself for the next level. Richardson left the relative tranquility of South Bend and his central Georgia home of Warner Robins to the maddening frenzy of New York and northern New Jersey. For a five-week stretch in the dead of winter, Richardson spent hours upon hours in converted-warehouse gym to become one of the fastest men ever to come out of Notre Dame.
The closest man to him was Sacred Heart’s Jon Corto, who ran his in 6.50 seconds.
