With all the talk about what the Bucs will do with the 5th overall pick in this years draft, Head Coach Greg Schiano seems more and more in love with former Alabama RB Trent Richardson. Schiano has described Richardson as a ‘special talent.’

At the owners meetings, Schiano was “glowing” about former Rutgers RB Ray Rice, talking about how he was a catalist of turning the Rutgers program around. He was even quoted calling Rice a “bell cow.”

Schiano is a run first coach who likes to setup down field passing with play-action passes. One thing Schiano has stressed about the Bucs backfield is ball security.

That may just be why the Bucs will draft Richardson with the 5th overall pick. Last season’s starter, LeGarrette Blount fumbled 5 times last season. Three of those were lost.

In comparison, Richardson fumbled just 1 times during his career at Alabama. The fumble came during the 6th games of his Freshman year. He hasn’t fumbled the ball in 550 consecutive carries.

“I think LeGarrette has tons of ability. No one who touches the football will get touches if they don’t protect the football. That is one of our core covenants. The ball. It’s so important, they named the game after it. So, we make a big deal about that thing.” -Greg Schiano.

Whether the Bucs draft Richardson or not, this could be a make or break year for Blount. He became the Bucs starter after he was claimed off waivers from the Titans practice squad in 2010, running for 1007 yards on 203 carries and 6 TD’s that same season.

Blount struggled last season with consistency. He isn’t very good in pass blocking, and is a non-factor in the passing game. He rushed for 781 yards on 184 carries and 5 TD’s.

As Justin wrote about earlier in the week, the Bucs are in a great spot with the 5th pick. One thing is for certain, the Bucs will get an elite player during the draft. Whether that’s Richardson, or Morris Claiborne, or someone else, the debate will continue throughout April.

The question will be, do you draft a RB with a top-5 pick?

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