The third overall pick in this year’s NFL rookie draft, Trent Richardson, is 
expected to be a workhorse for the Cleveland Browns during the 2012 NFL season. Team GM Tom Heckert told ProFootballTalk.com on Wednesday the following:
“I think it’s pretty safe to say we draft a guy third overall, he’s going to be the guy,” Heckert said. “But we do think we’re going to need extra backs. You know, last year going into the season we thought we’re in really good shape at running back with Peyton Hillis, Brandon Jackson, and Montario Hardesty and it turns out all three of them got nicked up. So, you know, we do think it’s a position where you better have a couple guys and, you know, we have obviously Brandon Jackson and Hardesty coming back both, so we think it’s going to be, from last year where it was probably a weak spot for us, we think it’s going to be a very, very big positive for us this year.”
Richardson is expected to hoard early down carries and will more than likely stay on field during passing downs. With 28-year-old rookie QB Brandon Weeden out of Oklahoma State expected to start out of the gate in Week 1, Richardson in his rookie season – assuming he can stay healthy – could be a top candidate to lead the NFL in touches.
