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Drew Richmond is an elite offensive tackle recruit in the Class of 2015.
Richmond, out of Memphis (Tenn.) University School, stands 6'5 and weighs in at 320 pounds. As of June, he's rated as a consensus four-star prospect by 247sports, Rivals, Scout and ESPN. The 247 composite, a compilation of data from the four major recruiting services, lists him as the 67th-best player in America, the seventh-best offensive tackle and the No. 1 player from the state of Tennessee.
Richmond is garnering interest from major programs around the country. He holds scholarship offers from Alabama, Auburn, LSU, Ohio State, Oklahoma, Ole Miss, Clemson, Georgia, Florida State and UCLA, among others.
Fans can follow Richmond on Twitter. His user name is @TheDream_75.
Richmond can do most of the things that very good college linemen do. He can roll his hips on contact. he finishes his highlight blocks to the ground with a nasty disposition and he packs a powerful punch.
Richmond also does a nice job of tracking down defenders at the second level.
What I want to see more of from Richmond is his footwork, feel and positioning. Does he have the lateral agility to play offensive tackle at a high level? Can he stick on his blocks against college defenders? Even in some of his highlights, he is getting away with taking a less-than-ideal angle, and still burying his defender with superior strength.
Richmond can also be over-aggressive at times, though I don't see that as a big problem. In baseball, some scouts use the term, "see ball, hit ball" to describe a player who swings at everything, but makes contact. Richmond is somewhat similar; he sees the defenders and hits them. In time, he'll hit them with better technique, angles and understanding of the goal of the play.
I would also like to see an arm-length measurement on Richmond. He doesn't always seem to get great extension, and I do wonder if he could also play guard.
I think Richmond has the potential to be a multi-year starter at the BCS level. He may not be an instant starter, and that's not a slight. Very few freshmen linemen start at the highest levels of college football.
Note: Recruits commit and decommit throughout the process. No effort is made to note commitments or decommitments in these scouting reports. All we note is claimed offers at the time of evaluation.
