The Buccaneers may select Alabama running back Trent Richardson with the fifth pick in this year’s NFL draft. If they do, they’ll have an unhappy camper in running back LeGarrette Blount.
Blount told Will Brinson of CBSSports.com that if the Bucs draft Richardson, “I would not like that pick. I would definitely not be happy with that pick.”
Speaking at the unveiling of the NFL’s new Nike uniforms (an event for which he’s missing the start of the Bucs’ voluntary offseason program), Blount told Brinson he doesn’t want to be a Brandon Jacobs-type player who comes in for short-yardage situations. Blount wants to be the every-down back, and if Richardson comes in as the fifth overall pick, Blount will view Richardson as a competitor for the No. 1 running back job, not a partner on a team that uses a running back-by-committee approach.
As JoeBucsFan.com notes, if Blount were the type who offered politically correct answers, he’d have said that he’ll welcome whoever Tampa Bay takes with open arms. But Blount is not interested in political correctness. And Blount is not interested in sharing carries with Richardson, either.