In the early part of last season, Colts GM Ryan Grigson pulled off one of the best moves of the 2014 draft, but no one else seemed to notice. He traded for Trent Richardson, laying the foundation for a playoff run later that year. The best trades are the ones that are vilified. As a young fan, I remember the Cowboys criticized for trading Herschel Walker to the Vikings in 1990.
There are people reading this thinking, "Wait a minute. The Cowboys got a lot of picks in that deal. Those picks got them Alvin Harper, Emmitt Smith and Darren Woodson, and formed a foundation for three Super Bowl titles."
Cowboys fans at the moment couldn't see that. All they knew was Walker was basically their entire offense, akin to Adrian Peterson.
And that's why I'm still strongly defending the Richardson deal. He's only turning 23, he's not a 29-year-old shopworn Eric Dickerson whom the Colts acquired in 1987. He's a guy who's had to endure coaching chaos in Cleveland. I well remember when the news broke on the Indianapolis CBS station and Richardson appeared in tears, shocked that he was traded by the team that had drafted him, the man who was then known as the next great running back. So, let's see what he does in his first full season as a Colt before judging him so harshly. He's powerful enough to gain yards in the trenches, like Emmit Smith..but he's also elusive enough to do very well in the open field, like Marshall Faulk did and it was out in the open field that Richardson excelled late last season.
Richardson has been quite vocal in saying the Colts has a first-round pick, himself. Whether you agree or disagree with that statement, I submit that the trade has already made the draft a successful one for the Colts, allowing them to focus on the offensive and defensive lines and perhaps snagging a wide receiver or tight end that could be undervalued by other teams. The draft is so fluid in its nature that I hesitate to volunteer any names, but except the Colts to make a deal if it nets them some additional picks to rebuild the offensive line.