Max Richardson NFL Draft Profile
After serving as Boston College’s starting middle linebacker for the last two seasons, Max Richardson elected to enter the 2021 NFL Draft. Richardson started all 11 of BC’s games this season. Over the course of those 11 games, he made 99 total tackles (47 solos), eight tackles for loss, three and a half sacks, 13 hurries, one QB hit, one pass defensed, and one fumble recovered. According to Pro Football Focus, Richardson tied for the 250th-highest-graded linebacker (20% snap minimum) out of 397; he earned a Defensive grade of 57.6 (57.8 Run Defense, 58.9 Tackling, 68.1 Pass Rush, 54.1 Coverage).
Richardson comes from an extremely athletic family. His father played linebacker for Michigan in the 1970s, while his sisters played softball at Kentucky and lacrosse at Michigan. Richardson earned multiple all-state and all-district honors during his time at Woodward Academy in Atlanta, Georgia; he also earned his team’s defensive MVP honors during his sophomore, junior, and senior years. Additionally, Richardson lettered in track and lacrosse in high school. He earned a three-star ranking from most of the recruiting services; he also received 14 scholarship offers, mostly from Group of Five schools. Richardson was recruited by assistant coach Al Washington, who oversaw recruiting the southern region at the time, and he committed to BC the summer before his senior year.
Richardson contributed on special teams during his first year with the Eagles in 2016. He participated in 133 special teams snaps but recorded 10 tackles (seven solos) with one tackle for loss, and one forced fumble. Going into the 2017 season, Richardson earned the starting middle linebacker job. Unfortunately, he suffered a season-ending injury after only four games. Luckily, he was granted a medical redshirt.
In 2018, Richardson played in all 12 games with 11 starts, as he missed the first half of one game due to a targeting call in the previous contest. He finished third on the team with 76 tackles and added nine TFLs and two and a half sacks. Prior to the 2019 season, Richardson earned preseason All-ACCC honors from multiple media outlets and did not let them down. He started 12 games and led the team in tackles with 108; he also added 14.5 TFLs, three and a half sacks, two pass breakups, and one forced fumble. For his efforts, Richardson earned Second-Team All-ACC honors.
Richardson earned some All-ACC preseason honors going into the 2020 season. But he really shined in leading Boston College during protests against racial injustice during the summer of 2020. Richardson also helped lead the team through a COVID-shrouded offseason, during which BC only recorded one positive test. His teammates elected him as a captain for the 2020 season and he responded by leading the team in tackles for loss, while finished second in total tackles (t-10th in the nation), solo tackles, and sacks. After five years on the Heights, Richardson elected to enter the 2021 NFL Draft.
In the NFL, Richardson projects as a sub-package linebacker that can also play on special teams. At six feet and only 223 pounds, he will most likely be relegated to special teams duty early in his career, which he has experience in. Richardson is an extremely smart person and player; he double-majored in history and political science at BC and started at middle linebacker multiple years for multiple defensive coordinators. While Richardson may lack the sideline-to-sideline speed to regularly start in the NFL, his intelligence and toughness should allow him to consistently contribute on special teams.
Measurements and Pro Day
At Boston College, Max Richardson was listed at 6 feet even and 230 pounds. At BC’s Pro Day, he measured in at 5 feet and 11 5/8 inches (5115) and 223 pounds. In the drills, his 40-yard dash times were 4.82 and 4.88. He ran the short shuttle in 4.24 and the three-cone drill in 7.20. He leapt 34 inches in the vertical jump and 121 inches (10’1”) in the broad jump. Finally, Richardson put up 28 reps of 225 pounds in the bench press. Based on these measurements and numbers, he earned a Relative Athletic Score (RAS) of 6.29, ranking 793 out of 2139 linebackers from 1987 to 2021 and 27th in the 2021 NFL Draft class.
Scouting Report
Positives
· Excellent tackler, both inside and outside the tackles; takes good angles to the ball-carrier, rarely gets faked out by jukes and moves, consistently able to bring down ball-carrier in space, and hits with good power.
· Very willing to attack downhill and engage with offensive lineman against the run; sorts through traffic well to properly fit the run and fill gaps; elite competitive toughness, aggressiveness, and hustle/motor, consistently finishing plays through the whistle.
· Solid in short zone coverage assignments: effective in the Hook-Curl area in the middle of the field; good at reading QB’s eyes to take him to the receiver; solid feel for receivers and spatial awareness.
· Very good mental processing and intelligence: great understanding of schemes and plays on offense and defense; started at middle and both outside linebacker spots and asked to fill lots of different roles understands where he needs to be and how the offense is trying to attack.
· Elite leadership qualities: captain for multiple years, assumed leadership role during coaching transition, global pandemic, and racial/social unrest. Aspires to be a captain at the next level; seems to have an innate understanding of how to work with others.
Negatives
· Lacks the requisite size to be an every-down linebacker in most defenses. Does not have the size or play strength to hold up in engagement against offensive linemen; needs to hit and immediately peel off, struggling to disengage if the blocker locks him up.
· Occasionally takes the cheese on play-action, option, and reverse/end-around plays and does not have the speed or explosiveness to recover and chase down the ball carrier.
· Does not have size, power, or technique to be consistently used as pass rush blitzer; needs to be unblocked to be effective, cannot generate push as a bull rusher, and does not have pass rush hands technique developed to defeat blockersß consistently.
· Plays faster than he tests, but still does not have the foot speed to truly cover sideline to sideline or chase down running backs from behind; far from an explosive athlete in space.
· Struggles in man coverage from slot/overhang alignments: does not have the speed/athletic ability to mirror receivers and running backs; lacks ball skills as well.
· Limitations in size and speed could limit him to special teams’ duties only.
NFL Comparison
Tegray Scales (Los Angeles Rams 2018*, Indianapolis Colts 2018*, Pittsburgh Steelers 2019*, 2020 – Present, Tampa Bay Buccaneers 2020*) * = Practice squad