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Did RB Trent Richardson Warrant Being the No. 71 Ranked Player of 2012?

Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

As most of you know by now, Cleveland Browns running back Trent Richardson was unveiled to be the 71st ranked player of 2012 by NFL Network. It came as a pretty big shock, though. Richardson made a couple of memorable plays in 2012, but overall, he struggled while battling (homage to Pat Shurmur) through broken ribs. That should earn him bonus points for toughness, but not for being in the Top 100 performers of 2012.

The players are supposed to be ranked by their peers, though, and Marc Sessler of NFL.com tried to reason through the possible logic behind the ranking:

I don't have a problem with players viewing Richardson as an ascending talent. He came 50 rushing yards shy of 1,000 as a rookie despite an array of injuries that would have kept lesser men on bed rest. But to place Richardson this high, this soon, is outrageous.

What it does tell me is that T-Rich impressed defenders during his 15 starts, at least those who faced him. We'll never know, but I'm guessing a handful of votes came out of the AFC North, especially after the game Richardson had against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 2.

Here is Richardson's reaction to the news:

What do you think? Did Richardson deserve to be ranked No. 71 overall? And, do you expect any other Browns players to make the top 100?