Brooks: Seattle's First Pick: Strike It "P-Rich"

Listen/Watch: Paul Richardson's Seattle teleconference and highlights on the Seahawks' official website

BOULDER - Paul Richardson has always been more of a doer than a dreamer, but he's human, too. He has allowed himself to dream and has conditioned himself to chase his dream - and it materialized in a telephone call late Friday afternoon.

The college coach who offered him a scholarship when he was a sophomore at L.A.'s Serra High School had come calling again - this time as coach of the world champion Seattle Seahawks.

Pete Carroll coveted Richardson when Carroll coached at USC, but he didn't get him. Richardson signed with UCLA, then transferred to Colorado and quickly sped into the school's record books.

Just over six years later, Carroll wanted "P-Rich" as the Seahawks' first pick of the 2014 NFL Draft - and this time he got his man.

Richardson was drafted by Seattle in Friday's second round. "P-Rich" was taken with the second round's 13th choice and was the 2014 draft's 45th overall selection.

"It's definitely a dream come true," Richardson said. "I talked to (Carroll) today and he said they'd been watching film on me and they liked what they saw. I had heard I was the highest receiver on their board and Pete seemed really excited about it.

"You never know who's going to call and I was very surprised because you just never know. But they went ahead and picked me. When their general manager called me a couple of picks before and said if I was still there (when Seattle's pick arrived) they would take me, I was ecstatic."

Scheduled to pick last in Thursday's first round by virtue of its 43-8 demolition of Denver in Super Bowl XLVII, Seattle traded the 32nd pick to Minnesota and didn't make its first selection until nearly midway through Friday's second round. "P-Rich" became the highest choice Seattle has used on a receiver since taking Koren Robinson at No. 9 in 2001.

Said NFL Draft analyst Mike Mayock: "That's a Pete Carroll pick right there. Richardson is pure speed; think of a poor man's DeSean Jackson. Richardson can take the lid off a defense. The Seahawks just got a bunch of speed."

Richardson was timed at 4.40 seconds in the 40-yard dash - tying him for eighth fastest - at the NFL Combine in February. In what would be his final CU season before declaring his NFL eligibility, Richardson used that speed to catch 83 passes for 1,383 yards - both single-season school records. He made 10 touchdown catches, leaving him one shy of the single-season mark set by Derek McCoy.

Shortly after receiving word that he had been drafted, Richardson tweeted, "I am a Seattle Seahawk! God is incredible! This is just the beginning!"

Seattle made Friday's second-round pick with a selection it acquired from Detroit after trading down earlier in the round. The Seahawks also were scheduled to pick at No. 64 overall with the last pick of the second round and got Missouri offensive tackle Justin Britt.

Richardson gives the Seahawks a receiver to replace the departed Golden Tate, who signed with the Lions in free agency. Tate led the club last season with 64 catches for 898 yards and five touchdowns.

Doug Baldwin, Seattle's second-leading receiver with 50 catches, was a restricted free agent who could have fielded offers from other teams, but he is currently in contract negotiations with the Seahawks.

Rounding out Seattle's top five pass catchers in 2013 were running back Marshawn Lynch (36 receptions, 316 yards, 2 TDs), tight end Zach Miller (33, 387, 5) and receiver Jermaine Kearse (22, 346, 4).

Mayock, the NFL analyst, called the 2014 draft "the best wide receiver draft I've seen in years." Richardson was the eighth receiver selected, following Sammy Watkins (Clemson/Buffalo Bills, first round/fourth pick), Mike Evans (Texas A&M/Tampa Bay Bucs, first round/seventh pick), Odell Beckham (LSU/New York Giants, first round/12th pick), Brandin Cooks (Oregon State/New Orleans Saints, first round/20th pick), Kelvin Benjamin (Florida State/Carolina Panthers, first round/28th pick), Marqise Lee (USC/Jacksonville Jaguars, second round/39th pick), and Jordan Matthews (Vanderbilt/Philadelphia Eagles, second round/42nd pick).

The Seahawks had been expected to take advantage of the abundance of receivers by targeting a bigger body, but the speed of Richardson - he's a shade under 6-1 and just over 180 pounds - obviously trumped any of the larger options still available for Carroll.

By the time Seattle drafted, the biggest of the big bodies - Evans at 6-5, 231 and Benjamin at 6-5, 240 - were gone. So the Seahawks went for what became their 2013 trademark on both sides of the ball - blurring speed. Richardson could get looks as a punt and kickoff returner.

He'll have plenty of time to get acquainted with the Seahawks, but Richardson said his current knowledge of the organization was limited to the obvious: "I know they won the Super Bowl, I know they have a great quarterback in Russell Wilson, I know they have Percy Harvin (receiver whose 2013 time was limited by injury), I know they lost a receiver (Tate) . . . and I know that it's a perfect fit for me.

"This is just the beginning. I know I have a lot to do when I get out there (he reports on Monday). I was their first pick and I know that was for a reason. I'm ready to get there and exceed all expectations."

NOTES: The last Buffalo drafted by Seattle was also a receiver, exactly 10 years ago: D.J. Hackett was a fifth-round pick by the Seahawks . . . . Richardson was the eighth CU underclassmen (all juniors) to declare for the NFL Draft, and the eighth to be drafted; at No. 45 overall in the second round, only Rashaan Salaam (No. 21 to Chicago in 1995) and Leonard Renfro (No. 24 to Philadelphia in '93) were selected higher . . . . "P-Rich" is the highest Colorado receiver selected in the draft since 1997, when Carolina drafted Rae Carruth late in the first round (27th) . . . . Aside from Carruth, only three other receivers have been selected higher than Richardson: Michael Westbrook (No. 4 overall in the '95 draft by Washington); Mike Pritchard (No. 13 in '91 by Atlanta) and Charles E. Johnson (No. 17 in '94 by Pittsburgh) . . . . Surprisingly, Cliff Branch wasn't selected by Oakland in the '72 draft until the fourth round (No. 98 overall); Dave Logan was a third round pick by Cleveland (No. 65) in '76 . . . . A few Buffaloes will be eagerly watching Saturday's fourth-through-seventh rounds (NFL Network/ESPN, 10-5:30 p.m. MDT): C Gus Handler, DE Chidera Uzo-Diribe, ILB Derrick Webb and DT Nate Bonsu all could be drafted; if not, free agent contracts should be in the works, as they likely will be for S Parker Orms, SN Ryan Iverson and possibly ILB Doug Rippy and S Travis Sandersfeld from CU's 2012 senior class. OT Jack Harris opted to bypass shoulder surgery and has decided to pursue life after football with the Business degree he earned from Colorado.