He was a first-round pick in the 1991 NFL draft and played for the Pittsburgh Steelers, Washington Redskins and the New York Jets.
[6] Based on a conversation with the former Steelers director of scouting, Max McCartney, with three picks remaining before the Steelers picked at number 15, they had three players targeted that they would be willing to select: Tennessee Volunteers wide receiver Alvin Harper, Colorado Buffaloes wide receiver Mike Pritchard and Arizona State Sun Devils running back Leonard Russell.
Following the 1991 season, long-time head coach Chuck Noll retired and was replaced by Bill Cowher, who tried to switch Richardson to outside linebacker (his position for the first three years of his collegiate career).
When that didn't work, Cowher asked player development director Tom Donahoe if it was too soon to cut him.
[8] Richardson returned to college and earned his master's degree in business administration from Emory University in Atlanta in 2000, and currently works as a financial analyst for Merrill Lynch in New York City.