Demani Richardson

Demani Richardson played his high school football at Waxahachie High School where he was named AP All-State Honorable Mention as a junior, and was an Army All-American as a senior. He played well enough in high school to earn 4-star recruit ratings from Rivals.com, 247Sports, and ESPN. He had offers from many power-5 schools, most of which came from SEC and Big 12 schools. He chose to continue his football career at Texas A&M. Richardson made an immediate impact for the Aggies, starting 11 of the 12 games he played in his freshman season and finishing third on the team in tackles with 71. He also had 2.5 TFL, 0.5 sacks, and an interception. This impressive freshman campaign earned him SEC All-Freshman Team honors, and was also awarded the Defensive Top Newcomer and Freshman Strength Awards at the annual team banquet. Richardson has performed on a very consistent basis over his college career as he has averaged about the same production over his 4+ years at A&M. His best seasons were his freshman season in 2019, and his senior season last year where he made 73 tackles including 2.5 TFL, and made 1 interception and 6 pass breakups. In this season, he was the team leader in tackles and was second on the team in pass breakups. He has cemented himself as a proven difference maker and has been a trustworthy and reliable presence for the Aggies’ defensive corps. In 2023, Richardson’s 5th college season, he has started in all 12 games and has made 59 tackles including 3 TFL and has 3 pass breakups. He is on pace for third on the team in tackles and again has been a proven performer in the secondary. Richardson’s 6’1”, 215 pound frame is NFL-ready with length and strength to spare. He has great awareness and instincts which he uses well to defend the run and underneath passes. He uses his strong hands well when in coverage and pairs this with his situational awareness in order to get his head around early and create turnovers and pass breakups. He is best when in zone coverage, man coverage underneath, or defending the run. Some downsides to Richardson’s game are his mechanics, and deep coverage ability. He tends to play a bit too conservatively and is sluggish at times when reacting in coverage. This leads to his struggles in deep coverage as he has a tough time recovering from any missteps or reactions. For this reason, he is much better when asked to play zone, but with some mechanics adjustments and learning to play with a bit more aggressiveness, he will be able to create more turnovers, and hang around better in man coverage situations.