FOXBORO -- Jordan Richards didn't have a draft party planned. In fact, he wasn't even watching when the Patriots were on the clock and about to select him with the No. 64 overall pick in the second round.
He was driving with his parents, headed to Reno. The draft news he was getting sounded from the radio.
Until he got a call from from Patriots coach Bill Belichick and owner Robert Kraft.
"I’m actually in the car right now with my mom and dad," Richards said during a conference call with reporters. "We’re actually headed up to go see my sister. She couldn’t come home for the weekend so we’re headed up her way."
Richards was a two-time All-Pac-12 selection and a three-time All-Pac-12 All-Academic first team choice, but he was projected by many to be a Day 3 pick. His slow 40-yard dash time at the NFL Scouting Combine (4.65 seconds) made him borderline draftable in the eyes of some.
A surprise pick, then, Richards was asked to describe his game soon after being selected. He had two words on the tip of his tongue.
"I think I play fast and physical," he said, "and that kind of touches all aspects of the game, whether it’s [special] teams or defense. And as a person, I think I’m a smart player and I think I’m easily coachable and that I just want to learn and be the best football player I can be, so an organization like the Patriots, I’m going to try to go there and be a sponge and soak up as much as I can from teammates and coaches and somehow contribute to the success of this organization."
New England Patriots
Richards played as a free safety and as a strong safety during his four years at Stanford. He played in the deep part of the field and he worked his way down into the box. He also played a good deal of special teams while in college and is expected to do so when he makes his way to New England.
For all his versatility, however, his strongest attribute may be his football mind. Part of the reason he was able to whip around the Stanford secondary as quickly as he did was because he knew where his teammates would be in any given situation, on any snap.
He processed offenses quickly, which allowed him to play quickly. It's why his teammates called him "Coach Richards."
"Yeah, I mean, for me I wanted to be the best football player I could be," he said. "And that means as a safety, you don’t just know what the safety does -- you know the corners, you know what the linebackers are up to, and the defensive ends, and the d-line and interior guys.
"I think it’s just a way of trying to earn the respect of your teammates and show that it means a lot to you and that you’re really serious about that. That’s my goal heading to New England is to just be a sponge and absorb and absorb and absorb."
Here are a few other highlights from the conference call between Richards and reporters at Gillette Stadium:
On if he was surprised to be taken in the second round: "I mean, it’s tough. You hear ranges from all kinds of sources: high, low. It’s tough to take stock in that because I’m not the one that controls who is getting picked. So I tried not to worry about it and I just put my trust in God that I’m going to get my opportunity some place and that opportunity has come and I can’t wait."
On if he enjoyed his "Coach Richards" nickname: "Not at all. Not at all. Not at all, but I love my teammates. They’re too much. I have too much fun with them and I’m so thankful for all that they’ve done that’s helped me get to this stage and have this opportunity."
On how Stanford's coaches prepared him for the next step: "Yeah, I mean speaking first about Stanford coaches – just an incredible set of coaches over the course of my four years that really emphasized the fundamentals of the game; playing as a team and when you’re out there on the field you do your one-eleventh. You don’t try and do anything above and beyond what you are asked, but you do your job and you do it your best of your ability. That’s what I see. I mean obviously it’s from me, kind of as a fan’s perspective, but that seems to be kind of Coach Belichick’s motto and you just do your job and if all 53 guys, or however many people are on that field are doing their job, and putting everything they’ve got into it, the chance of success is a lot higher than when guys are trying to do their own thing."
On reuniting with former Stanford teammates Cameron Fleming and Tyler Gaffney: "Yeah, it’s awesome to get to go play with Cam again. He’s a guy that you just respect the way he carries himself, respect the way he works at the game. He’s just a solid person, so I’m excited to get to spend a little more time with Cam out there and just really can’t wait . . . I got to talk with Tyler Gaffney, who’s another guy I respect the heck out of and who he is and they way he plays -- another former teammate here at Stanford. He sent me a text and I responded back and I said ‘I just can’t want to come out there and join y’all.’ "