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Trent Richardson is the most intriguing of the Raiders' free-agency additions.

According to ESPN's Mike Wells, Richardson set some lofty goals for himself once the Indianapolis Colts waived him (via NFL.com's Dan Hanzus): "I'll be one of the top running backs from here on out. They ruled Marshawn Lynch off in his third year. Look at what he's doing now. My next stop, I'll be the starter. I still have my pride and I know who I am."

That next stop turned out to be Oakland. And while some might laugh off his Lynch reference, there is some merit to the thought. Lynch is now Beast Mode. But before that, he was the running back that the Buffalo Bills didn't want. All it cost Seattle to get Lynch, a former 12th overall pick, back in 2010 was two picks—one fourth-rounder and one conditional pick.

It wasn't until Lynch joined the Seattle Seahawks that he became the runner we all know today. Can Richardson replicate this type of transformation? The Raiders sure hope so.

But there's no question that Richardson has a longer way to go. While Lynch didn't transform into Beast Mode until he joined the Seahawks, he was still productive. Richardson, on the other hand, has been a disappointment during his time in the league, with the exception of a decent rookie year.

Now on his third team in four seasons in the league, Richardson claims to have finally seen the light, according to IBABuzz.com's Jerry McDonald:

A lot of football players don’t realize stuff until it’s gone. I’ve been playing football my whole life. Coach [Jack Del Rio] asked me this yesterday. "Trent, how long have you been playing football? I said,"Coach I’ve been playing since six years old." He said, "So what would you do without football? At your age, what would you do without football?" It kind of hit to where, "Yeah, you’re right, coach." That’s something you don’t expect, that you don’t hear from everybody.

Richardson has the potential to be Oakland's best signing in free agency. But he also has the potential to be the biggest letdown. Unfortunately, his first three seasons in the NFL suggest that the latter is more likely.