LISTEN: Your browser does not support the audio element.

Plenty of wide receivers would say that grasping the complexities of an NFL offense or needing to pay much greater attention to detail is the biggest adjustment they face from college to the pros.

But for Seattle’s Paul Richardson, it’s been going from the focal point of one offense to an understudy in another.

“I think the biggest thing is transitioning from being the guy,” he told “Danny, Dave and Moore” on 710 ESPN Seattle. “In college, I wasn’t put in a position where I had to wait. And that’s a big thing, I had to really mature and grow up and realize that you have to wait your turn sometimes in this business.”

Richardson’s receiving totals during his final season at Colorado looked like something out of a video game. He made 83 receptions, including 10 or more in three games. He finished with 1,343 yards, topping the century mark six times and going over 200 twice. And he caught 10 touchdown passes, finding the end zone at least once in eight of 12 games. Richardson finished in the top 25 in the nation in all three of those categories despite a schedule that was shorter than most others.

He has one catch for 7 yards through three games this season, his lone reception coming in Week 3 against Denver.

It isn’t uncommon for rookie receivers to have to bide their time, and when they do make an immediate impact it’s often out of necessity. But it’s not as though Seattle’s receiver corps is lacking firepower or depth. Percy Harvin and Doug Baldwin are the starters, Jermaine Kearse is a very capable No. 3 and Ricardo Lockette has emerged as a factor in Seattle’s rotation, leaving Richardson, Bryan Walters and Kevin Norwood fighting for scraps at the bottom of the depth chart.

Having to wait for his turn is a reality that Richardson had to come to terms with.

“To be honest it was discouraging at first, because … I looked at it as, ‘What was I doing wrong?’ – not necessarily as what I need to do to keep myself prepared,” he said. “So once I figured out that I need to just make sure I was prepared at all times instead of trying to look at it as what I was doing wrong … going against Earl and going against Richard and Maxwell and Kam and those guys are telling you how much you’re helping them throughout the week, clearly I was doing something right.

“So more or less it’s just continuing to learn the offense, learning different positions and being ready to fill in whenever I can.”