NFL

Anthony Richardson NFL Draft Profile – The High Ceiling Prospect?

April 27, 2023 10:40 am

One of the more polarizing figures in the 2023 NFL Draft is Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson. Some love his potential and others see him as the fourth-best signal caller in this class.

Anthony Richardson
Wikimedia Commons

Anthony Richardson Draft Profile

  • Position: Quarterback
  • Age: 20
  • Hometown: Gainesville, Florida
  • School: Florida
  • Class: Sophomore
  • Height: 6’4”
  • Weight: 244 lbs
  • Arm: 32 3/4”
  • Hand: 10 1/2”

NFL Combine Results

  • 40-Yard Dash: 4.43 seconds
  • 10-Yard Split: 1.53 seconds
  • Vertical Jump: 40.5”
  • Broad Jump: 10’9”

Anthony Richardson College Career

Richardson was a highly sought after prospect when he enrolled at Florida in 2020. He only threw two passes in his first season with one going for a touchdown and the other an interception. Fun. In 2021, Richardson was a backup but still got some playing time, throwing for 529 yards and 6 touchdowns.

Richardson finally had a significant starting job in 2022, throwing for 2,549 yards, 17 touchdowns, 9 interceptions, and he rushed for 654 yards and 9 touchdowns. In 2022, he had multiple games with 400 yards passing and multiple games with over 100 rushing yards.

He also showed big-play ability as a runner with touchdown runs of 81, 80, 73, 60, and 45 yards at Florida.

Background

Richardson attended Eastside High School in Gainesville, Florida. His career stats included 4,633 passing yards, 37 passing touchdowns, 1,633 rushing yards, and 41 rushing touchdowns.

Projected Pick/Landing Spot: No. 11 – Tennessee Titans

There is little doubt that Richardson is going high in this draft, though some of the expectations have changed for him in just the last few days. After his combine performance, he was a riser in this draft, even overtaking Will Levis as the No. 3 quarterback behind Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud.

Now, Richardson may be the No. 4 quarterback in this class again with Levis making a late push before draft night. But with Richardson, his over/under for draft position has gone up from 4.5 to 7.5 in just the last few days. This suggests he may be looking at the Tennessee Titans (No. 11 pick) and Houston Texans (No. 12 pick) getting into a bidding war for his services, especially if the Texans do in fact bypass a quarterback at No. 2.

Still, Richardson is a dual-threat quarterback with a potentially high ceiling.

A reason the Colts have been often linked to him is that new head coach Shane Steichen comes from Philadelphia where he helped develop Jalen Hurts into an MVP finalist and a dual-threat quarterback in the NFL. Hurts had more college success than Richardson, though the athletic score is very impressive with Richardson drawing comparisons to Cam Newton.

But the Colts seem to be pursuing other quarterbacks now with the No. 4 pick, so it would not be surprising to see the Titans, a franchise that once had Steve McNair and Vince Young, swoop in and take Richardson. They still have Ryan Tannehill, but Richardson could ease into a starting role late in the season or in 2024 for the team.

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