What made Richardson such an alluring prospect? He was selected by the Indianapolis Colts as the franchise quarterback and was among the top five picks in consideration for the number one pick. In the same conversation, he found himself alongside Stroud C.J. And Young Bryce. Anthony Richardson’s astronomical rise led him to the top of the NFL Draft board in 2023 as a quarterback from Florida.
Throughout his four-year tenure in high school, Richardson amassed a total of 6,366 yards and 88 touchdowns. He joined the Gators as a talented local recruit from Gainesville and was widely recognized as a four-star prospect in the 2020 recruiting class. As a member of the Florida Gators, Richardson proved to be a promising quarterback during the majority of the 2020-2021 season.
Following the departure of Trask, the Gators looked for a way to move forward as the potential for success in 2021 began to mount. It was impossible to overlook Richardson, who stands at 6’4″ and weighs 232 pounds, or disregard the potential he possessed. However, throughout the entire ordeal, Richardson spent the majority of the 2020 season on the sidelines, as he was part of a quarterback group that consisted of Trask, who was eventually selected in the second round of the draft, and Jones, who became the starting quarterback in 2021.
At field level, Richardson accumulated 51 rushing attempts, 401 yards, and three touchdowns, while successfully connecting on 38 out of 64 passes for 529 yards, six touchdowns, and five interceptions. As time went by, Richardson started to participate more frequently, courtesy of Jones’ unpredictable performance leading the path. Florida predominantly remained loyal to him throughout the season, deciding to rely on Jones from the beginning of the 2021 season. When the season concluded.
In 2022, the Gators entrusted him with the responsibility of leading the offense, and his promise was evident from the very beginning. However, his potential was apparent from the outset, and during that period, he had mostly been an unpredictable thrower for the Gators. Richardson concluded 2021 with only 66 pass attempts throughout his career.
In the field, Richardson contributed 103 rushes for 654 yards and nine extra touchdowns. He passed for 2,549 yards, 17 touchdowns, and nine interceptions, completing 176 throws out of 327 tries in the 2022 season.
Richardson’s first full-time year as the starting quarterback was polarizing, drawing discussion from both sides. He garnered criticism for his 53.8% completion percentage. However, in the final nine games of the season, he threw only five interceptions and had 17 touchdown passes.
Richardson, with his innate skill, consistently made astonishing plays on a weekly basis, and throughout that concluding season, there were glimpses of improvement.
Richardson, the quarterback at the time, showcased his remarkable athleticism at the NFL Combine, achieving the highest recorded RAS (Relative Athletic Score) with an impressive broad jump of 8’10” and a vertical jump of 5’40”. Additionally, he ran the 40-yard dash in a blazing time of 4.43 seconds, solidifying his exceptional talent.
Let’s take a closer look, shall we? There was enough tape on Richardson to warrant taking a risk in the early rounds of the 2023 NFL Draft. What made him such an exciting prospect was his raw potential, and players like him often don’t come around frequently.
Anthony Richardson Scouting Report
We know that Richardson is talented, but specifically what makes him a special prospect at the QB position is that he was early enough to justify taking him on the operational side.
Richardson’s Positives
Richardson is an incredibly explosive athlete, standing at 6’4″ and weighing 244 pounds. He possesses excellent twitch and ability, as well as change-of-direction agility. With a dense and strong frame, Richardson is a true unicorn.
Richardson, in fact, has a dominant trait near capacity creation, where he quickly adapts and diverts course to match the speed and twitch corrective of rushers he faces when playing the option on upfield.
Richardson possesses a level of freedom movement and explosiveness, speed, and energy that is unmatched by anyone else. He is like Allen Josh and Newton Cam, mobile quarterbacks who naturally draw excitement with their ability to move freely despite their size. Richardson is an uncommon athlete.
Richardson’s exceptional physicality, combined with his impressive athleticism, elevates him to a level comparable to Justin Fields, making him a formidable running threat among active quarterbacks.
Richardson, the quarterback from Florida, demonstrates remarkable arm strength by consistently delivering passes downfield, even when throwing across his body. His throws effortlessly surpass defenders in all situations, and his passes accurately and swiftly reach their intended targets in the short and intermediate distances. In addition to his exceptional passing abilities, Richardson also possesses great talent in running the football.
Richardson’s arm strength is quantifiably elite, but what is equally impressive is his elasticity. He has demonstrated the ability to generate great velocity even when throwing from unstable platforms or fading back. Additionally, he has shown the capability to generate velocity from multiple angles and possesses a crisp off-platform release.
When he keeps compact things near his elastic arm, he can manipulate and use it to place things. Furthermore, when his compact release is activated, he has the ability to flash flexible angles with his elastic arm.
As time passed, Richardson became increasingly at ease operating within the pocket and demonstrated exceptional skills in maneuvering and maintaining composure within it during the year 2022. He possesses the ability to detect incoming pressure from the sides and adeptly move forward within the pocket.
On the playing field, Richardson has the ability to maintain his focus and awareness while moving to a more secure position, detecting any imbalances in the pocket and maneuvering through congested areas, and advancing smoothly through tight spaces.
Mechanically, Richardson brings plenty of tantalizing tools to work with. The QB from Florida consistently and efficiently gets good rotation in his hip, with a powerful yet crisp release. He can gather torque quickly, rolling off the platform when necessary, even around his hips.
Following play action, he effectively readjusts his stance, which becomes evident as he promptly corrects his positioning and regains harmony when moved. Richardson also possesses flexible hips, enabling him to swiftly realign and regain harmony when displaced.
The fusion of Richardson’s current appeal and potential ultimate toughness is his willingness to stand and deliver, while taking direct hits and throwing his passes. The QB from Florida is willing to stand and deliver, while taking direct hits and throwing his passes, which showcases his current appeal and potential ultimate toughness.
He is a tough runner who is willing to lower his shoulder and drive back defenders. Additionally, he can withstand contact and break tackles, showcasing his strength and ability as a creator.
Richardson’s Areas for Improvement
Richardson clearly demonstrates his experience and ability to perform well without a young quarterback. He displays bright moments of anticipation on tape, effectively timing his passes and accurately predicting route breaks. He has the potential to be more consistent in his anticipation and breaks. Occasionally, Richardson invites risk by staring down his targets, which can be exploited by defensive backs. However, he is capable of improving in this aspect. Moving forward, Richardson’s development is worth exploring.
Richardson’s discipline in eye is still developing, although he has shown spurts of using manipulation in his eye. He has room to keep growing with full-field progression work, sometimes getting stuck in the deep third at times when his arm forces downfield risks and overlooks intermediate and short routes on one side of the field.
Looking elsewhere, Richardson’s improvement displayed in 2022 fortunately exhibits elasticity in terms of the amount and limits, as well as volatility. This often leads to the launch of new products and the release of winding mechanisms. Moreover, he can prevent full rotation of his hips, lock them open, and delay the throwing motion, thereby enabling concentric motion.
Richardson occasionally shows a scissor-like footwork and staggered mechanics, which can erode his performance. He tends to tilt his front shoulder too much, causing his passes to sail high and further up.
Overall, Richardson’s footwork can be more composed. This can cause inaccuracy, inviting a sync of his body to be out of sync and erode his mechanical synergy. Often, when sensing a drop in pressure, he becomes frantic at the top of his foot and throws false steps when placing his front foot, but he has shown that he can stay in phase while managing space.
Richardson’s consistent accuracy allows him to minimize the mechanical inconsistencies that arise due to pressure, thus reducing overall volatility. He consistently exhibits the ability to smoothly transition into his throws by effectively utilizing his hips.
In the NFL, Richardson will have to continue minimizing unpredictability. Although he did enhance his ability to perceive and avoid pressure in 2022, he becomes increasingly inconsistent with accuracy and prone to turnovers when under pressure.
Richardson’s ability to make decisions can vary in high-pressure scenarios, as is characteristic of a young quarterback with exceptional skills. Occasionally depending too heavily on his natural ability, he can be easily influenced to make hasty and unwise choices.
Sometimes, the late force that the QB Florida throws causes pressure, and additionally, they hesitate. Furthermore, Richardson’s timing is a crucial aspect of his game that still needs work, even after 2022.
Anthony Richardson’s 2023 NFL Outlook
Richardson was a polarizing prospect throughout the 2023 NFL Draft cycle, ultimately earning him the chance to be the franchise quarterback for the Colts as well as the No. 4 overall selection. His high-level tools were instrumental in his selection.
The team announced that Richardson will be the starting quarterback for the team’s 2023 season, barring any unexpected steep collapse or injury. However, Richardson is not only the franchise quarterback under Shane Steichen’s leadership, but also the starter for all 17 games at the beginning of the season.
Richardson’s utmost requirement is to gain experience through live game repetitions, and it appears that Steichen and his team comprehend this. Additional progress is necessary as he is predominantly lacking in this aspect, which explains why Richardson only had the opportunity to start for a single complete season during his time in college.
Richardson’s young age notwithstanding, his raw talent and instincts make him a difference-maker — his ability to navigate the pocket, maintain poise, anticipate plays, and process information are all necessary attributes.
Richardson’s characteristics, ability to create from both sides, and exceptional arm skills create a ceiling that seems almost limitless in the present-day NFL, where having playmakers at quarterback is crucial and can lead to undeniable dominance.
As he evolves as a thrower, his throwing arm, on the other hand, is an exceptional characteristic ready to be further utilized as a powerful weapon. Richardson guarantees reliability early in his professional journey while also contributing to the Colts’ offense; his running skills can immediately bring about transformation.
The thing Richardson needed most, aside from experience, was a proper support infrastructure. The Colts appear to have that at all levels.
Josh Pierce, Alec Jr., Pittman Michael, and others make up a stellar corps of weapons. Under the creative and malleable coaching staff of Steichen, they have a solid offensive line led by Richardson.
As a rookie, Richardson has the potential to be a top-10 quarterback in the league by the end of the season. He is on an upward trajectory and will have the opportunity to play throughout the season, allowing him to take steps in his rookie year. However, he will need patience and time as he has certainly made some early mistakes.