Quarterback Florida / Junior Height: 6’4” Weight: 244
There are few players as polarizing in the 2023 NFL Draft as that of Anthony Richardson. He is a unique combination of size and athleticism that we literally have never seen. Imagine combining the size of Cam Newton, the athletic measurables of RG3, the arm strength of Jay Cutler, and the vision of Ray Charles. That is the recipe for the enigma that is Anthony Richardson.
The Numbers: Richardson was a 4-star recruit, ranked 6th in the nation. Statistically you will not walk away impressed by the stats put up by Richardson in college. He did not break out in any respect until the 2022 season which was his 3rd year at Florida. Through 12 games he put up 2,549 yards and only 17 touchdowns with 9 interceptions. If those numbers underwhelm you cover your eyes for a 53.8% completion percentage which ranks dead last for qualifying college QBs. Richardson finished 2022 with a season QBR of 70.6. His saving grace was his rushing production which amounted to another 654 yards on the ground. Those numbers were enough for many to be out on Richardson, but he remains in the conversation after putting together quite literally the most impressive combine performance by a QB we have ever witnessed. He ran a 4.43 40-yard dash at 244 pounds and had a vertical of 40.5inches. Nearly every athletic metric one would care about is in the 99th percentile.
The Film: As you may have guessed from the numbers, the film on Richardson is absurd. There are moments of pure brilliance in Richardson’s play that can leave you speechless. He can scramble from the pocket like Lamar Jackson and lower his shoulder to make contact with defenders like Bo Jackson. When faced with a single defender, it was his choice whether he planted the unsuspecting soul into the turf or juked them out of their cleats. He combined his obvious rushing threat with a preposterously strong arm. He can Uncle Rico a ball over the mountains like Josh Allen on his best day. The absurdity of Richardson’s film is that for every jaw droppingly great play he makes, there is at least equal amounts of horrendous blunders. As you may have figured by his completion percentage, Richardson struggles greatly with accuracy. He has misses all over, but most frequently he underthrows his receivers. His inconsistent footwork and mechanics could be causing a lot of the inaccuracy. He also has a tendency to get fixated on a target and force the ball into tight coverages that he simply cannot make and as a result he leaves a lot of available yards on the field.
The Bottom Line: Simply put if Richardson is to succeed as an NFL QB, he will need to massively improve his ability as a passer. Every QB in the NFL that has comparable rushing ability has a significantly better ability as a passer and had far more success at the collegiate level. That said, a player can be a fantasy football stud while not necessarily performing well on the NFL stage (See 2022 Justin Fields). An NFL team will take a chance on Richardson presumably in the early 1st round. That buys at minimum a three-year window of high-level fantasy production and hopefully more if the necessary improvements are made. His rushing ability provides both a safe floor and a high upside which will directly translate to the NFL and his limitations as a passer will be the main focus of his inevitable NFL debut.
Comments