Doug Engle / USA TODAY NETWORK
Anthony Richardson’s strengths and weaknesses mean you can see greatness or draft bust, depending on how you look.
Every year, we traditionally get one or two polarizing NFL Draft prospects. One half of evaluators think that player is the greatest thing since sliced bread, whilst the other half see nothing but a “do not draft” sign.
This year, that prospect is University of Florida quarterback Antony Richardson, who is arguably the most athletic and enticing quarterback prospect in NFL history. Obviously, being a great athlete does not make you a great quarterback, but it is what makes him such an alluring prospect. Athleticism aside, Richardson is extremely raw, having only started 13 games and attempted 393 passes in college, and for as high as his ceiling might be, his floor is equally as low.
Why do people fall in love with Anthony Richardson as a prospect?
Because of his athletic profile, Richardson does some things on a football field that 99.9 percent of other players who have stepped on the field can only dream of pulling off. His best strength as a player is the wow factor that he brings with some of the otherworldly, Mahomes-esque throws that he can pull off.
This is not his best throw at Florida, or even close to it, but it still shows off some rather rare arm talent. Richardson is fading back with a poor base and is still able to deliver a perfect ball to a target 50 yards downfield to the field side. There are only a handful of quarterbacks in the league who can pull a throw like this one without it being an easy interception.
This second throw Richardson makes looks more than easy, when in reality it is an extremely difficult pass for just about every other quarterback. For Richardson, he simply flicks his wrist without his shoulders or lower half pointing to the receiver and delivers a perfect ball, on a no-look pass no less.
Richardson has ability to extend the play like few quarterbacks. On play-action rollouts where he is exiting the pocket, he has the ability to beat unblocked defenders to the edge. Then, in instances in which he cannot beat them to the edge, he has the ability to improvise. When escaping the pocket, Richardson shows off a very good ability to make throws on the move and maintain a strong base, preventing him from losing any of his arm strength.
In the intermediate passing game, Richardson displays the ability to layer passes over defenders or to redirect receivers when necessary. In addition, he possesses the anticipation and football IQ to make tight throws against zone coverage.
Richardson will immediately step in and become one of the best running quarterbacks in the league. As a runner, he moves with the power and vision of a running back while also featuring very good play speed.
Why does Anthony Richardson scare NFL Draft evaluators?
With only 13 college starts, Richardson is very raw as a prospect.
Richardson has some serious accuracy concerns. His lower base is often out of sync, which plays a role, but he routinely misses throws that simply have to be completed at the NFL level 11 out of 10 times.
Richardson far too often does not reset his feet once he picks them up to slide because of pressure. Rather than sliding away from the pressure and then resetting, Richardson opts to instead try and exit the pocket as quickly as possible.
When rolling to his right he has a tendency to drop his arm slot and throwing shoulder which causes him to drag throws away from the intended target.
In the short passing game, there were too many simple throws he missed that have to be completed in the NFL. In the short game, when Richardson is throwing to his left, he fades his upper body away from the target so his front shoulder leaks to the left which results in inaccurate passes. Richardson’s deep ball struggles with consistency as its placement and touch need work.
His decision-making and eyes need to be refined, as well. Richardson locks onto his first read way too often, sometimes tracking them across the field. When there was a called deep shot, he would not come off of the receiver, no matter how blanketed they were. Richardson rarely ever used his eyes to look off zone defenders.
Anthony Richardson highlights
2023 NFL Combine results for Florida QB Anthony Richardson
Richardson graded out as the most athletic quarterback in combine history. Despite being one of three quarterbacks to receive a 10 Relative Athletic Score (with Cam Newton and Dante Culpepper being the other two) he has the highest all-time RAS rating among quarterbacks.
He stood 6’4, 244 pounds, with 32 3/4” arms and 10 1/2” hands and ran a 4.43-second 40-yards dash including a 1.53 10-yard split. His vertical jump of 40.5” and broad jump of 10’9 rounded out his measurables. His also showed off his cannon, launching bombs in the passing drills.
What are others saying about QB Anthony Richardson?
“A very young and unrefined passer, Anthony Richardson doesn’t have the most impressive resume (zero career games with 250-plus passing yards and a 60 percent or higher completion rate). However, his impressive talent gives him the highest ceiling of any quarterback in this class. A traits-based prospect, Richardson is the most intriguing wild card of the 2023 draft.” Dane Brugler – The Athletic
While he has the talent and upside to be the top pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, his raw ability means he shouldn’t be asked to start right away. Richardson’s very good arm strength, ability to throw on the run, athleticism, and mobility give him the ceiling of a high-end quarterback who can compete for MVP awards. However, his inconsistent accuracy and mechanics, questionable decision-making, and struggles against the blitz give him the floor of a career backup QB.
