The pre-draft process for Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson has been a roller coaster ride. Early on, many analysts and draft pundits didn’t believe that his name should be included among the top-ranked quarterbacks in this year’s class. Taking a look at his production with the Gators, it was hard to argue against that.
Anthony Richardson’s statistics don’t jump off the board. He completed only 54.7 percent of his passes for 3,105 yards, 24 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. The rushing production was certainly intriguing as Anthony Richardson gained 1,116 yards with 12 rushing touchdowns on 161 attempts.
At first glance, that certainly isn’t first-round material, let alone top-10 or top-five. But, when taking a look at the tape and after his testing, it is easy to see why franchises would fall in love with him. He can do things that very few players are because of the athleticism that he possesses.
Anthony Richardson tested off the charts based on his combination of size, speed and athleticism. Some people have gone as far as saying that he may be the greatest athlete at the quarterback position to ever enter the draft.
Sam Monson of PFF is one of the people who believes that. We have seen some truly gifted players at the quarterback position. Most recently, Lamar Jackson, Justin Fields and Jalen Hurts would all come to mind. But even they all pale in comparison to the size/athleticism combination that Anthony Richardson brings to the table.
It is easy to see why so many teams would be interested in selecting him despite his underwhelming statistics collegiately. Plenty of coaching staffs around the league have confidence they would be able to hone his potential and develop him into a high-level starter at the next level.
If Anthony Richardson lands in the right environment, his ceiling is as high as any prospect in this year’s draft class. But, his floor is also lower, as he is far from the safest selection. But, that kind of risk/reward is what these front offices are paid to figure out and someone near the top of the draft is going to take a chance on him developing into a star.
A few teams have already been mentioned as ideal landing spots for him. The Minnesota Vikings, who need a long-term option at quarterback, would make some sense. The Seattle Seahawks do as well with Geno Smith entrenched as the starter in 2023 and as a mentor going forward.
