Just a month remains until the 88th annual edition of the 2023 NFL draft, which kicks off on April 27 and runs until April 29 in Kansas City, Missouri. With the selection order firmly in place, the sports media has been regularly publishing its respective mock draft updates, including Touchdown Wire’s Jeff Risdon, who released his latest projections for the first round on Friday.
The only former Gator selected this time around was standout quarterback [autotag]Anthony Richardson[/autotag], who Risdon predicts will be taken by the Indianapolis Colts with the third overall pick acquired in a trade from the Arizona Cardinals. Here is Colts Wire’s Kevin Kickey’s take on Florida’s über-athletic signal-caller.
In the first edition of this mock draft (pre-free agency), we had the Colts staying put at No. 4. That’s ultimately what they likely will do, but I wanted to see what it felt like to trade up one spot to secure a quarterback after both C.J. Stroud and Bryce Young were selected. Keeping the second-round pick (No. 35) is imperative and could be a deal-breaker for both sides, but the addition of Kelly in the trade may give the Cardinals an extra bump.
The pick essentially comes down to Richardson and Kentucky’s Will Levis. Both players check several boxes for the Colts while presenting challenges in development. However, we’re swinging for upside here. Richardson’s fit in Shane Steichen’s offense could eventually be what we saw with Jalen Hurts in 2022 and some. Considering Richardson’s elite arm strength, he has the upside to be a dominant dual-threat option at quarterback. His rushing ability gives him a floor to work with in an RPO-based scheme and could already give a Justin Fields level of production from the jump. Learning to be more consistent with his lower-body mechanics and adjusting velocity on touch throws are major keys in his development. The Colts need a new franchise quarterback, and Richardson has the highest upside in this class to become elite.
Previous UF alumni taken in the first round of the draft are cornerback [autotag]Kaiir Elam[/autotag] (2022, No. 23), tight end [autotag]Kyle Pitts[/autotag] (2021, No. 4), wide receiver [autotag]Kadarius Toney[/autotag] (2021, No. 20) and cornerback [autotag]CJ Henderson[/autotag] (2020, No. 9).
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