Florida football will be represented in this month’s NFL draft as one of the most talented players to ever wear the beloved Orange and Blue. Quarterback [autotag]Anthony Richardson[/autotag], a hometown hero from Gainesville, is set to become possibly the highest-ever drafted former Gator in the modern era of professional football.
Despite the lofty projections for the departing redshirt sophomore in the draft, the young man’s game is still riddled with no shortage of questions and concerns stemming from his often subpar performance on the field at the collegiate level. USA TODAY Sports’ Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz recently took a look at the NFL draft’s 13 biggest high-risk, high-reward prospects, which included Florida’s mercurial pass-caller.
Here are Middlehurst-Schwartz’s takes on Richardson’s strengths and weaknesses.
Something doesn’t add up when a 6-4, 244-pound quarterback with 4.43-second speed in the 40-yard dash and a dazzling deep ball only completes 53.8% of his throws in his lone year as a starter and is still considered a top-five pick. Nevertheless, that’s the outlook for Richardson, a sublimely gifted passer whose rapid ascension seems to be rooted primarily in his brief bursts of brilliance. And with only 393 career attempts to examine, it’s up to NFL scouts and general managers to figure out why Richardson could comfortably deliver a high-difficulty pass on one play and end up sailing a simpler throw on the next one.
Similar to Levis, Richardson was too often let down by a shoddy supporting cast and suspect offensive scheme. Maybe his most serious lapses can be attributed to fixable footwork and an overall shortage of experience, in which case he could come along quickly with proper coaching and additional repairs to his release and touch. Ultimately, however, no matter how much of a game-breaker he is as a runner – and he’s already a singular talent in this area – or impressive his highlights are, Richardson’s long-term viability will hinge on whether he can establish the consistency as a passer that has eluded him to date.
The 88th annual edition of the 2023 NFL draft, kicks off on April 27, and runs until April 29, in Kansas City, Missouri. The first round begins at 8 p.m. EDT on Thursday while rounds two and three take place on Friday starting at 7 p.m. EDT, and rounds four through seven on Saturday starting at noon EDT. The entire event will be broadcast on the NFL Network.
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