With the NFL draft a week away, several outlets are providing scouting reports of the nation’s top players. Draft experts continue to analyze former Florida quarterback [autotag]Anthony Richardson[/autotag], and The Athletic Staff Writer Ted Nguyen has him ranked No. 3 in his latest positional breakdown.
However, when it comes to potential, Nguyen says the former Gator is at the top of the list.
“Richardson’s combination of elite athleticism, arm talent and pocket presence is rare and gives him the highest ceiling in this class,” Nguyen wrote. “In the right setting, he could have a similar trajectory to Lamar Jackson.”
That’s incredibly high praise, and the comparison doesn’t come without some support. Like Jackson, Richardson may very well be a run-first quarterback early on in his career. His biggest critics point to his completion percentage and tendency to overthrow. Nguyen admits that there are some accuracy issues with Richardson, but they aren’t as concerning as some might lead on.
“Richardson’s biggest issue is accuracy, and it’s overblown because of Florida’s lack of receiver talent. Richardson’s receivers struggled to get open and track the ball, and they dropped a lot of passes.”
It wasn’t long ago that Gators fans were thinking that Richardson could compete for Heisman. Remember the jumping pump-fake touchdown against Utah?
Florida’s poor season was hardly Richardson’s fault. He might be the most athletic player to ever play the position, and the plan of running first while he works on the passing isn’t a bad one. It worked for Lamar Jackson, so why not Richardson?
Of course, the flip side of the coin is the accuracy never really comes together. Nguyen’s caveat of “in the right setting,” is an important one. Richardson’s NFL career could go down the wrong path if he’s thrust into a starting role too early.
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