In his most recent mock draft, ESPN’s Mel Kiper has the Tennessee Titans trading up from the No. 11 overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft to the No. 3 selection in order to draft Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson.
Following the release of his mock draft, Kiper explained why he thinks it would make sense for Tennessee to trade up for Richardson, and why the Titans are a good fit for the Florida signal-caller.
“Tennessee has (Ryan) Tannehill for one more year,” Kiper said, per Jim Wyatt of Titans Online. “Malik Willis, you don’t know what he is going to develop into. Basically, you have a better version of Malik Willis in Anthony Richardson — he’s a run guy who has to improve as a passer, but he is big, he has a rocket arm. He’s a guy I think could be spectacular in the NFL if his accuracy improves. He’d immediately be one of the top three to four running quarterbacks in the National Football League, maybe eventually be the best running quarterback in the NFL.
“So, with that kind of upside, if you can go from 11 to 3 and get him, then why not? Especially for a team that has the bridge quarterback already available, which is important. With only 13 career starts, and Anthony Richardson being a raw, developmental talent, you need to have a quarterback in place for this year and they have that in Tannehill.”
There is no question about Richardson’s upside, but the Titans would also have to weigh the heavy risk of drafting another raw, developmental quarterback, especially when you consider what it’ll cost to move up.
And, missing on Richardson in that scenario is not the same as potentially missing on Willis. I say “potentially” because I haven’t counted Willis out yet.
I don’t see the Titans trading up to No. 3 unless Bryce Young or C.J. Stroud fall there, and I remain highly skeptical that will happen. If it does, by all means trade up to No. 3.
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