The 88th annual edition of the 2023 NFL draft — held in Kansas City, Missouri this year — is just three days away, starting on Thursday, April 27, and running until Saturday, April 29. The sports media has been frothing at the mouth with its predictions for the league’s premier spring event taking place this week, and soon, their thirst for results will be satiated.
Among those chiming in with their mocks is USA TODAY Sports’ Nate Davis, who published his latest projections on Monday under the premise that former Alabama Crimson Tide linebacker Will Anderson Jr. will be taken by the Houston Texans with the second pick. Such a selection would send a ripple through the rest of the first round and would very likely affect former Florida Gators quarterback [autotag]Anthony Richardson[/autotag]’s landing spot.
How far would the Gainesville native fall in this scenario? Davis has Richardson taken outside the top 10 at No. 11 by the Tennessee Titans. Here is his take on the pick.
Ryan Tannehill is entering the final year of his contract, and Malik Willis did little to inspire confidence from the fans or coaches in 2022. Enter the self-styled “Cam Jackson,” who blew up the combine as a bit of a Newton-Lamar Jackson hybrid. At 6-4, 244 pounds, Richardson blazed a 4.43-second 40-yard dash and hit combine quarterback records with a vertical jump of 40½ inches and a broad jump of 10 feet, 9 inches. So though he’s lacking in experience (13 starts for the Gators), Richardson’s physical tools – to include a bazooka of an arm that was also on full display – are tantalizing. And similar to Jackson, Richardson could benefit from breaking in behind Tannehill while maybe seeing the field in specially designed packages … given the reasonable assumption the 21-year-old won’t be ready to start immediately.
This aligns well with CBS Sports writer Will Brinson’s recent take based on the narrative that quarterbacks will not be as prolific at the top of the draft as many think. His mock has Richardson taken at No. 12 by the Texans with a pick acquired in a trade with the Cleveland Browns.
The most recent 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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