Anthony Richardson, QB Florida: Updated 2023 NFL Draft Profile

Richardson was a four-star recruit from Eastside High School in Gainesville, Fla. in the class of 2020

Florida Gators quarterback Anthony Richardson is a one-of-one athlete in NFL history, but his accuracy, ball placement, and footwork need significant development. He’ll likely go between the fifth and 12th picks in the 2023 NFL Draft.

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Anthony Richardson, QB Florida: 2023 NFL Draft Profile

Classification: Redshirt sophomore quarterback from Gainesville, Fla.

Background: Richardson was a four-star recruit from Eastside High School in Gainesville, Fla. in the class of 2020. He was the No. 204 recruit according to 247Sports, No. 200 for Rivals, and No. 208 for On3.com. ESPN ranked him 183rd in the nation with an 82 grade out of 100. During his high school career, Richardson produced 4,633 passing yards, 37 passing touchdowns, 1,633 rushing yards, and 41 rushing touchdowns. He threw for 1,398 yards, eight touchdowns, and one interception as a high school senior. Richardson produced 1,567 passing yards and 17 touchdowns and ran for 924 yards and 16 touchdowns as a junior. He also played varsity basketball, averaging 10.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game as a junior. Richardson committed to and decommitted from Florida before recommitting.

Injuries & Off-Field: Underwent knee surgery late in the season (2021) stemming from a meniscus tear he suffered in high school

Awards: 2021 Freshman Team All-SEC

Pros: One-of-one athlete, built in a lab, ultimate combination of size, speed, explosiveness, and power, worked with non-NFL-caliber pass catchers at Florida, age, elite arm strength and velocity, throws tight spirals, arm strength to deliver throws on a rope without planting feet, launches the ball 60 yards downfield, velocity to drive the ball into sideline windows from the opposite hash, compact throwing motion and release, varies release speed and arm slots, quick whip-like release for short throws, feet are active but not toesy in the pocket, flashes of elite accurate downfield throws, back shoulder throws on vertical routes to shield the ball from the DB, delivers throws with pressure in his face, instances of stepping up in the pocket to avoid pressure and deliver throws, physicality to survive first contact in the pocket, comfortable throwing on the run and creating off-platform, mobility to extend plays, frequently keeps his eyes downfield when initially breaking the pocket, covers ground quickly with speed and long strides, gashes defense for huge runs when left alone, makes defenders miss in small spaces, agility to make sudden and sharp cuts, contact balance as a runner, speed to beat linebackers to the edge

Cons: Four penalties in 2022, five fumbles in 2022, one-year starter, pre-snap diagnosis, slow working through progressions, ability to get through full-field reads is still in question, late getting to his checkdown, time to throw is over three seconds on average, holds the ball for too long, needs to throw the ball away and live to fight another day, release angle leads to low throws, lacks touch on short to intermediate throws, throws bullets with no touch, overthrows downfield shots, sprays balls all over the field with little consistency in his accuracy and placement, doesn’t set a consistent base, gets happy feet when pressured in the pocket, struggles to get his hips around when rolling left and deliver an accurate pass on the move, accuracy and ball placement on the move decline rapidly, anticipation comes and goes, gets tunnel vision and stares down receivers, vision doesn’t reveal wide open receivers

Overview: Richardson took official measurements at the NFL Combine. He’s 6036 and weighs 244 lbs. He has 10 4/8-inch hands, 32 6/8-inch arms, and a 79 7/8-inch wingspan. Richardson is arguably a one-of-one athlete in league history at the quarterback position. He is the ultimate combination of size, speed, explosiveness, and power. Richardson is a young prospect with elite arm strength and velocity. He throws tight spirals, even when his feet aren’t set. The redshirt sophomore has a compact throwing motion and release that he alters to meet the given situation. Richardson’s feet are active in the pocket but not toesy. He hits the occasional accurate, perfectly placed downfield throw and connects on back shoulder throws on vertical routes. Richardson delivers throws with pressure in his face and has the contact balance to survive the initial hit in the pocket. He is comfortable throwing on the run and creating off-platform. The Florida native keeps his eyes downfield when extending plays. His high-end mobility allows him to cover ground quickly. Richardson gashes defense for huge runs when left alone and has the agility to make sudden and sharp cuts. He outpaces linebackers and defensive linemen with his long strides. Richardson was a one-year starter, and it shows in his lack of development and experience. He’s not where he needs to be when it comes to pre-snap diagnosis and post-snap decision-making. Richardson is slow working through progressions and late getting to his checkdown. He holds the ball for too long instead of throwing it away. The former four-star recruit lacks touch on short to intermediate throws, throwing bullets. He overthrows downfield strikes and sprays balls all over the field with little consistency. His accuracy and ball placement set his receivers up for failure, although they rarely helped Richardson to begin with. He gets happy feet when pressured in the pocket. Richardson’s accuracy and ball placement decline rapidly when he’s on the move. His anticipation comes and goes, and he frequently gets tunnel vision and stares down receivers. Richardson misses wide open receivers because of his accuracy but also doesn’t see potential targets streaking wide open downfield.

Overall, Richardson is a generational athlete with all of the physical tools NFL teams look for in modern quarterbacks, but he’s still highly inaccurate and unrefined. Ideally, Richardson won’t step into a situation where he needs to start as a rookie. The team that drafts the mobile quarterback should start from the ground up with his development, beginning with his footwork.

Role & Scheme Fit: Mobile quarterback in a spread offense

Round Projection: Second Round

Player Comparison: N/A

Submitted: 04-16-23