Anthony Richardson 2023 NFL Draft profile: Scout report for the Florida QB
Anthony Richardson, Florida: 6’4”, 240 pounds; RS SO.
A four-star recruit in 2020, Anthony Richardson only threw two passes as a true freshman (one completed for a touchdown) and wasn’t even expected to start the following season, after taking a redshirt.
However, he did see action in seven games and played in two full contests, converting 64 pass attempts into 529 yards and six touchdowns vs. five interceptions. This was along with just over 400 yards and three TDs on 51 carries, averaging 7.9 yards per.
This past season, he completed 53.8% of his passes for 2,549 yards and 17 TDs compared to nine picks, along with 103 carries 654 yards and nine TDs (started all but Florida’s bowl game – 12 total).
Anthony Richardson scout report: Strengths
+ Anthony Richardson presents a huge frame and is very willing to sit in the pocket and deliver the ball to anywhere on the playing surface.
+ Can make some jaw-dropping throws down the field and create explosive torque to extend throwing windows, because he can get the ball from point A to point B at the same time as other guys, even if it leaves his hand a beat later.
+ Playing single-high coverages if highly dangerous against Richardson, because if he can just hold that guy in the middle for a split-second, he can fire the ball down the sideline for huge plays.
+ With that rifle attached to his right shoulder, he can fire the ball to his receivers over the middle, particularly on drive-throws in the 15-25 yard range.
+ You see him be able to hit his receivers on corner, deep in-breaking routes and others at the last possible moment, where even though he’s not on time, they end up cashing in.
+ Pins the ball right onto the chest of his wideouts on deep curl routes and is able to defeat even tight man-coverage.
+ However, he can also throw the ball with touch to his receivers on crossers and allow his guys to run underneath them.
+ Didn’t receive much help from his receiving corp, whether it’s about dropping passes (7.4% drop rate) or just coming up with combat catches when the ball is put to the right spot, but also route spacing, where they seem to be in the same area frequently and Richardson typically zips it to the deeper target.
+ Far from a one-read-and-run type of quarterback, showing the capability of executing full-field reads and hitting receivers all the way at the opposite sideline from where he started.
+ Anticipates creases between shallow zones well, as one route pulls away one defender and can put the ball right on the numbers, rather than creating potential for disruption at the catch-point.
+ Manipulates defenders in the flat- and hook-area just about as good as anybody with his eyes, in order to open up windows for himself.
+ Has highly underrated pocket presence, using incremental and more dramatic movement depending on what’s needed, and if anything, his eyes stay locked down the field for too long.
+ Can slide laterally and buy a little bit of extra time without having to leave the pocket, and what I love – as long as he’s moving between the tackles, both hands stay on the football pretty much all the time.
+ Regularly is able to deliver the ball whilst working towards the line of scrimmage and some of the throws he makes hopping up into the pocket, at times with both feet off the ground, are just astounding.
+ His pressure-to-sack conversion rate of 9.2% in 2022 was top-ten among FBS quarterbacks and ahead of every single one currently projected to be drafted this year.
+ The chin stays up when Anthony Richardson leaves the pocket and he can throw the ball with velocity off the wrong foot towards the sideline 15-20 yards from the launch point, if flushed out wide.
+ The first time I actively watched Richardson late in the Cotton Bowl against Oklahoma (2020/21), he trucked a safety. He followed that up with like a 30-yard scramble and a 27-yard TD pass down the seams to finish the game, where they got blown out.
+ Has that crazy acceleration to beat the initial angles of defenders and that suddenness to make guys miss, plus then he’s more than willing to run through second- and third-level defenders in his path, where he is setting the tone at contact.
+ Can be used as a true power runner between the tackles, following pullers and working off hits, as well as show the burst to get around the corner on QB sweeps.
+ Integrates shoulder- and head-fakes to affect defenders in the open field and get around them – had an insane missed-tackle forced rate of 37.9% on his carries last season.
+ Diversifies your run game portfolio the day he arrives at his pro team, with clean reads at the mesh point on option plays already and consistently attracting eyes when he carries out play-fakes.
+ And you can tell that this guy has huge hands looking at some of the hits he takes and somehow is able to hold onto the ball (just five fumbles across 464 combined drop-backs and rushes in 2022).
+ Had a historic combine showcase, running a 4.43 in the 40 and setting records in the vert (40.5 inches) and broad jump (10’9”) at 244 pounds. Also showed flicked the ball with such easy and you saw throw the ball 65 yards through the air – with pace.
+ With that athleticism and elite arm talent, you can call up any pass or run schemes imaginable (theoretically).
Anthony Richardson scout report: Weaknesses
– The decision-making is highly questionable at times, flinging the ball up for grabs whilst getting dragged down at times. Anthony Richardson finished with more turnover-worthy plays (five) than big-time throws (four) in half a season of 2021 and while that improved this past season, it still wasn’t on par with the top of the class (5.5 vs. 3.3% respectively).
– Leaves his feet behind on too many occasions or just flicks the back-hip forward when he sets up throws, which leads to inaccuracy. When he knows where he wants to go pre-snap against off-coverage in particular, he gets pretty lazy with his foot-work.
– On passes thrown less than ten yards past the line of scrimmage, Anthony Richardson only completed 58% of those (51-of-88), with four touchdowns versus interceptions – Lacks consistency and focus with the way he delivers the ball underneath.
– Trusts his speed a little too much when it comes to just taking off up the middle and misjudges how quickly creases can disappear, which will only be highlighted more in the NFL.
Anthony Richardson scout report: Grade
Full transparency – I flirted with the idea of putting Anthony Richardson at number one.
He’s certainly not as far along as a decision-maker and distributor of the football as the other two young in my top tier. But considering he’s started just 14 career games with the natural feel for the position he displays, he’s not nearly as much of a project as people make him out to be.
He’s probably the only guy in this class capable of one day being in the conversation for best quarterback in the league. I would definitely say he’s more inexperienced than raw in terms of identifying coverage rotations and understanding when to replace blitzes with hot-routes.
The pocket navigation and ability to move zone defenders with his eyes is already tremendous for the limited snaps he’s logged. Where he does need to mature is understanding when plays are dead, but even with that, from week seven on last season, he only had four turnover-worthy plays against some pretty good competition.
Anthony Richardson is my QB2 and if you have the infrastructure to allow him to learn through some early mistakes without trying to spurt his growth by running some kind of gimmicky offense, I can see the argument for him being number one on your board.
Grade: Top-ten overall
You might like other 2023 NFL Draft Scouting Reports: Tyree Wilson (EDGE), Texas Tech; Will Anderson Jr. (EDGE), Alabama; Jaxon Smith-Njigba (WR), Ohio; Zay Flowers (WR), Boston; Jordan Addison (WR), USC; Jordan Addison (WR), USC; Quentin Johnston (WR), TCU; Zach Charbonnet (RB), UCLA; Bijan Robinson (RB), Texas.
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