“Helped my game a lot” – Top 2023 NFL Draft prospect Anthony Richardson credits Buccaneers QB for mentoring him
Anthony Richardson wrote an open letter to the coaches and general managers of the NFL, highlighting why he should be selected by them.
He credited his family, especially his mother and his uncle, for helping him reach where he is today. He also thanked his coaches and those who helped teach him the game. Richardson reserved a portion of his gratitude for a Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback: not the GOAT Tom Brady, but his backup Kyle Trask, who he credits with making him the player he is.
Richardson spoke about Trask:
"Watching Kyle Trask helped my game a lot."
Anthony Richardson credits Kyle Trask for his attention to detail
Anthony Richardson believes one of the reasons he has done so well is watching Kyle Trask's approach to the game. During their time in college in Florida, he saw the Buccaneers quarterback learning the offense as if it was his second nature.
It taught Richardson that if one knew the the offense by heart, it becomes easier to expose the opposing defense if you can find their chinks. He said,
"One of the best things I learned from watching him is, if you know your offense like the back of your hand, it’s easy to expose another defense. All you have to do is learn their tendencies and exploit them. Kyle knows almost every protection check, every route. And it clicked for me like, O.K., that’s why it’s so easy for him to pick apart a defense."
Anthony Richardson also saw how easy it was for Kyle Trask that by knowing the offense, he could effectively communicate with the coach. He could understand and implement the systems and add layers to it. Seeing that happen in real time also influenced the current draft prospects, as he wrote:
"Seeing how easy it was for him (Kyle Trask) to communicate with Coach Mullen, and Kyle knowing almost as much as Coach, it was like, This is probably why that guy is so good. So I just tried to implement that in my game, and add a little flavor to it whenever I’m on the field."
The letter he put out not only burnished Anthony Richardson's credentials in the league, it did so for Kyle Trask as well. The Buccaneers quarterback has a golden chance now that Tom Brady has retired, even though they have brought in Baker Mayfield.
#Bucs GM Jason Licht says that quarterback is the “toughest position to find.” The team has an unknown in Kyle Trask and Baker Mayfield, who has had some good years.
He added that he is not afraid to draft another one.
Trask will hope he gets the chance to showcase his application on the NFL field, of which Richardson spoke highly.