The next Josh Allen? Scouts debate Anthony Richardson, the NFL
7:00 AM ET
-
Matt MillerESPN
There might not be a more polarizing prospect in the entire 2023 NFL draft class than Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson.
Evaluators rave about his dual-threat ability, his excellent size at 6-foot-4 and 232 pounds and how he can beat you with the best arm in the draft class. And they’ll talk about his sky-high ceiling, with comparisons to Josh Allen and Cam Newton. From a physical traits perspective, he could be the most talented player on the board this April after he declared for the draft following his redshirt sophomore season.
But Richardson is not the favorite to be the first pick in the 2023 draft, and he might even be the fourth quarterback off the board. Why? Many scouts see the upside but are concerned with his inconsistent production over just one full season as a starter and massive accuracy issues. Richardson completed 54.7% of his passes in his career while throwing 24 touchdown passes and 15 interceptions.
That means there’s a lot of risk for a team looking to land its future franchise quarterback in Round 1, which makes Richardson such a difficult pre-draft evaluation. How do you weigh the potential against the flaws? I spoke to more than a dozen scouts, executives and coaches from around the NFL to get a sense of how Richardson stacks up right now, why he’s so hard to place on their draft boards, how he can find success in the league and what’s next for the super intriguing prospect as we prep for the combine.
Jump to:
Potential | Risks | Development keys
Comps | Draft range | Team fits