Rumor Mill: Could Florida’s Anthony Richardson Really Go No. 1 in NFL Draft?
This article includes the opinion of All Gators publisher Zach Goodall.
Anthony Richardson's showing at the 2023 NFL Combine was record-breaking. Was it enough to elevate a one-year starting quarterback in college with a losing record as a starter to the status of No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft?
NFL Network's Rich Eisen, among the many analysts fascinated by the former Florida signal-caller's performance, certainly thinks so.
Richardson — whose 40-yard dash sits in the 98th percentile and vertical jump and broad jump rank in the 99th percentile among quarterbacks since 1999, per MockDraftable — captured the hearts of draftniks across the world on Saturday in Indianapolis, Ind.
A CBS Sports mock draft projected Richardson as the first overall pick via trade in the upcoming selection ceremony days before the Combine and similar results from outlets such as 33rd Team (a website comprised of former NFL personnel-turned-analysts) The Draft Network, Bleacher Report, the Houston Chronicle and Pro Football Network have poured in since.
Eisen delved into the idea of Richardson soaring to the top of the board with fellow analysts on The Rich Eisen Show on Monday.
"This is I guess not an overreaction, it was when I wrote it on Saturday, co-host Chris Brockman said during the "Overreaction Monday" segment of the show, "but Anthony Richardson's gonna be the first overall pick."
Eisen was quick to suggest that Brockman had the right idea with the following response.
That's not an overreaction. It is not an overreaction. [Alabama quarterback] Bryce Young is stupendous, and he's a guy who has, if you will, the FBI, football intelligence that people go through the roof. And he's 5-10 and an 1/8th and that's going to scare some people off, I think. Although I'd love to see the tape where it's just like, 'Oh, he's too small there." And [Ohio State quarterback] C.J. Stroud has got the measurables, and he's got the arm, and he's got big game experience.
And Anthony Richardson's a unicorn. Nobody looks like that.
He didn't really need his lower part of his body in the super slo-mo to flick it 70 yards in the air. And he can run over you, and I think somebody sees that, and he could be totally different than anything else. And, he could totally be first overall. I totally believe you. What else you got over there, Chris? That's not an overreaction.
Young and Stroud have long been placed in the top tier of 2023 quarterback prospects, and rightfully so. Each passer has two years of starting experience at powerhouse programs, winning college football résumés and gaudy stat lines.
Richardson's draft profile doesn't feature those qualities. His one season as a starter and 19 meaningful appearances at Florida — the 2021-22 seasons — ended in a combined 10-9 record with a 53.8 career completion percentage and 15 interceptions.
In that stretch, Richardson dealt with numerous nagging injuries — including an undiscovered knee wound from high school that turned into a meniscus tear and ended his 2021 season, the firing of his first college head coach and the installation of a new program under Billy Napier.
And while the general results weren't pretty for Florida in 2022, Richardson's athletic profile and knack for making pro-caliber plays make the Gators' lack of team success a secondary topic when it comes to his scouting report.
As NFL evaluators watch Richardson's tape, they see a quarterback who can make electric plays happen — possessing an arm that can produce a 70-yard pass with ease and the ability to over-and-out-run defenders. Spotty accuracy and a lack of touch throwing under pressure are common throughout the footage, but so are immaculate accuracy and touch on throws most quarterbacks can't make, and his ability to make something out of nothing can compensate for his current downfalls.
They also see a quarterback who improved along the way as a starter. He finished the 2022 campaign with 17 touchdowns and five interceptions in nine games after going without a passing score and posting four picks across the first three matchups. In a way, he made up for his nine interceptions in 2022 with his nine rushing touchdowns.
Most teams will question why things went sideways during his time at Florida, and some might be scared off by the product, but recent history suggests a franchise will fall in love with Richardson's potential and do what it needs to secure his talents, despite the risk that comes with such a decision.
Richardson joined The Rich Eisen Show in the same episode and shared how he responds to those questions, and in the same vein, the criticism from outsiders.
A lot of people see that record and they think we weren't a good team. A lot of people, they see the record and they say, 'Oh, Anthony Richardson can't lead a team. He can't even go .500 in the season.' But, you know, to that I just say they don't know the ins and outs of the game, they don't understand what we go through daily, they don't understand how hard we work. You know, sometimes things don't fall your way and that comes with the game. I feel like when I step onto a team, I'm there to contribute, give it my all and provide anyway I can. I feel like I did that every game...
I just let them know, I've been playing football all my life. The game only is going to get quicker, faster, stronger and a little bit more mental. I feel like I'm able to adapt whenever my name is called. That's why I feel like I'm ready. You know, nobody should question who I am as a person or who I am on the field. I've overcome a lot, I believe I'm ready to play.
All it will take is one team to agree with Richardson, that he's ready to play in the pros, to trade up and make him Florida's first first-overall selection in the NFL Draft. He's met with 20-to-22 so far, he said on the show, including all of the perceived QB-needy teams within the top ten picks — Houston (No. 2), Indianapolis (No. 4), Las Vegas (No. 7), Atlanta (No. 8) and Carolina (No. 9).
If the theory becomes reality, it will go down as one of the most polarizing moves in NFL Draft history. We'll see if it does when the ceremony begins on April 27.
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