The Great Anthony Richardson Debate
One scout says "He cannot play quarterback." One says "Sky’s the limit. Probably more Lamar Jackson with a little bit of Josh Allen thrown in there." Bob McGinn explores the NFL's greatest mystery.
This is the continuation of a 2023 series looking at active players and their current situation vis a vis what it was entering the NFL draft. The comments from personnel men were made in the months leading up to the draft for my NFL Draft Series, which dates to 1985. Scouting football prospects is an inexact science, particularly when it comes to off-the-field considerations. It has been said that no two evaluators view a player exactly the same way.
By Bob McGinn
When Anthony Richardson lines up under center Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium neither fans of his Indianapolis Colts nor of the visiting Detroit Lions have any idea what’s in store for them.
Will Richardson be the error-prone, scatter-armed, overmatched quarterback that led to his benching for two games just a month ago?
Or will he be the poised, rugged, dynamic playmaker of last Sunday on the road against the Jets in the most complete performance of his fledgling career?
“We don’t know,” said Bill Polian, the Hall of Fame general manager for the Bills, Panthers and Colts in an NFL career that spanned 32 seasons. “You’re hoping that at the end of the year the arrow will be up and he’ll stay healthy. The injuries are a concern, obviously. Accuracy, touch, all that stuff is still in the developmental stage. He’s a developmental player at this point.”
Nineteen months ago, Richardson became the fourth quarterback selected at the No. 4 slot since the inception of the common draft in 1967. The Dolphins’ Bob Griese (1967) made the Pro Bowl as a rookie and is enshrined in Canton, the Colts’ Art Schlichter (1981) started merely six games in his woeful, gambling-marred career and the Chargers’ Philip Rivers (2004) sat behind Drew Brees for two years before making the Pro Bowl in his third season.
Limited by injury to just four games as a rookie, Richardson has been up and down in seven starts in Year 2. The Colts fully expected this would be the case given the fact he made only 13 starts in an injury-punctuated three seasons at Florida.
Polian worked for Colts owner Jim Irsay in Indianapolis and is well-acquainted with Chris Ballard since he was hired to replace Ryan Grigson as the team’s general manager in January 2017.
“Chris Ballard knows exactly what the road map is for him,” Polian said. “He’s told that to Jim; Jim’s mentioned it to me. They understand. The thing they’ve got to do is get the kid past the media and fan whiplash that will take place because everybody expects instant success. And no one has instant success.”
Well, some have. The list of quarterbacks that were an immediate hit includes Dan Marino, Ben Roethlisberger, Cam Newton, Russell Wilson, Matt Ryan and C.J. Stroud.
But Polian’s spot on when he says most rookies have difficulty. “Peyton (Manning) threw 26 (actually, 28) in his rookie year,” he cracked. “It’s still a record.”
Others that needed at least two seasons to find themselves were Jim Plunkett, Aaron Rodgers, Alex Smith, Jared Goff, Ryan Tannehill, Sam Darnold, Baker Mayfield and Josh Allen.
“The NFL has a major quarterback development problem,” an executive in personnel for an AFC team said. “Just the level of impatience anymore. It’s like petulant toddlers and their expectations of people. They take like Dan Marino’s rookie year and treat it like the norm. That’s not the norm.
“The NFL is such a win-now league, and it’s only become worse with the advent of all this social media and everyone’s a genius. That’s why you’re seeing guys having success a little bit later in their careers after they were deemed garbage. Baker Mayfield, Sam Darnold. Jared Goff was like a throw-in to the (Matthew Stafford) trade, and now he’s great.”
Of course, some quarterbacks flop almost from the first day they step on the practice field. That long list surely would include these 15 names: Rich Campbell, Ryan Leaf, JaMarcus Russell, Zach Wilson, Josh Rosen, Cade McNown, Matt Leinart, Johnny Manziel, Jake Locker, Brady Quinn, Joey Harrington, Chuck Long, Todd Blackledge, Brandon Weeden and Dwayne Haskins.
“That’s true,” Polian acknowledged. “That’s right.”
Richardson’s rank inexperience, callow youth (he’s 22 ½) and boundless athletic gifts gives the Colts at least a puncher’s chance to be proven correct in the final judgment.
“There’s a lot of data that would support him failing,” the AFC executive said. “But the more I watched (before the ’23 draft), this guy does too many things that nobody else can do. Sometimes when you see that much talent you’ve just got to swing the bat. The minute you start being afraid to be wrong then you’re kind of not valuable. Then you’re conservative and end up being 8-9 every year. People don’t understand there’s not a quarterback tree in the backyard.”
According to Polian, he “absolutely” would have taken Richardson at No. 4 had he been back running the Colts’ draft.
Intel on the Colts’ thinking in drafting Anthony Richardson, what comes next and how (many) scouts around the NFL view the QB below for Go Long subscribers.
“You couldn’t pass up that talent,” he said. “As far as physically, as gifted a quarterback as I’ve seen. Physically, he’s got everything you want. But he’s still exceedingly young chronologically and from an experience standpoint. So it’s a work in progress, and we’ll see what happens when he reaches full maturity.”
Granted, the 28-27 victory over the Jets was one game, and scouts said it was the best Richardson has played.
That exquisite tape showed seven snaps in which Richardson drilled the ball on receivers at least 15 yards downfield. It showed perfect touch and accuracy on a 31-yard corner route. It showed him stiff-arming defensive end Micheal Clemons to turn the corner and demolishing safety Jalen Mills on a 2-yard touchdown run, then powering through cornerback D.J. Reed from 4 yards out to score the winning touchdown standing up. And it showed him completing an 11-yard pass on third and 9 with Clemons draped on his back.
At the same time, there were a pair of fumbles and an overthrown two-point pass and a third-and-4 pass that missed badly at point-blank range.
“If you had one word to tattoo on this guy’s arm right now it would be immature,” one scout said. “All of his mistakes are mainly immature. Kind of doesn’t know what he doesn’t know.
“Players respect talent because they know they’re getting an opportunity to win. Yes, they want guys to work and be pros. But if you’re a real vet and have a good, solid mindset you’ll understand this is a 22-year-old kid and it might take a little bit of time.”
BASICS
Height: 6-4 1/4. Weight: 244 (246 at pro day). Age: 22. From: Gainesville, Fla.
40-yard dash: 4.41. Vertical jump: 40 1/2 inches. Broad jump: 10-9. Wonderlic test: 21. Arms: 32 ¾. Hands: 10 ½. His 40, vertical jump and broad jump surpassed all quarterbacks at the combine; it was one of the best testing performances ever by a quarterback.
His family moved from Miami to Gainesville when he was 11. His mother, LaShanda Lane, enrolled him at Professional Academies Magnet at Loften High School, where students were trained to become first responders in various occupations. Since Loften had no interscholastic athletics program, he played football and basketball at Eastside High School.
“He was not recruited to a high school, as most of these guys are,” said Polian. “He did not go to a private school. His mother sent him to a school where the aim was to get people ready to be EMTs and firefighters. It was a specialized school, and he had to commute to go play football. His mom was dedicated to seeing to it that he got a good education. I met him. He’s a nice, level-headed kid.”
A wide receiver as a freshman, Richardson shifted to quarterback when another player was injured. As a junior, he suffered a meniscus tear that never healed properly. His senior season was cut short to six games by a season-ending right shoulder injury. He finished his four-year varsity career with 37 passing touchdowns and 41 rushing touchdowns.
Richardson committed to nearby Florida in the summer between his sophomore and junior year. After decommitting and almost signing with Penn State, he went back to the Gators. He averaged 10.5 points and 7.5 rebounds as a junior, his final season of prep basketball.
As a freshman in 2020, Richardson attempted two passes in just four games, preserving his redshirt status as the Gators went 8-4 under coach Dan Mullen. The top two quarterbacks were Kyle Trask and Emory Jones.
The Gators slipped to 6-7 in 2021 and Mullen was fired after 11 games. He made one start, in Game 8 against Georgia when Florida went off as a 14-point underdog. Richardson struggled in the 34-7 defeat, passing for 82 yards and two interceptions before leaving near the halfway mark after taking a shot to the head and neck area.
In all, Richardson completed 38 of 64 passes (59.4%) for an NFL passer rating of 84.7. His injuries in 2021 included a pulled hamstring, a concussion and a meniscus tear in his knee that he reportedly suffered while dancing in the team hotel and missed the Nov. 6 game at South Carolina. He reinjured the knee three weeks later in the finale against Florida State and underwent cartilage surgery.
In April 2022, Richardson was ticketed for driving 105 mph in a 60-mph zone at 4:11 a.m. outside of Gainesville. He pleaded no contest and was ordered to complete a traffic safety course, write an essay and pay a $349 fine.
Two months later, Richardson was drunk at the Manning Passing Academy at Nicholls State (La.) University. The police reportedly became angry when he leaned on a squad car. Manning staffers ushered him into a van but Richardson screamed an obscenity at officers as he departed the scene. No arrest was made.
Under new coach Billy Napier, Richardson started 12 games in another 6-7 season, opting out of the bowl game and giving up his final two years of eligibility to enter the NFL draft. His passer rating was 85.3 in 2022, and 85.1 for his career. Also, he rushed 161 times for 1,116 yards, a 6.9-yard average and 12 touchdowns. He fumbled eight times in three seasons. His career completion mark was 54.7%. His career won-lost record was 6-7.
DRAFT NIGHT
Chris Ballard was about to enter his third season as general manager of the Colts in August 2019 when quarterback Andrew Luck announced his retirement. Abruptly, and without warning.
It was “a nuclear weapon launched in the middle of that regime,” an executive in personnel for an AFC South Division team said.
With Luck, the successor to all-time quarterback Peyton Manning, the Colts reached the playoffs four times and won four playoff games in his seven years. A pack of veterans — Jacoby Brissett, Philip Rivers, Carson Wentz, Matt Ryan — each held the job for one year from 2019-’22. Their composite record of 31-34-1 (and 0-1 in the playoffs) left the Colts with tremendous urgency to draft a quarterback in 2023.
After doing their due diligence for months, the Colts determined that Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud and Florida’s Anthony Richardson, in that order, were the top prospects. Alabama’s Bryce Young wasn’t a consideration. Kentucky’s Will Levis was the other candidate.
In my survey of 16 evaluators that April, Young finished with 10 first-place votes and 72 points followed by Stroud (two, 56), Levis (three, 46) and Richardson (one, 40). When asked which of the leading quarterbacks had the best chance to bust, Richardson drew eight votes, Levis had five, Stroud got two and Young had one.
The evaluations of Richardson by the Colts included early reports from assistant director of college scouting/Southeast area scout Jamie Moore and chief personnel executive Morocco Brown, who handled the cross-check. That was during the 2022 season. After the season, Ballard, assistant GM Ed Dodds and the entire scouting division studied tape of the quarterbacks in group and individual sessions.
“I give Roc (Brown) credit, he was fired up about it (Richardson) from the start,” Dodds told reporters in Indianapolis a few days after the selection of Richardson. “I went down there early in the year, and he wasn’t playing as well. It’s just a hard study, right?
“Last year, I’m talking his sophomore year (2021), he threw like 60 balls. There’s really not an accurate grade on the scale for a guy that, ‘OK, he’s got blue traits but there’s no resume.’ Then the very little part that he has, it was a roller coaster all year. I was kind of late. I was hard on him at first.”
After Richardson made waves posting the extraordinary testing numbers at the combine in late February, the Colts sent only Brown to his pro day in Gainesville. Later, some of their coaches and scouts worked him out privately in Florida and then had him in for a visit at the team’s facility.
Richardson’s score of 21 on the Wonderlic test was a mild concern for the coaches after the combine. Later, after putting Richardson on the so-called board peppering him with tactical football questions, those concerns were alleviated. There also were questions involving the inexperience, the inaccurate passing, the injury history and the off-field incidents.
“There are a lot of guys that I know that I trust that I talked to about him and everything was right at the top of the list as far as that concern,” said Shane Steichen, who had yet to coach his first game for the Colts. “Then, just going through having him here, getting to know him as a person, talking football with him, I think he’s got a chance to be a really good player in this league.”
On April 27, Young went No. 1 to Carolina, Stroud went No. 2 to Houston, edge rusher Will Anderson Jr. of Alabama went No. 3 to Houston and Richardson went No. 4 to Indianapolis.
Driving home April 29 upon completion of the three-day draft, Ballard got to the heart of the matter to select this talented but untamed quarterback in an interview with NBC’s Peter King.
“I would rather take the risk, the risk that he might fail, than pass on him and see him become a star somewhere else,” Ballard said. “We’re taking a guy not only for what he can do today but for what he can become tomorrow.
“I’ve told our guys here: Anthony might have some games where he’s nine of 22 for 105 but in the game he’ll run 10 times for 115 yards. It just might look different for a while.
“We gotta get him in here and see where he is. We don’t know. He turns 21 this month (May 22) — he’s so young still. Let us figure out what he can handle before making any decisions. But there’s not many people who can do what he does.”
NFL CAREER
The Colts went to training camp in 2023 with Gardner Minshew, a five-year veteran; Sam Ehlinger, a three-year veteran, and Richardson at quarterback.
On his first drive in the exhibition opener at Buffalo, Richardson threw a careless, wayward pass in the flat that was intercepted and set up a touchdown. Two days later, Shane Steichen informed Richardson and Minshew that the rookie would start the season.
“Honestly, I was shocked,” said Richardson. “I want to be great. I want to be remembered. I don’t want to just be one of those guys like, ‘Well, he was in the league.’ I want my legacy to be remembered forever.”
Said Minshew: “This is his franchise. That’s the reason they picked him where he is. And he’s going to be really special.”
In Game 2 of the regular season, Richardson suffered a concussion in the second quarter at Houston on the second of his two touchdown runs. After sitting out a week, he returned to start against the Rams (a 29-23 overtime loss) and against the Titans (a 23-16 win). His season ended in the first half against Tennessee when linebacker Harold Landry dragged him down on a scramble. He suffered a sprain of the AC joint in his right shoulder and underwent surgery.
“You go back and watch tape from 2023 prior to his injury and he was playing pretty well,” an AFC South scout said. “I didn’t think he was making bad mental decisions. Only thing he didn’t do well was take too many hits. He’s not necessarily the best at being tackled. When you get to the NFL, where there are a lot of big, strong guys, you’ve got to use your head a little bit more. That’s what his biggest blunder was early in his rookie year.”
Playing just 12 quarters, Richardson posted a passer rating of 87.3 while rushing for 136 yards and four touchdowns.
This year, the Colts signed Joe Flacco for one year and $5 million while bringing back Ehlinger, who is close to Richardson and operates almost as the de-facto assistant quarterbacks coach.
“It’s a lot on him now,” Ballard said in late August. “Now all of a sudden you get drafted, you got the injury, you become a dad — handling the pressure and the expectations. He’s still young. I mean, like any 22-year-old young man, they’re not fully matured yet even though they think they are. But just being probably more aware of everything that he’s got going on around him. Responsible, really tightening his circle up of who’s involved, who’s with him.
“Like with any young player, there’s ups and there’s downs, and they look bad and they’ll look great. That’s normal. They get beat, they miss a pass, they drop a ball. I mean, (bleep) happens. Unfortunately, Twitter today accentuates the one negative. There might be 10 positives but there’s the one negative that they’ll pull out and just needle at.”
The Colts got off to a 2-2 start. In Game 4, a 27-24 victory over Pittsburgh, Richardson suffered oblique and hip injuries and missed the next two games.
After misfiring on some easy passes and tossing two interceptions Sept. 22 in a 21-16 victory over Chicago, Richardson tried to explain his frustrations.
“Not necessarily pressing but it’s, like, ‘Oh, my God, it’s wide open, let me give him the ball,’” Richardson said. “And I just get too excited and I just miss. So I’ve just got to let it spin and just give him the ball. Just get too antsy.”
Asked if he was injury prone a few days after being hurt against the Steelers, Richardson replied: “I’m pretty sure if they (people that wonder if he’s injury prone) got out of the house and came out here and got hit by somebody that’s running 20-plus miles per hour every week, I’m pretty sure they’d be dealing with injuries as well. People are going to talk. That’s what people do.”
Back in the lineup Oct. 27 at Houston, Richardson turned in possibly his worst performance of the season in a 23-20 loss. At one point, he removed himself from the game for one play after he ran around and was tackled. “Tired — I ain’t going to lie,” he said.
Amid deafening criticism from far and wide, and amid obvious concerns about a disgruntled locker room, Steichen announced the change to Joe Flacco while maintaining that the tap-out didn’t impact the decision.
“I mean, he knows he can’t do that in that situation,” he said. “That’s part of the growth and development process that we go through … I feel that Joe gives us the best chance to win right now. With that being said, not giving up on Anthony by any means — really not.”
Said Flacco, the 17-year veteran: “He’s very young with a bright future. Now I know this is a little bit different because it feels like you’re getting something taken away from you. I think there are a lot of advantages of being able to remove yourself a little bit and watch from a distance and learn. Not to talk for the Colts and Shane, but you would think that’s part of the thought process, at least a little bit, is to try to help him out.”
Two days after the Colts went 0-2 under Flacco, Steichen switched back to Richardson in a move he said was for the remainder of the season. The next day, defensive tackle DeForest Buckner, a nine-year veteran, reiterated what Steichen had been suggesting for weeks. Namely, that Richardson would have to devote even more time and energy to his job.
“As a player, to go where you have never been and become the player that you want to be, you have to be willing to do things that you’ve never done and make certain sacrifices you’ve never made,” said Buckner. “At the end of the day, there’s a price that needs to be paid. I feel like within this process the past two weeks, he’s been able to really see that and that’s what gives us so much confidence in him. Knowing that he’s rooting in the process and he’s developing as a pro.”
Richardson’s first game back probably was the finest of his career in the come-from-behind 28-27 road victory over the Jets.
His 2024 stats include a 4-3 record, a 66.2 passer rating and 274 rushing yards. After 11 games (6-5 record), his career passer rating is 73.4.
WHAT SCOUTS SAID BEFORE THE DRAFT
NFC scout: “It depends on where he goes. Teams can really screw these guys up. He has rare stuff. Really, really unique tools to work with. He’s not as far off as I thought he’d be when you really study him. The narrative was he was this huge project. I don’t see it as that big of a project. You’re closer to getting him on the field than he was given credit for.”
AFC scout: “If there was a dunk contest he’d win. We don’t love him but he’s talented. He hasn’t played. Started one year and wasn’t very good.”
NFC scout: “He cannot play quarterback. This guy has no feel for the position at all. He is raw as raw can be. He’s got no vision, no feel. His delivery is like he’s never thrown a football before. He’s not accurate. He’ll have a couple wow plays just running around but he isn’t even that special just running around. He doesn’t know when to run and when not to run. Lacks pocket poise. He’s a project, a gadget guy project. Guys like this don’t change ... Maybe once a game he’ll move around and just chuck it. Besides that, he chucks it up into coverage all the time. Ten times he just chucks it up into coverage vs. the one time it actually looks good … Let me know the first time there’s a combine warrior quarterback that’s a Super Bowl champ or MVP. Amazing. Vertical jump and 40 – what does that have to do with playing quarterback? Or reading the defense? Nothing.”
AFC scout: “Great kid. Does he live it enough to do the extra that it’s going to take so he can catch up to the others with regard to footwork and being able to process and look at the defense, (make) post-snap reads and decision-making? With him, you just don’t know. You have to be able to play the position … Think Michael Vick with a Brett Favre arm. Ripped-up muscle. This dude ran 4.42. He’s a monster. He has the highest ceiling I’ve ever seen in a quarterback. Even higher than Cam Newton. Cam was fast and big but not as fast as this kid. Cam had a strong arm but not as strong as this kid. This kid is unique … If you hit on him, oh my God, you’re talking perennial Pro Bowl (and) All-Pro. But it’s a big if. Are you going to be employed long enough to see it through? Or will it be another (coaching) staff?”
NFC scout: “If (Colts GM Chris) Ballard takes him at No. 4, he’s stupid. (Richardson) scares the fuck out of me … If you use him right he may not (bust). He’s got to sit a minimum of two years. That’s why you’ve got a guy for five years. You hope your guys can develop him. He’s so gifted athletically you almost got to take a shot and just see what happens. But what is that value at? … All the talent in the world has only started 13 games in the NCAA. If you want to measure his record against Mitchell Trubisky, 6-7 record shows you need more seasoning. He should have stayed in college … He’s more athletic than Cam Newton, I can tell you that. He can (rush), too. Just as good an athlete as Lamar Jackson. Different style of running, but as good. That’s what his strength is. He has unbelievable feet and lateral agility. He’s got incredible arm strength. But he doesn’t know how to play the game yet.”
AFC scout: “I don’t know if there is one (an apt comparison). Josh Allen? That’s ridiculous. I haven’t seen many like him. Maybe Cam Newton. Colin Kaepernick? This guy is so big and so fast. Colin was fast, could get out and run. Colin wasn’t an accomplished passer. Maybe they are similar.”
NFC scout: “Love the ability. I’m concerned that he hasn’t played a lot of football and he hasn’t done a lot of winning. Even in high school they were kind of average … I have problems with his accuracy. I think he has a long way to go but he has tons of potential. He scares me. The accuracy scares me. His experience scares me … Believe it or not, I think Richardson has a little more natural ability to throw the ball than Lamar did. He runs well but not as good as him (Jackson) … I had Justin Fields graded higher coming out … Terrelle Pryor was just a tremendous athlete. That’s actually not a bad comparison.”
AFC scout: “He is tremendously talented. I did see improvement throughout the year. There’s not a lot of natural rhythm and timing. He’s still working through that stuff. I know he was in a new offense this year, which is hard. It wouldn’t surprise me if he went No. 1 because he is so physically talented. My impression is he’s a pretty good kid and I do think football’s pretty important to him … I wish he would have played another year of college football but I can’t blame him because he’s going to be a high pick and there’s good quarterbacks in next year’s class, too. But I have major reservations about guys that have started one year. It’s hard. I think his inconsistencies are time on the job and having different coaches in his three-year career there … I don’t think he’s as elusive or dynamic as Lamar Jackson with the ball in his hand. He is big and powerful. The only guy I could even comp with him physically was Josh Allen just because of his size and explosiveness. Richardson actually is faster. In terms of jumping and explosiveness, Allen is the only other guy that’s even close that I’ve seen … Cam Newton was a big, strong player, too, and was probably a better thrower. Not as strong an arm but maybe a little better passer because he had played more … He’s bigger than Justin Fields. Fields was a better quarterback coming out than Richardson is right now … This isn’t a slight to anyone but I could see him in an offense similar to what Philadelphia does with Jalen Hurts, a kid’s that developing into being a very dangerous and dynamic player. Jalen’s intangibles were so high. He had won at Alabama, won at Oklahoma. He was a much more experienced player … Just from a skill standpoint, no reason this kid can’t be successful in the NFL. He is a freak athlete. In my mind, if Richardson’s a bust, it’s because either he gets hurt or it’s the organization. If you take that kid you have to be committed to doing what he can do. History tells us four of the (top) five will be busts.”
NFC scout: “He is a freak athlete for his size. He’s got maybe the best arm and is the most physically gifted kid. I don’t know about his decision-making. Does he have the natural feel for the position? Physically, he has all the tools you want. It’s just, does he know how to play quarterback or not? Can someone get him to play quarterback? He’s very raw still. He has to learn how to go through progressions. He’s a year or two away but he has the highest ceiling of any of them … Not Kaepernick. Richardson is more Cam Newton but he throws the ball better. It’s just his accuracy is off some. He’s way better than Terrelle Pryor … I was at his pro day. He put on a show. At his pro day he didn’t throw with the laces. The ball looked like a Nerf ball in his hand for how big his hand is. Whichever way it comes back he throws it – with or without the laces.”
AFC scout: “This guy’s the most incredible prototype. He’s 6-4 ¼, 243, ran 4.43. He’s the biggest, strongest candidate in the history of the NFL. He’s faster than Cam (Newton), he’s bigger than Michael Vick by a mile. He is rare … In a traditional NFL sense, you would say bust. He isn’t going to have it from the mental part. But if in today’s NFL, where there’s enough college stuff percolating around, and we saw what happened with (Jalen) Hurts, there’s at least a 50-50 chance that he can do it … In high school they were 7-4 and he got hurt. They take him at Florida and he’s a 5-star and he redshirts. Then they say, ‘We’re about to get fired, we’ve got to get him on the field.’ So they get him on the field and he gets hurt. He played some in ’21 and this year, his first to actually start …. Remember the Utah game (Sept. 3 at Florida)? You could have sold his stock sky-high that night. A week later, he’s throwing picks against Kentucky and looks haphazard and just average … If Shane Steichen did what he did with Jalen Hurts, then you gotta believe somebody out there thinks, ‘OK, we can do something similar because this guy’s more gifted.’”
NFC scout: “Sky’s the limit. Probably more Lamar Jackson with a little bit of Josh Allen thrown in there. If he ever figures it out … The first Utah game (Sept. 3), he had time to prepare and was completely different. He’s so big and strong, and he can throw it forever. I’m not going to say he’s not going to make it.”
NFC scout: “He could take a bad team and make ‘em at least mediocre. He could win seven or eight games, but that’s it for him until his passing improves. People call him developmental. He’s a project … He played one year of college football. He got all his notoriety because he can run. Then he shows up at the combine and he’s as big as the (edge) rushers that are going to try to chase him down. He’s as fast or maybe faster than them. But I’m going to tell you, he is not a quarterback. I don’t think he has vision. He runs around until he finds somebody open and throws the ball … I think (Tim) Tebow was a little bit better than him. Vince Young is a good call. He’s got athletic talent and physical toughness but he’s a sandlot quarterback. It just takes too long, and you don’t have time (in the NFL). Even if you (draft) him and pick up the fifth-year option, you’re going to have to coach him and train him, and he’s only played one year. He throws the ball all over the f------ field.”
AFC scout: “Some games he has more tackles than completions (laughs). They’d have to build a system around him. But, why not? Lamar (Jackson) did it.”
AFC scout: “Know who he reminded me of? Vince Young. Also Terrelle Pryor. (Pryor) ran high 4.3’s at Pitt Stadium on astroturf. We didn’t think he’d be an NFL quarterback but we weren’t going to discourage him. He stayed at quarterback for a couple years, and once he saw he wasn’t a quarterback moved to receiver. Pryor was a great athlete, too … I don’t like Richardson but he’s a great athlete. He’s not a great passer. He has no feel. They had some talent on that (Florida) team but they had a bad season, and I think it all reflects on him. More slinger, not a passer. I questioned his decisions, his mechanics. Justin Fields was better as a football player. Richardson was so inconsistent … If you take him in the first (round) you’re taking a big risk. He’s not a pro quarterback.”
NFC scout: “He’s got a little Vince Young in him. He’s a freak athlete but he’s a long ways away as an NFL passer. I mean, a long way away. He’s one of those raw, green guys. I don’t want him. He’s a raw athlete. That’s what you’re banking on. You’re rolling some big dice if you take him in the first, or (you have) a lot of rocks in your head.”
AFC scout: “I think the easy answer (for No. 1 bust) is to say Anthony Richardson but I think his talent level is too good. Hopefully, he goes to a system that suits him.”
NFC scout: “I worry about that (intelligence) on him but he’s such a rare talent that you take a chance on him. I don’t see it (top 10), no, but somebody’s going to take him. Just look around. People talk about taking him in the top five picks. I’m, like, ‘Holy shit.’ Glad I’m not picking him. I’d be scared to death of him … His accuracy is really off. That’s the one that scares you on him … It was just like Terrelle Pryor when he came out. He ran 4.4. I’d have drafted him in the fourth. Al (Davis) took him in the third. He was promising for a while, with limitations, but he didn’t get beyond a certain point. That’s what I think will happen to Richardson.”
WHAT PEOPLE ARE SAYING NOW
Dan Campbell, Lions coach: “What you saw last week was (Richardson) at his best. I’m not even sure you can go back to earlier in the year because I feel they’ve taken the handcuffs off him. They’ve got quarterback power, they’ve got the RPO, they’ve got the read run, they’ve got play-action off that, and then he can scramble. Then, if he’s in the pocket and you’ve got your arms around him trying to bring him to the ground, he’ll just stiff-arm you off him and then throw it down the field. It’s rare, his strength, and he really does have a nice deep ball. He’s an accurate passer down the field, and I mean deep. It’s all-encompassing is what it is.”
Teryl Austin, Steelers defensive coordinator: “He’s just an avatar of an athlete. You’ll see him on some designed quarterback runs (where) guys will have an angle on him and he’ll beat them to the sideline. He’s unique in that way. Even as he’s moving a little bit off balance he has the ability to uncork a bomb. That’s always dangerous. We obviously preach with our guys to make sure they don’t relax at any time against this guy.”
Eric Washington, Bears defensive coordinator: “That’s tough defensively when the quarterback is a second runner.”
Zaire Franklin, Colts linebacker: “I think after the Houston situation (tap-out) I think he’s just dug a little deeper and has been giving more of himself. Not only to the team but to the game.”
NFC executive in personnel: “Yes, he was a mess in college, and hasn’t changed.”
Aaron Glenn, Lions defensive coordinator: “Listen, if you’re in his way, he’s going to try to run over you, and his arm is lively. He’s at his minus-30 and throws it 70 yards on one foot. One thing that’s underrated about this quarterback is his ability to be accurate down the field.”
BOTTOM LINE
Not only is the jury not in on Anthony Richardson, it hasn’t been sequestered or even called. Let’s be honest. No one has a clue if he’ll end up being a star, a bust or somewhere in between.
Previous scouting columns from Bob McGinn this 2024 season:
Hope it works out for the kid. From here it looks like a classic case of googly eyes over athletic ability and trying to, in a relative crash course (even if he would've sat a couple years) turn an incredible athlete with minimal experience into a world-class QB. That's a tall task in any case, but even more when he has a heavy injury history and there are obviously-if reading between the lines-questions about his work ethic. He'll need to become a world-class worker, continue to progress in all the nuances of the position at a fast rate, and stay healthy to reach the potential of what some think he can be.
He looked good-to-great against the Jets last week, but then again, looking good against the 2024 Jets is barely significant. As the headline suggests, there is indeed a great debate over how he was thought entering the draft, and what he’s done since entering the league. After reading Bob McGinn’s story, my comeaway conclusion is that if he devotes himself to his craft, he could be a good-to-great professional. If he doesn’t bring the best of himself to his vocation, he might be out of the league as fast as Daniel Jones.