Anthony Richardson Scouting Report
The real QB1: The Legacy Take
Anthony Richardson, #15 QB from Florida University, is one of the top 4 quarterbacks in the class. At 6’3” 244lbs, his frame is special for the position. He only had one year of true starting experience, and it came this past year. He is still 20 years old, one of the youngest prospects in this class. He was relatively productive with 2,549 yards and 17 TDs through the air while adding 654 yards and 9 TDs on the ground.
Richardson is an all-world athlete. You couldn’t construct a better build for a quarterback in today’s modern NFL. He scored a 10.00 RAS (relative-athletic score) out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 1 out of 915 QB from 1987 to 2023. He is literally the most athletic quarterback to ever test at the combine. He ran a 4.43s 40-yard dash which is ridiculous for his size. His game speed reflects this time as he is clearly one of the fastest players on the field at all times. Richardson is special in this regard and has the frame and athleticism we haven’t seen since Cam Newton.
One of the things that will translate immediately is how he helps in the run game. He has great speed and has the ability to make defenders miss. Any team that adds him will be raising the floor of their offense as it will now include a rushing threat it had not previously had. He can have the type of effect Jalen Hurts or Justin Fields has had by making the offense one of the top rushing attacks in the league.
I absolutely love how he turns plays that completely break down into positive ones. Because of his athleticism, free rushers aren’t guaranteed a sack and a broken screens can turn into a positive gain. In the first clip, you see the bubble screen is completely covered. It doesn’t matter for Richardson as he takes off and gains 8 to bring them closer to the goalline.
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In the next clip, you see a free rusher coming straight at him off the edge on the bootleg. Keep in mind that #5 on LSU is a safety and not a defensive lineman. Richardson doesn’t care and beats him to the edge and turns what would be a devastating sack for most QBs into a 5-yard gain. To me, when a player has everything go wrong on a play and can make it work shows they can truly be special.
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Richardson has the lowest sack rate in this class and hardly ever takes bad ones. He is so mobile and has a great pocket presence. The running back is late to pick up the linebacker coming through his gap, but it doesn’t matter for him as he sidesteps, climbs the pocket with his eyes downfield, and delivers a strike.
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He handles pressure extremely well as mentioned above, and he isn’t afraid to take a hit. A defender is diving at his ankle and about to hit him, and it doesn’t matter. He stands tall and delivers a strike over the middle for a nice gain. He has the arm strength to zip it in there while almost being detached from his lower body.
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Speaking of his arm strength, the dude has an absolute cannon. First play of the LSU game they draw up this bomb. He throws it so effortlessly. He can throw the ball as far as he wants but also as hard as he wants. His velocity in this class can only be matched by Will Levis and ranks in the top half of NFL QBs.
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Did I mention he can throw on the run? Richardson is very good at rollouts where he is often asked to throw off-platform. He doesn’t need to set his base and perfectly layers the ball in between two defenders. He showed this time and time again with the ability to throw ropes but also throw with nice touch.
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For having only 13 starts his processing is really impressive. He does a nice job of going through his progressions. He is very patient in waiting for routes to develop and is able to hit a check-down when nothing is there. Watch his eyes from the endzone view. He has the check-down early but is waiting to see if his primary read gets open. Instead of forcing it when he sees it’s covered, he knows where his man is and checks it down.
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This may be my favorite play I watched from him. The play call has a 5 man pass protection, and LSU is rushing 6 defenders. He knows pre-snap this ball has to be out fast. He has an out route on the left side which is good for beating man coverage. However, the ball must be put on a rope as he is throwing to the field side (furthest from the hashmark he is on) and on the outside shoulder of the receiver. He does just that with pressure in his face and moves the chains.
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Now the main concern with Richardson is accuracy. He posted a mere 53.8% completion percentage which is rough. His mechanics do show up as sloppy at times and definitely could be improved. In the two clips below, you see him in an empty pocket just missing high on some open guys. He certainly needs to improve his mechanics if he is going to develop into one of the elite franchise guys.
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However, his situation wasn’t great this past year. His weapons were pretty below average and you can count lots of drops when watching the film. The clip below provides a summation of this as the tight end trips the left tackle and follows it up by looking like a cartoon character trying to catch a football.
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13 starts are not many to go off. If he had done this over a 2 year period, I think he’d be a good bet to go first overall. However, he showed me more than enough in those starts for me to believe that he will improve. He is still a kid at 20 years old, and after Josh Allen proved he could fix his accuracy problems, I am not willing to bet against freak athleticism and arm talent. He may take some seasoning, and the first year or two may be rough, but this guy’s ceiling is a top 3 quarterback in the league.
I really do like CJ Stroud and Bryce Young as well. I think Stroud’s accuracy is an elite trait and Young’s playmaking ability is elite. However, I don’t think either of them has a higher ceiling than Richardson because of his physical gifts.
Richardson is a massive gamble don’t get me wrong. But if the goal is to win a Super Bowl, this is a risk that is so worth taking. If Richardson hits there is no telling how lethal an offense led by him can be. I would seriously take him with the 1st pick if I held it in this draft. General managers will be scared off because they could be one bad pick away from being fired. I am very aware that this take can blow up in my face pretty easily. However, I am a firm believer in his abilities and what he has the potential to be. Overall, he is the best quarterback in this class to me, and watching his career will be such a joy.
Teams that could target him:
Seattle Seahawks: This would be my favorite landing spot for him. It is reported the front office loved Josh Allen back in 2018 and offered up Russell Wilson to get him. Richardson would be their second chance to get a toolsy player they can mold. I don’t think this team is a serious Super Bowl contender at the moment, and by selecting Richardson, they could be opening a Super Bowl window that lasts for many years in the future.
Detriot Lions: All signs point towards the Lions being content with Jared Goff for the future. However, I don’t know if this is the best idea. We’ve seen Goff’s ceiling and I’m not sure he can take a team over the top. The Lions look to be a playoff team this year and don’t plan on picking this high again. I think using their top 6 pick here to get their guy of the future would be a worthwhile investment.
Minnesota Vikings: Kirk Cousins is entering the last year of his deal with the Vikings. If Richardson experiences a bit of a draft day slide, watch for them to come up and try to get their next franchise guy. The thought of Richardson and Justin Jefferson together would give all NFC North teams nightmares for the next couple of years.