2023 NFL Draft: Anthony Richardson Making a Charge for QB1 Honors?

There is no shortage of talent at the quarterback position when looking at the 2023 NFL Draft class. We’ve heard all about CJ Stroud, Bryce Young, and Will Levis all offseason, but Anthony Richardson proved last Saturday that he has the traits to be mentioned in the same breath.

Richardson was a two-sport athlete in high school, starting on both the gridiron and the basketball court. He originally gained fans around the country when he appeared on the Netflix series, “QB1: Beyond the Lights”.

Richardson earned a strong four-star rating and decided to stay in his hometown of Gainesville, committing to the Florida Gators program. Things did not get off to a blistering start for Richardson, as Dan Mullen was reluctant to insert the quarterback into the starting role.

To be fair to Mullen, Kyle Trask had one of the best seasons in program history during Anthony Richardson’s first season on campus, making a redshirt the easy choice. His second season with the Gators saw Emory Jones assume the top spot on the depth chart. A move that many Florida fans immediately questioned.

The team stumbled to a 6-7 record in 2021, which led to the dismissal of head coach Dan Mullen. Florida quickly pivoted, hiring one of the hottest names on the coaching carousel, Billy Napier from the Louisiana Ragin’ Cajuns.

At long last, Richardson would be given the reins as he entered his redshirt sophomore season. The dual-threat signal-caller immediately showed fans what they already knew they’d been missing.

Florida opened their season by hosting the No. 7 overall team in the nation, Kyle Whittingham’s Utah Utes. It is a notoriously difficult atmosphere for visiting teams when they enter the Swamp at night, and this rang true on Saturday.

Richardson dismantled one of the better defenses in the country. He diced Utah up with his masterful right arm and shredded them on the ground with his top-tier athleticism. At times during the game, Richardson inspired comparison to former Heisman Trophy winner, Cam Newton.

Richardson brings a “backyard football” style of play to the table, which is visually appealing and extremely entertaining for the audience. There were several spectacular plays that Richardson made during the upset of Utah, but this two-point conversion encapsulates the evening perfectly:

His final stat line consisted of 276 total yards, three rushing touchdowns, and a pristine 70.8% completion rate as a passer. A popular question around Richardson heading into the season, “can he put it all together?”, seems to have been answered. Only one game into the season, Richardson has college football fans, NFL fans, and talent evaluators beaming everywhere.

Anthony Richardson will have ample opportunity to prove that this was not merely a one-off performance. He vaulted the team from unranked to the No. 12 team in the AP Poll, and with that comes droves of attention geared towards the quarterback prospect and his squad.

This coming Saturday, Richardson squares off against the Kentucky Wildcats. The Gators are hosting Will Levis, a quarterback prospect that many believe is a round-one talent in the 2023 NFL Draft. The two are likely to put on a show, so I’d make sure you’re free to watch Saturday evening at 7 PM ET.

Florida is slated to play at Tennessee, Georgia, and Texas A&M this season. If Richardson can keep up this level of play and continue elevating his team to elite status, he is a virtual lock to earn an invite to the Heisman Ceremony in New York City.

We mustn’t get too far ahead of ourselves based on one performance, but the excitement surrounding Anthony Richardson is completely warranted. He can sling the football around the field like it’s nothing and he loves taking the ankles of an oncoming defender and making them look silly.

The way that the NFL is trending, Richardson could be a cheat code for an offensive coordinator in the league. I am not making a one-for-one comparison, but take a look at what the Ravens have done for Lamar Jackson and the Bills have done for Josh Allen.

Each guy entered the league with a unique skill set that their respective franchise fully committed to building around. This resulted in an NFL MVP and 37 victories in 49 starts for Jackson. Josh Allen has won double-digit games in every season as a full-time starter, and the Bills are the betting favorite to win the Super Bowl this year.

It’s easy to see the benefit of betting on an uber-talented unicorn at quarterback. There’s a long way to go before Richardson hears his name mentioned with these two superstar NFL quarterbacks, but assuming he continues sharpening up his fundamentals as a pure passer, he’s got every tool necessary to do so.

Some teams that could potentially be in the market for a quarterback in the 2023 NFL Draft include the Seattle Seahawks, Washington Commanders, New York Giants, New Orleans Saints, Atlanta Falcons, and Carolina Panthers — to name a few.

Imagine someone like the Seahawks or Saints, with their winning pedigree, building their entire franchise around this young quarterback that’s oozing potential. It would be an optimal way to enter the league, not only for Anthony Richardson but for any prospect.

What do you think? Am I too early on the hype train? Does Anthony Richardson have what it takes to be a franchise quarterback at the NFL level? The beauty of football is… we are going to find out, one way or another.