Anthony Richardson is a bright prospect for the 2023 NFL draft at Quarterback. Born in Miami, Florida, Richardson has the physical abilities to take the step from college-level football to the NFL. He is considered a top 5 prospect on draft day. Although most draft experts have him going behind Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud, as the number 3 quarterback in this year’s class, he could very well be picked in the top 2 as well.
Richardson’s physical attributes set him apart from others as his big size and strength should be an essential factor in transitioning quickly to a higher level. He is known to possess one of the strongest arms ever. This ability allows him to throw the ball deep with little effort. He is also a dual-threat quarterback with a sound running game. There are, however, certain aspects of his game that still need fine-tuning. Most notably, the accuracy with which he throws the ball needs to improve a lot more according to experts. Hence, even if Richardson is drafted high in this year’s draft, the ideal situation for him would be to serve as a backup QB for 1-2 seasons.
Anthony Richardson at Eastside High School
Anthony was born in Miami, Florida. He made a short trip to Gainesville, Florida to attend Eastside High School. It was here where his march towards professional football got its start. Richardson was already considered a four-star prospect out of High School. In the class of 2020, he was ranked as the ninth-highest dual-threat quarterback.
Richardson led his school to a 7-4 winning season in his junior year and was a finalist in the Elite 11. However, his senior year was cut short due to a season-ending injury.
By the end of his High School football career, he finished with 4,633 passing yards and threw 37 touchdowns. Moreover, he had 1,633 rushing yards and 41 rushing touchdowns to cap off a great High School performance.
Anthony Richards at the University of Florida
After finishing high school in Gainesville, Florida, Anthony Richards went to the University of Florida to pursue his college career. Even though he chose to be at the University of Florida, Richardson did have other offers such as Georgia and Michigan amongst others.
In his first season at Florida in 2020, he could appear for only 4 games. In that brief outing, he managed to complete only 1 out 2 passes for 27 yards. 1 of his passes was a touchdown and the other was an interception. Richardson was able to redshirt that year. Entering 2021, Richardson was the backup QB, but he did see much more game time.
He replaced the starting quarterback in the game against LSU and had a significant performance. His 10 of 19 completed passes earned him 167 passing yards. He had 3 passing touchdowns, 1 rushing touchdown and 2 interceptions. His 2021 showing on the field garnered him a place in the All-SEC Freshman Team.
In 2022, he was made the starting quarterback for the full season which was a first for Richardson in 3 years. Eventually, Florida finished with a 6-7 losing record. Anthony was able to lead his team over the line against the seventh-ranked Utah Utes in what was an upset victory.
Some of his notable college performances include:
515 yards single-game total offense which was 3rd highest
81 yards rushing touchdown which is the longest by a QB in the history of Florida
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