Draft Profile: Florida QB Anthony Richardson 

This series will feature the top NFL Draft prospects with insight from the beat reporters that covered them in college. This article is just a preview of the full interview which can be heard on the Deep Slant podcast.

Name: Anthony Richardson
Position: Quarterback
School: Florida
Height/Weight: 6-4, 232
Hometown: Gainesville, Florida

Sidhu: Anthony Richardson is just so interesting because there’s not a lot known about him. He doesn’t really have a lot of games under his belt and the ceiling is so high. So with that being said, how important is this entire offseason going to be for Anthony Richardson really solidifying his draft stock?

Goodall: That’s the thing. You’re right, there’s just not that much out there about him, but the Combine, Pro Day and ultimately teams getting him in meetings is going to unlock quite a bit more. He’s a player that, going back to his high school career, has dealt with plenty of injuries, some of them that really weren’t attended to the way that maybe they should have been, especially in his knee. We saw this past year he ended up needing to have a full surgery on his meniscus because it never healed properly from his time in high school. And yet, even with that in mind and while he dealt with a hamstring in 2021 in a backup role, he was clocked rushing 21 mph on an 80-yard touchdown run. We’ve seen him throw the ball at the Manning Passing Academy, a good 70 to 80 yards with velocity like it’s nothing.

So when you think about the quarterbacks that are taking over the NFL right now – and I don’t mean to compare him directly to these guys, obviously there’s a lot of work ahead – everyone’s looking for that Patrick Mahomes, the Josh Allens, the Lamar Jacksons, whether it’s mobility, whether it’s throwing power, whether it’s just something special they can do that your average quarterback can’t do that unlocks a defense. I believe that’s what Demeco Ryans actually said at one point in an interview, that’s what the league is looking for….