How Will Former Gators QB Anthony Richardson Fit With the Colts?
Photo: Anthony Richardson; Credit: Alex Shepherd
The 2023 NFL Draft has officially come to a close with the final clock expiring on Saturday.
Six former Florida Gators athletes heard their names called during the annual three-day event, distributed evenly between offensive and defensive picks.
In anticipation of their future roles, All Gators will break down the team fit for all six selections organized by the day they were picked, further analyzing how each should align on their new team.
To start, we'll focus on Florida's lone day-one selection in the form of the No. 4 overall pick by the Indianapolis Colts, quarterback Anthony Richardson.
QB Anthony Richardson, Indianapolis Colts
The franchise player remains the franchise player.
If there was a mold of what the modern NFL quarterback needed to look and play like from a traits perspective, Anthony Richardson fits it perfectly.
So, it came as little surprise to hear his name called at No. 4 in the 2023 NFL Draft despite accuracy and consistency issues while performing at the collegiate level.
The pick begins a new era in Richardson's career and the Colts' organization as trial and error forced them into this selection. After several years of looking toward patchwork veteran quarterbacks for answers, reeling in the likes of Phillip Rivers, Carson Wentz and Matt Ryan to serve one-to-two-year stints with the team in hopes of catching lightning in a bottle, the Colts finally bought into their future by selecting a quarterback in the draft.
Taking a chance on the flashy, young prospect with the intangibles needed to be a star at the next level, general manager Chris Ballard stacked his eggs high into the basket of the former Florida quarterback with confidence that he could develop into the franchise signal-caller they've longed for since Andrew Luck's unexpected retirement in Aug. 2019.
Richardson will step into a quarterback room also containing backup Gardner Minshew, who's proven more than capable of holding down the fort as a starter while a team transitions into a rookie selection.
It may be beneficial for Richardson's development for Minshew to remain on the sidelines, however, as experience and reps are the concerns within the former Florida signal caller’s game. He’s only placed 13 starting appearances under his belt since high school.
If Indianapolis elects to trot Richardson on the field on day one — which is anticipated — allowing him to take his lumps while developing mentally and mechanically as a passer, it could pay dividends in the long run.
Following his selection, the Gainesville native understood an immediate assumption of the reins offensively was included.
However, he's not alone.
Lined by an impressive collection of young skill positions players in running back Jonathan Taylor, wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. and rookie receiver Josh Downs, Richardson assumed a potentially high-powered offensive attack led by head coach Shane Steichen, who used the scheme to help mold Jalen Hurts into an MVP-caliber talent in just three seasons.
At the very least, his dynamic, one-of-a-kind athletic instincts as a rusher and impressive deep-ball passing ability can be leaned on while he grows into his own making the routine throws. Allowing him to create on the ground in an RPO-heavy system while learning from his mistakes may be the most conducive atmosphere for Richardson to boom.
Designed quarterback runs were complementary to what elevated the Eagles' offense to reach Super Bowl contention a season ago. On an individual level, that will do the same for Richardson.
Indy hopes his game progresses quickly for them to contest the Jacksonville Jaguars in the AFC South in the near future. Nonetheless, even if the experiment’s timeline is extended before Richardson reaches his peak, the keys to the Porsche that is the franchise are firmly in the hands of the talented — but raw — gunslinger for the next few seasons.
What he makes of the opportunity will come down to how quickly he hones his craft as a passer, and there's strong evidence that he'll be able to do so, negating his lackluster collegiate production.
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