Falcons Meeting Florida QB Anthony Richardson; What's It Mean?

The Atlanta Falcons have stated publicly they are committed to Desmond Ridder as their starting quarterback, but they are still meeting with top quarterbacks in the lead up to the NFL Draft - including Florida's Anthony Richardson.

The Atlanta Falcons are committed to second-year quarterback Desmond Ridder as their starter for the upcoming season.

And while coach Arthur Smith has said as such in his recent interviews with the media, that doesn't mean Atlanta is overlooking quarterbacks in the upcoming NFL Draft. 

According to a report from NFL Network, the Falcons are scheduled to meet with Florida's Anthony Richardson as part of their top-30 visits. Richardson, one of the most coveted signal-callers in the class, is a projected first-round pick and could even be on the board for the Falcons at No. 8 overall. 

A look at Anthony Richardson top-30 predraft visits, per sources.

Starts with Raiders this week, he’s there today. Then he visits Panthers (Sunday/Monday) & Colts (Tuesday/Wednesday).

The week of April 16, Richardson is scheduled to visit Titans, Falcons & Ravens in that order https://t.co/bvMVMuP8kT

— Cameron Wolfe (@CameronWolfe) April 7, 2023

The former Florida Gator is one of the more intriguing prospects in this quarterback class because of his relative inexperience when compared to the rest of his counterparts.

Richardson comes to the NFL with only one full season of starting experience in college, and despite his resume not looking the part, he has garnered serious first-round attention.

So, what is it about Richardson that makes scouts and analysts look past his inexperience and mixed results? 

Traits ... at 6-foot-4, 244 pounds, Richardson has all the makings of an NFL quarterback. He possesses a big arm with unreal athleticism, as evidenced by his 4.43 40-yard dash time. 

He has the size, athleticism, and arm, but his biggest drawback is accuracy. Richardson completed a worrisome 53.8 percent of his passes in 2022, which has made many skeptical of him.

But as Jalen Hurts showed with the Philadelphia Eagles, with the right system and coaching staff in place, accuracy can be improved. 

Do the Falcons believe they are the right system and coaching staff to improve Richardson? 

Maybe. 

But it seems that they are committed to Ridder in the short-term as they try and fill out the rest of the roster after a big free-agency window. 

---

Want the latest in breaking news and insider information on the Falcons? Click Here.

Follow Falcon Report on Twitter.

Follow Harrison Reno on Twitter.

Want even more Atlanta Falcons news? Check out the SI.com team page here.