Should Falcons 'Take Plunge' with QBs, Draft Florida's Anthony Richardson?

Could the Atlanta Falcons take the high-risk, high-reward option and draft Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson in the first round?

For the second consecutive offseason, the Atlanta Falcons have questions to answer at the quarterback position.

Will the Falcons stick with last year's third-round pick Desmond Ridder after an impressive four-game stretch? Or will Atlanta pursue a big-named veteran like Baltimore Ravens star Lamar Jackson?

But there is, technically, a third option - the Falcons hold the No. 8 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft and could have multiple highly touted signal callers still on the board when they're on the clock.

The idea of drafting a quarterback has been lightly discussed but may continue to rise if Atlanta doesn't land Jackson or another veteran - especially considering that Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot said the team is "going to add players" to the room.

In ESPN's latest mock draft, the Falcons opted to address the offensive line with Northwestern tackle Peter Skoronski - but the eye-catching portion of the write-up had more to do with the inclusion of quarterbacks as a potential option.

"Quarterback is worth a look, too, but with Desmond Ridder in the fold, I'm not sure the Falcons take the plunge on Florida's Anthony Richardson here with the top three signal-callers off the board," ESPN writes. "If Atlanta doesn't stick with Ridder, it probably wouldn't turn to another developmental QB like Richardson."

The 6-4, 236-pound Richardson is viewed as one of the most physically-gifted players in the entire draft class, position aside. He ran for 654 yards and nine touchdowns this past season and made highlight reels around the country for hurdling a defender in 2021.

However, the 21-year-old is still developing as a passer; he completed only 53.8 percent of his passes a season ago and finished his college career with a touchdown-to-interception ratio of 24 to 15, or 1.6 touchdowns per interception.

As McShay said, Richardson is a "developmental" player - but his upside would certainly be worth the wait.

Still, the Falcons are entering the third offseason of Fontenot and coach Arthur Smith's tenure and have yet to finish above .500. They have the second-most money to spend in free agency with $56 million and roster more players 26 years old or younger than anybody else in the league.

As such, Atlanta has set its sights on taking a considerable step forward in 2023 ... and drafting a "developmental" prospect doesn't seem to make much sense for that timeline.

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You can follow Daniel Flick on Twitter @DFlickDraft

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