QB Anthony Richardson Scouting Report: The Ultimate Project Quarterback

Among a draft class with many boom or bust prospects, Anthony Richardson is the biggest one this year. Based on his physical tools, which are extremely rare, he could theoretically develop into a Josh Allen type of player one day. That won’t likely happen, but he has many paths to becoming an elite player due to his versatility. He has Justin Fields-esque running ability paired with a rocket arm. The only major setback entering the league is everything about the mental side of his play at QB. Based on the success of Josh Allen, among other great young NFL QBs, this likely won’t scare teams away from drafting him. He has a good chance of becoming a star if properly coached and placed in the right scheme. There are a lot of ugly plays in his film, but the potential is undeniably there. He is easily one of the most fun prospects I’ve ever evaluated, and it will be exciting to see which offense he ends up on.

Two games from his Freshman year, as well as four games from his Sophomore year, were evaluated. This scouting report includes grades on all relevant traits which were based on his film. His scouting report also factored in stats and analytics, such as PFF grades. Use promo code TREYSCHNEIDER on Underdog Fantasy to match your deposit up to $100. Thank you to both TFG and PFF for inspiring this draft content. Please leave your feedback on Twitter, @FBIntellect.

Passing Stats

2022 (through WK 13):

2021:

Clip Analysis

This clip above is a great example of the type of raw arm strength Richardson has. He shows good anticipation as the route wasn’t exactly open until right as he threw it. This is also phenomenal ball placement.

In this one, he has excellent ball placement on a difficult throw. He puts good touch on it and keeps it away from where the defender could play it. Watching the all-22 angle, he missed an even bigger opportunity, but he’ll likely develop a better processor with more experience.

This run by Richardson is absolutely outstanding. He first makes a good decision to run and then puts the burners on and makes a guy miss.

Grades

Overall Draft Grade: 74.2

Traits/ Skills (see bottom of the page for scale)

Each trait/attribute is graded 1-7.

Player Notes

Anthon Richardson Bio

• Anthony Richardson is a special athlete with one hell of an arm but will need at least one or two years of development to be ready. He currently has the tenth-highest potential out of all the prospects on The FBI 2023 Draft Sheet.

Pros

• According to ‘College football Freaks List 2022‘ by Bruce Feldman, he ran a 4.40 40-yard dash and threw a football 75 yards.
• His raw arm strength is on par with Patrick Mahomes and Justin Herbert; he’ll just need to clean up his mechanics to better utilize it.
• An ultra-quick throwing release – he makes 40-yard throws with a flick of the wrist. His throwing release timed in the low (.3s).
• Has the type of arm talent to make spectacular throws off-platform or cross-body.
• He has the athletic build of a linebacker and possesses elite speed – he’ll be a monster on designed runs in the NFL.
• Incredible burst and change of direction ability for his size.
• His size, strength, and contact balance allow him to break sacks in the pocket with ease.
• Flashed elite ball placement on intermediate and deep throws.
• Has already shown good touch on impact throws; just needs to improve his consistency.
• Big-play mentality.
• Generally maneuvers the pocket well and has a good clock in the back of his head.

Cons

• He stares down receivers, misses open reads, and will often throw to covered receivers.
• Doesn’t understand how to read defenses pre-snap
• Gets too aggressive when the play breaks down.
• Rather than generating torque with his lower half, he throws with just his arm; if improved he can have even better arm strength.
• He struggled severely to make accurate throws and good decisions under pressure.
• Is bound to miss a few easy short throws a game.
• Has a tendency to get ‘toesy’ and doesn’t always get cleats in the ground.
• His throwing windup was inconsistent.

Combine

40 yd: 4.43

10 yd: 1.53

Shuttle:

3 cone:

Broad: 129

Bench:

Hand Size: 10 1/2

Scales And Keys

Grading Key

POT – Potential: players’ highest upside

IMP – Impact: player’s immediate impact