National Football League

Colts draft QB Anthony Richardson with No. 4 overall pick

Published Apr. 27, 2023 8:41 p.m. ET

share

facebookxredditlink

The Indianapolis Colts have selected Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson with the No. 4 overall pick of the NFL Draft.

The Gators QB is one of the most dynamic and unique prospects in the draft. In 2022, Richardson, a dual-threat quarterback, completed 54 percent of his passes for 2,549 yards, 17 touchdowns, and nine interceptions through the air, while rushing for 654 yards and nine touchdowns in 12 games. 

Richardson just wrapped up his sophomore season with the Gators but finished his collegiate career winning the SEC Player of the Week award after Week 1 of the season, and the All-Freshman team in 2021.

Should teams trade down to No. 3 for Will Levis or Anthony Richardson? | THE HERD

The Arizona Cardinals hold the No. 3 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft but many speculate on what they will do with it, especially with Kyler Murray recovering from an ACL tear and a new front office. A recent report said that at least six teams contacted the Cardinals about moving up to No. 3. Colin Cowherd evaluates whether teams should move up to select Will Levis or Anthony Richardson.

Here's what FOX Sports NFL Draft analyst Rob Rang had to say about Robinson:

Overview: Electing to make himself eligible for the 2023 NFL draft despite starting just 13 games at the college level, Richardson may be the most fascinating evaluation for NFL scouts in this class, regardless of position. That is because while scouts will be drawn to his rare talent like moths to a flame, he wasn't exactly statistically dominant at the college level, throwing for a total of 24 touchdowns in as many games over his career — against 15 interceptions.

Strengths: Exceptional tools for the position, including a large, chiseled frame and blend of speed, power and mobility that wouldn't look out of place at linebacker. He boasts a rocket for an arm, as well, one that will instantly rank among the strongest in the NFL. Richardson is surprisingly savvy in the pocket, showing good spatial awareness of the bodies around him and an ability to manipulate defenders to create easy throwing lanes. Richardson already is bigger and stronger than most of his peers and he's just 21 years old.

Concerns: Flashy but not fundamentally sound, wowing with chunk plays but often failing to convert the easy ones. He's far too inconsistent with his accuracy, at this time. Richardson's 54.7% career completion percentage ranks lower than other wild passers of prior classes like Josh Allen (56.2%), Lamar Jackson (57%) Tim Tebow (66.4%) and certainly lower than the other top prospects this year.

Bottom Line: Boom-or-bust personified, Richardson is the biggest wild card of the 2023 NFL draft. He isn't the best quarterback in the class but very well may earn that distinction in time. With some refinement, it isn't difficult to imagine Richardson bullying opponents in the NFL with his size, big arm and speed in much the same way that Cam Newton and Ben Roethlisberger did for decades. 

Grade: Top 20

NFL Draft coverage from FOX Sports:

• Jason McIntyre's mock draft: Colts pick Will Levis; how high does Jalen Carter go?
• Carmen Vitali & David Helman mock draft: Two trades up for QBs in top 3 shake things up
• Colin Cowherd's mock draft: Predicting top 10 picks
• FOX Sports football writers mock draft: Making all 31 first-round picks
• Greg Auman's mock draft: C.J. Stroud still No. 1, shakeup among top 10
• Carmen Vitali & David Helman mock draft: How do free agents affect projections?
• Rob Rang's prospect rankings, board: 100 best available players
• Positional rankings: QB, RB, WR, CB, EDGE, DT, G/C, OT
• Joel Klatt's Top 50 NFL Draft prospects
• Chris 'The Bear' Fallica's best NFL Draft prop bets and picks

share

Get more from National Football League Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more

in this topic

National Football League

Indianapolis Colts

Anthony Richardson

Rob Rang