The Indianapolis Colts intend to give first-round NFL Draft pick Anthony Richardson plenty of playing time as a rookie to see what he's capable of.
In a surprising move, the Colts drafted Richardson with the fourth overall draft pick after being heavily predicted to be selecting Will Levis. Richardson is seen as the prospect with the highest ceiling - potentially being the best player in the entire class should he reach his potential.
However, while playing at Florida he showed that he has some way to go before being a reliable starting option - almost being benched in his final year in college.
Richardson has all the prototypical tools, showing off his huge arm and extremely unique athleticism - scoring higher than any other quarterback in Scouting Combine history when he set records for the broad jump (10 feet, 9 inches) and the vertical jump (40½ inches), before running an incredible 4.44 40-time at 244 lbs.
But with only one year of starting experience and being just 20 years old, some believe Richardson might have to sit for as long as two years to work on his mechanical issues throwing the football and limiting mistakes. However, the Colts do not see it that way, with general manager Chris Ballard making it clear he wants to see Richardson in as soon as they can.
Speaking to NBC Sports, Ballard said: "We gotta get him in here and see where he is. We don’t know. He turns 21 this month—he’s so young still.
"Let us figure out what he can handle before making any decisions. But there’s not many people who can do what he does. When Morocco Brown (Colts chief executive) watched him, he came back and told me: 'I’m watching this kid in practice, and I’m drooling.'"
These quotes were followed up by owner Jim Irsay admitting that the team would have taken Richardson with the first overall draft pick if they had owned it.
The consensus opinion on Richardson appears to be that he has 'boom or bust' potential. Ballard himself agrees with that notion, but stated why the risk is worth the reward.
He said: "I would rather take the risk, the risk that he might fail, than pass on him and see him become a star somewhere else. We’re taking a guy not only for what he can do today but for what he can become tomorrow. I’ve told our guys here.
"Anthony might have some games where he’s nine of 22 for 105 yards—but in the game he’ll run 10 times for 115 yards. It just might look different for a while."
