The 2023 NFL Scouting Combine is in the books. Florida Gators quarterback Anthony Richardson was one of the clear winners from combine weekend.
Richardson measured in at 6-foot-4 and 244 pounds while running the 40-yard dash in 4.43 seconds, the 10-yard split in 1.53 seconds and setting combine quarterback records in the vertical jump [40.5″] and broad jump [10’9″].
Before the combine, it was clear that Richardson was a bit of a hot topic among NFL evaluators. In 22 career college games, Richardson had a completion percentage of only 54.7%. That’s an alarming number for such a large sample size.
However, some believe Richardson’s issues are fixable and mostly relate to his mechanics. While that may be true, how many times has that been said about other quarterback prospects over the years?
Regardless, you can’t help but be excited about Richardson’s raw tools at the quarterback position. Even before the combine, it was doubtful that Richardson slipped outside the top 10. Someone was going to take a chance and he most likely wouldn’t have made it past the Carolina Panthers at No. 9.
Now, Richardson has a good chance to land somewhere in the top five with teams looking to move up and select him. That’s probably why so many NFL teams met with Richardson at the combine.
One of those teams was the Washington Commanders, as Richardson revealed Monday on the “Rich Eisen Show.”
Anthony Richardson was the belle of the #NFLCombine ball and if you didn’t at least talk to the #GoGators QB then you missed out — @GVOaant told us who he chatted with over the weekend:#NFL #NFLFreeAgency #NFLDraft pic.twitter.com/8jLiN0CQ5d
— Rich Eisen Show (@RichEisenShow) March 6, 2023
Head coach Ron Rivera likely saw shades of his old quarterback, Cam Newton, in Richardson. This is likely a case of Washington doing its due diligence because Richardson will never make it to No. 16, where the Commanders select.