Indianapolis Colts rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson will enter the league with a lot to prove. Not only to himself and the team that selected him but also to the analysts and pundits.
With only 13 starts from his college career, Richardson is a somewhat unique case having been drafted No. 4 overall in April. Not many prospects with his resume of experience and production have a history of being drafted so high.
And while the Colts certainly believe his ceiling is well worth the price, Pro Football Focus ranked the rookie dead last among all 32 starting quarterbacks going into 2023.
Richardson wasn’t even a particularly good college quarterback last season in the SEC. His overall PFF grade came in at 80.3, which ranked 38th in the nation and was being propped up by his rushing ability — something that will need to continue in the NFL. The good news for him is that he landed with a head coach who just executed this development arc with Jalen Hurts. Richardson will need to rely on the limitless athleticism that saw him average 7.4 yards per carry last season while he develops as a passer.
It’s understandable that Richardson would be ranked low in comparison to the rest of the league’s starters, but there’s also a case to make that he’ll finish the season better than a handful of players ranked ahead of him.
The other two rookies on the list were Carolina Panthers’ Bryce Young (No. 25) and Houston Texans’ C.J. Stroud (No. 30). Both are strong prospects with plenty of reasons for optimism in their rookie seasons.
Other names that Richardson could surpass on this list by the end of 2023 include Atlanta Falcons’ Desmond Ridder (No. 31), Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ Baker Mayfield (No. 28), Washington Commanders’ Sam Howell (No. 27) and Green Bay Packers’ Jordan Love (No. 26).
An argument can be made that Richardson belongs ahead of them, but his inexperience both in the league and from college does make him a question mark in terms of projection.
Still, the Colts have the right system in place to get Richardson to his ceiling. It won’t be overnight, and there will be some growing pains, but it’s more likely Richardson won’t be at the bottom of this list by the end of the 2023 season.
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