HEIGHT: 6'4"

WEIGHT: 244

HAND: 10 1/2"

ARM: 32 3/4"

WINGSPAN: TBD

40-YARD DASH: 4.43

3-CONE: TBD

SHUTTLE: TBD

VERTICAL: 40.5"

BROAD: 10'9"

POSITIVES

— Ideal size/build for the position. Tall, thick frame.

— Elite athlete. Speed, explosiveness, and change of direction are all excellent. Highly effective scrambler and designed runner.

— Elite arm strength. Rips the ball 60+ yards with ease; can fit the ball into tight windows and outside the numbers very comfortably.

— Great pocket management. Quick to react and adjust; comfortable navigating tight spaces.

— Above-average ability to handle pressure and find creative plays on the run. Unafraid to take hits to get the ball off.

— Solid processing skills for a one-year starter. Showed ability to work real progressions and play in rhythm.

NEGATIVES

— Inconsistent accuracy. Flashes high-level throws but prone to a few bizarre misfires per game.

— Robotic decision-maker at times. Too many instances when he gets to the end of his progression and automatically throws despite the WR being covered.

— Can be too quick to throw the ball away from the pocket, a la Derek Carr.

— One-year starter. Hard to know how he progresses with reps and offseason development.

2022 STATISTICS

— 12 GM, 176-317 (53.8%), 2,549 yards, 7.8 Y/A, 17 TD, 9 INT, 103 ATT, 645 YDS (6.3 AVG), 9 TD

NOTES

— Born May 22, 2001

— 13 starts over two seasons (12 in 2022)

— 4-star high school recruit in 2020 class

OVERALL

Anthony Richardson is a home-run swing on elite tools and fearless pocket management.

Athletically, nobody in this class compares to Richardson. At 6'4" and 232 pounds, Richardson will walk into the league with top-five speed, explosiveness, and contact balance for the position. He is very effective as a designed runner, particularly on plays that get him on the perimeter. Richardson is also a terrifying and creative scrambler. Not only is he quick to react to pressure and explosive enough to free himself from their clutches, but he's got a good eye for making plays both in congested areas or outside the pocket. When all of those athletic tools are paired with Richardson's blistering arm strength, there's no denying he is the most talented quarterback in the class.

As a passer, Richardson is a mixed bag, but he has more of a foundation than he's let on. Richardson is an excellent pocket manager. He remains calm and often does well to preempt pressure. When the walls start closing in, Richardson does a great job navigating tight pockets and playing with his eyes up, showing no fear of the pass-rush. Richardson is also a fine processor, especially for such a young and inexperienced player. He regularly showed the ability to cycle through his progressions and play within the system, rather than looking to break structure. Richardson just needs to speed up his timing and be a little snappier as a decision-maker—skills that theoretically develop with more reps.

Accuracy is Richardson's biggest area for improvement. Richardson's best throws are mesmerizing, but there are too many random misfires littered in between. Richardson is prone to three or so terrible misfires per game, often in the 1-10 yard area--throws that are supposed to keep the offense on schedule. He also struggles a bit more with moving targets than he does stationary ones, too often limiting YAC. Richardson's accuracy isn't as bad as his 53.8 percent completion percentage suggests, since that's partly a product of the Gators' poor receiving group, but he's certainly a tick or two less accurate at this stage in his development than your typical first-round pick.

Richardson's rare bundle of traits are worth a risky bet. Players with his build, athletic profile, arm strength and advanced pocket management are hard to find. Speeding up his process a bit and ironing out his accuracy will be necessary, but Richardson is a young player with plenty of room to grow, and hopefully, the right environment can foster that growth. Richardson would fit best in an offense that embraces both his athleticism and arm strength in the intermediate and deep sections of the field.

GRADE: 8.5 (Impact Player)

OVERALL RANK: 7

POSITION RANK: QB2

PRO COMPARISON: Cam Newton

Written by B/R NFL Scout Derrik Klassen