The 2023 NFL Draft had a pair of quarterbacks at the top expected to go 1-2, and that’s exactly what happened. The Carolina Panthers selected Bryce Young with the first pick of the draft, then the Houston Texans immediately scooped up C.J. Stroud with the next choice. Intrigue surrounded who would be the next signal caller to come off the board, Anthony Richardson or Will Levis.

Richardson and Levis were similar in style and substance, as both were physically more talented than Young or Stroud and possessed strong arms. Yet questions abound on each quarterback’s accuracy, decision-making and NFL readiness.

When the quarterback-needy Indianapolis Colts were called to the clock early in the first round, they went with Richardson. To say it hasn’t worked out would be an understatement.

Richardson was just a one-year starter on the college level at Florida, and, truth be told, he wasn’t very good. He completed just 53.8% of his throws as a redshirt sophomore in 2022, the only year he started for the Gators, for 2,549 yards with 17 TDs and nine INTs. He did rush for 654 yards on 103 attempts (6.3 yards per carry) with nine touchdowns on the ground that season, a testament to his awesome physical skills.

If there was one game that raised red flags and proved Richardson was not NFL-ready, it was the Gators’ regular-season finale against Florida State, a game the Seminoles won 45-38. During the contest, Richardson completed just nine of 27 passes for 198 yards. Receiver Ricky Pearsall, who would eventually be a first-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, caught five of those passes for 129 yards.

Here’s my scouting report on Richardson just prior to the 2023 NFL Draft:

Positives: Athletically gifted quarterback with tremendous upside yet an equal amount of downside risk. Patient in the pocket, senses pressure and steps up to avoid the rush. Quickly gets rid of the ball, puts speed on throws and drives deep passes down the field. Possesses a big arm, shows the ability to make a lot of difficult throws and changes his angle of release to get rid of the ball. Easily rolls outside the pocket and keeps his eyes downfield on the move. Incredibly creative running with the ball and eludes defenders to pick up positive yardage when it seems he’s caught in the backfield. Can beat defenders into the open field then run to daylight carrying the ball. 

Negatives: Streaky. Late delivering passes, which gives defensive backs an opportunity to break to the throw. Misses wide-open receivers. Can be all over the place with throws and must improve his accuracy. Willingly puts the ball up for grabs in double or even triple coverage. 

Analysis: Richardson is a quarterback prospect who draws a wide variety of opinions in the scouting community. He’s an incredible athlete who delivers some amazing passes at times and does a great job leading the offense, yet all too often he’s missing wide-open receivers or forcing passes into coverage. Richardson is far from being NFL-ready and needs a lot of work on his game from start to finish. Any team that drafts him and patiently allows him to sit on the sidelines as they develop his game could come away with a terrific starting quarterback, yet if a franchise throws him into the fire early in his next-level career, Richardson could end up the bust many of us fear he will be.

Three months after the season, Richardson put on a show at the NFL Combine, timing 4.43 seconds in the 40, hitting 40.5 inches in the vertical jump, and reaching 10-foot-9 in the broad jump after tipping the scales at 244 pounds. Florida pro day was another display of athletic prowess by Richardson, who showcased his superior arm strength by hitting the ceiling of the Gators’ indoor football facility on the final throw of the workout.

Opinions varied across the spectrum on where Richardson should be drafted and how he should be used as a rookie as the first round drew closer. I was firm on two thoughts: I would not draft Richardson in the top 10 (in my final mock draft, I had the quarterback going to the Tennessee Titans with the 11th pick), and he should be redshirted as a rookie in the NFL.

The Colts disagreed.

They selected Richardson with the fourth selection of the draft and made him a Week 1 starter in 2023. And though he flashed brilliance, Richardson struggled to find any consistency in a rookie season that was cut short after four games due to an AC joint sprain in his shoulder that required surgery to repair.

The 2024 season was more down than up for Richardson. He entered the season as the starter, but he was sidelined after four games with an oblique injury. After returning from the injury two games later, Richardson took himself out of a Week 8 contest against Stroud and the Houston Texans because he “needed a breather”. Stroud outplayed Richardson in every conceivable manner that game, and the Colts chose to bench their second-year quarterback for the next two games. He eventually returned to the starting lineup to play the next five games before being sidelined with a different injury, this one to his back.

Year 3 saw the Colts sign former New York Giants first-round pick Daniel Jones, who promptly beat out Richardson for the starting job. The signal caller saw mop-up duty in two games before being placed on injured reserve for the remainder of the season after fracturing an orbital bone in his eye during pregame warmups before the Week 6 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals.

In three seasons with the Colts, Richardson started just 15 games and completed 50.6% of his throws for an even 2,400 yards with 11 TDs and 13 interceptions. This past February, the Colts and Richardson mutually agreed to seek trading partners for the signal caller, but there was no interest.

Richardson is the latest cautionary tale of a physically gifted quarterback prospect who entered the league before he was ready.