Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson tore up the 2023 NFL Combine, and has officially established himself as one of the most intriguing prospects in this class. The 21-year-old ranked first among all quarterbacks in height (6-foot-4 and 1/4 inches) and weight (244 pounds), ranked first at the 40-yard dash (4.43 seconds) and registered first-place numbers among signal-callers with a 40.5-inch vertical and 10-foot-9 broad jump.
Coming off of the strong performance in Indianapolis, Richardson is now tied in having the second-shortest odds to be the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft at +350, per Caesars Sportsbook. Last month, he was +8000 to be the first player selected, and then he saw his odds shoot up to +600 towards the end of February. Now, he’s solidified in the top three. Richardson’s odds are tied with Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud, while Alabama quarterback Bryce Young is the favorite at -170.
CBS Sports NFL Draft expert Chris Trapasso has been ahead of this trend, predicting even before the NFL Combine that the Indianapolis Colts will trade up to No. 1 overall to select Richardson.
“I think Richardson is going to emphatically remove the lid from Lucas Oil Stadium at the NFL Scouting Combine,” Trapasso said in his mock draft. “That will lead to the Colts taking a chance on him, given the hiring of former Eagles offensive coordinator Shane Steichen as head coach. Richardson has similarities to Jalen Hurts and All-Pro upside.”
There were reportedly NFL scouting departments out there that had fourth-round grades on the young player out of Florida, although that’s something that has to have changed following his performance at the combine.
In 12 games played last season, Richardson completed 53.8% of his passes for 2,549 yards, 17 touchdowns and nine interceptions. He also rushed for 654 yards and nine more touchdowns. His 24 career passing touchdowns in college would be the fewest by a first-round pick at quarterback since Michael Vick in 2001 (21).