Fear impacted Colts' decision to draft Anthony Richardson

Richardson's draft stock became a fascinating topic throughout the opening third of 2023. He completed just 53.8% of his passes his last college season, and his Florida Gators ended the campaign at 6-7 (he declared for the draft before Florida lost the Las Vegas Bowl to the Oregon State Beavers). 

Things began to change, though, when Richardson measured 6-foot-4 and 244 pounds at the combine before he ran a 4.43 40-yard dash and posted position bests in the vertical and broad jumps. He later dazzled onlookers with his arm strength during his pro day workout:

Following last week's draft, it's been reported that the Carolina Panthers viewed Richardson as "too much of a project to take at No. 1" and also that the Seattle Seahawks "likely would have passed" if the 20-year-old fell to overall pick No. 5. Nevertheless, Ballard sounds convinced some team would've left him regretting not grabbing Richardson before Seattle made its choice on April 27. 

"I would rather take the risk, the risk that he might fail, than pass on him and see him become a star somewhere else," Ballard previously told NBC Sports' Peter King. "We’re taking a guy not only for what he can do today but for what he can become tomorrow." 

While it's unclear how far Richardson would've slid in the draft order had Ballard gone in a different direction, it is known that Kentucky Wildcats product Will Levis dropped all the way to the second round. If Levis and not Richardson becomes the better of the two NFL quarterbacks, Ballard may pay for his draft-day decision with his job a couple of years down the road.