The Indianapolis Colts were very happy with how things turned out in the 2023 NFL Draft. They were able to land Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson with the No. 4 overall pick, finally addressing their long-term need at the quarterback position.
They had been attempting one-year stop gaps since Andrew Luck shockingly announced his retirement ahead of the 2019 season, but that will soon come to an end. This will be Richardson’s starting job sooner than later.
The future is extremely bright for Anthony Richardson, who has a rare blend of size and athleticism that has quite literally never been seen before. His ceiling is sky-high, but he is still a raw prospect. It will take some time to realize that potential and there will be plenty of bumps in the road.
During his time with the Gators, he completed only 54.7 percent of his passes. His elite testing during the pre-draft process is what shot him up draft boards as his production collegiately certainly left something to be desired.
As a result, projecting what kind of impact he can have during his rookie season is tough. He should be able to find success relying on his legs and athleticism, similar to what Justin Fields and Jalen Hurts were able to accomplish in the first two seasons of their careers. Anthony Richardson is way ahead in that regard compared to his passing game.
That much is evident in the 2023 stat projections for every starting quarterback in the NFL by Alex Kay of Bleacher Report. Not surprisingly, Anthony Richardson is projected to struggle to pass the ball but will have a positive impact as a ball carrier.
“Projection: 59 percent completion rate, 2,664 passing yards, eight passing touchdowns, 14 interceptions, 125 carries, 822 rushing yards, eight rushing touchdowns.”
There are certainly going to be some growing pains in the passing game. The Colts have decent weapons at wide receiver in Michael Pittman Jr. and Alec Pierce, but they are far from elite. Running back Jonathan Taylor will likely be Anthony Richardson’s best friend in the early going.
Head coach Shane Steichen can get very creative with RPO actions as opposing defenses will have to account for Anthony Richardson’s rushing ability. Expect plenty of stacked boxes early on and until he can prove capable of beating teams with his arm.
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