Personnel rave about Colts drafting Anthony Richardson

Some within the football community have suggested the Indianapolis Colts found a true gem in quarterback Anthony Richardson via the fourth overall pick of this year's draft. 

"He's a great talent, and if they can get him to improve the accuracy and the decision-making, then he'll turn out to be incredible," a college defensive coordinator who faced Richardson and the Florida Gators this past season told Adam Rittenberg of ESPN.  

Former New Orleans Saints and Miami Dolphins general manager Randy Mueller raised some eyebrows when he recently wrote for The Athletic that taking Richardson, who completed just 53.8% of his passes last season, would've been "too big of a leap of faith for me." Richardson mentioned last week he thinks he can follow in the footsteps of Philadelphia Eagles star Jalen Hurts due to working with Indianapolis head coach Shane Steichen, Philadelphia's former offensive coordinator. One Power Five defensive coordinator seems to agree with that take. 

"It's a college system," that coordinator said. "[Steichen is] trying to rinse and repeat what he did with Hurts."

Seattle Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll said after the draft that Richardson "might be the best athlete that’s ever been drafted at that position." Whether or not that's true could be debated, but the fact remains that Richardson likely needed to land in the right environment that will help such a raw talent acclimate to life in the NFL ideally as soon as possible. 

"I love the Colts taking him because of the scheme," an SEC coordinator told Rittenberg. "They'll let him get outside the pocket. He's like a bigger version of Mike Vick."

Colts general manager Chris Ballard feared watching Richardson become "a superstar somewhere else" and drafted the young signal-caller "not only for what he can do today but for what he can become tomorrow." If Richardson reaches what many believe is his ceiling, he could evolve into the top-rated pick of his draft class within four-to-five seasons.