“Anthony Richardson: The Physical Freak Climbing NFL Draft Boards”

With a year under his belt as the undisputed starter with the Florida Gators, Anthony Richardson embarks on his NFL journey. The physical freak has been climbing the draft boards in recent months. How high is it for him? The player profile, strengths and weaknesses of Richardson in the detailed analysis of ran-Author Tim Rausch.

Anthony Richardson

• College: Florida Gators
• 195cm tall
• 108 kilograms heavy
• 20 years old

Physis

Anthony Richardson’s physical assets are – literally – the big draw. He brings the prototypical dimensions of an NFL quarterback. He overlooks the pocket, can take hits with his physique and deflect pass rushers.

It combines a quick start with a very good top speed. Richardson can easily lengthen plays, “buy” time in the passing game with his athleticism, or gain yards on his own.

The sheer power that Richardson can put into his throws should also be in the top group in the NFL comparison. The 20-year-old usually tempers his power correctly and, if necessary, can throw with sensitivity instead of strength.

throw properties

Richardson serves all areas of the field with a quick release. He has the natural throwing power so that he doesn’t need a wide sweeping movement to place the ball deep, even with longer passes.

One of the big talking points around Richardson is accuracy. Inconsistency characterizes the game of the former Gators quarterback in this area. According to the data website “Sports Info Solutions”, he only threw about 65% of passes between one and 20 yards towards the receiver with high accuracy.

Sometimes he throws too much, sometimes he misses the pass receiver, sometimes he doesn’t place the ball where the receiver expects it. However, throwing accuracy can improve with practice (Richardson only played one season as a starter) and improving foot and throwing technique.

Players like Lamar Jackson or Josh Allen, who already demonstrated the physical abilities of a good pitcher at college, have shown that with a lot of work, experience and consistency, it is possible to take the step to an accurate passer at the highest level. To be fair, though, some talented pitchers have stumbled down this path.

mental skills

Aside from a few wild passes in triple covers, Richardson made few decision errors. He works through his reads quite regularly and usually commits himself to the right play station.

However, accuracy sometimes holds him back. For example, he moves well in the pocket, finds an open receiver, gets rid of the ball quickly and cleanly, but then places it too high or too far behind the receiver of the pass.

Richardson’s passing game timing is great, but it’s neither a major strength nor a major weakness. At times he lacks anticipation on deep passes.

In some situations, he does not place the ball in such a way that the receiver “puts it in the basket” on his deep route and can continue running, but Richardson either puts too much power in and the receiver can no longer get the ball or too little power and the Receiver needs to slow down.

A big plus that isn’t talked about enough! Richardson moves very well in the pocket despite his size and limited time as a full-time starter.

He doesn’t tend to break out of the pocket tempted, but stays in it well, buys himself a little more time with clever moves, and throws out of the pocket regularly, even when pressured.

“Richardson obviously has a lot of talent, a lot of potential. The more you play, the better you get at timing and reading defense. He has all the facilities for it, is more than a project: Richardson is a very good player,” said Scott Fitterer , general manager of the Carolina Panthers, interviewed for the team’s website.

Richardson rarely misses an open receiver and shows a good understanding of defensive constructs. The 20-year-old has numerous scenes in his repertoire in which he correctly classifies the defense after the snap and even manipulates the defenders with his eyes in such a way that he creates pass windows.

Of course, complex coverage rotations can confuse him, but in this case he shows an ability to adapt. When defensives want to trick him a second, third time with the same coverage, he has the right answer.

Improvisation Skills

Due to his sheer throwing power, he can get rid of the ball with enough power in different situations. When pass rushers put pressure on Richardson, he makes mistakes. He still lacks the callousness in such situations.

Last season, under pressure, he made 38 percent of his passes to a team-mate. However, his running skills help him when pass rushers break through the offensive line.

• Running Skills

Because then Richardson is able to shake off sack attempts and get on his feet. With his athleticism, he can implement any passing and running concept and should definitely be used as a ball carrier. Not only does Richardson have the pace and physique of a dangerous runner, he has some technical skills more typically associated with running backs.

He can jump over defenders, throw stiff arms, temper his tempo so that front blockers clear paths for him or defenders take the wrong angle, and fight for yards when needed.

Conclusion

“I hear the criticism. People talk about how I’m not accurate, my passes don’t have a good touch, I’m not good at short passing. I’m just saying: look how hard I’m going to work on it. In my head I can do everything with the football in my hands and I know nobody works harder to get better every day. Footwork, accuracy, technique, understanding of the game. I’ll be honing everything every day,” Richardson wrote in a feature for The Players Tribune “.

Richardson has the physical makeup to be one of the best quarterbacks in the league. His throwing power is very good, he sometimes uses a lot of touch in his passes and his athleticism opens the playbook in passing and running.

Not a complete diamond in the rough, it shows promising developments in areas like pocket behavior or decision making. However, he might need some ramp-up time to reach a high starter level. In particular, throwing accuracy needs to be increased to have consistent success in the NFL.

The physical abilities coupled with a good work ethic and visible progress on the mental side of the ball should be enough arguments to draw Richardson early on. It could turn out to be the main win.