One of the notable quarterback prospects in the 2023 NFL Draft is reportedly garnering some of the most mixed opinions from talent evaluators ahead of the April event due to his insane talent but lack of experience.
After a weak QB class in last year’s draft, the 2023 edition has many signal caller-needy franchises very excited they may be able to find their future franchise quarterback. If the Chicago Bears trade out of the top pick in April, QBs Bryce Young and CJ Stroud could be the first two players taken off the board.
However, after the top two in this NFL Draft class, there is a variety of players at the position that could be next off the board. One that has gotten a lot of attention lately is Florida Gators star Anthony Richardson. However, for as talented as he is he only played one full season in Florida and it has led scouts in the NFL to have very different opinions of him.
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ESPN NFL insider Jeremy Fowler explained the unusual projections on Richardson Thursday.
“I can’t remember a bigger variance league-wide, on a feeling about a quarterback than Anthony Richardson. I’ve talked to multiple teams whose scouting departments have first-round grades and fourth-round grades on the same player. We’re talking about the fourth round. He’s immensely talented and that talent should overshadow the fact that he’s considered a bit of a prospect where he should maybe go somewhere and sit a year.”
– Jeremy Fowler
NFL Draft prospect Anthony Richardson compared to former league MVP
Along with the wild projections on Richardson throughout the league, Fowler also dropped a fascinating nugget on what one executive told him about the potential of the talented NFL Draft prospect.
“This quote from an NFL executive sticks with me. He’s Cam Newton and Justin Fields combined. As far as the ability, he has that.”
– Jeremy Fowler
While Cam Newton had a steep decline in his talents the last few years and seems to already be out of the league at on 33 years old, he was a three-time Pro Bowler at the height of his powers and also won an NFL MVP award in 2015. Justin Fields has only played two seasons in the league but is good enough already that the Bears are pondering trading out from the top pick in 2023, instead of taking one of the star QB prospects available.
- Anthony Richardson stats (2022): 3,203 total yards, 26 total TD, 9 INT
Both Newton and Fields were or are run-first players in the league. Richardson ran for over 600 yards and nine touchdowns during the 2022 college football season.