Anthony Richardson Set to Explode for the Florida Gators in 2022
Consider yourself warned. When the college football season closes, the expected names at the top of the QB class in Alabama’s Bryce Young and Ohio State’s CJ Stroud will remain. But there will be a third player who will not only be in that upper echelon but could be neck and neck with those guys: Florida’s Anthony Richardson. While Richardson has not seen the field a ton during his time so far in Gainesville, he is the starter in 2022, and will set the season ablaze while opening a lot of eyes. I had him listed as a sleeper pick to go No. 1 overall next year, and the more I see, the more I like.
Why Richardson’s explosion is imminent
The biggest thing is his frame. At 6’4″ and just over 225 pounds, he is as imposing a force in the pocket as you can find. He has exceptional skills outside the pocket, seemingly always knowing where to run if and when a play breaks down. I can see there are times when he chooses to trust his legs a little more than his arm or his pocket, but those skills will come with time. His short-area agility and change of direction make him a weapon. These traits help tremendously when the pocket breaks down, but he has the speed to change games on an option play.
What should excite Gators fans and scouts all over is his arm. This man has a missile launcher attached to the right side of his body. His passes to the short and intermediate ranges have a lot of zip on them, threading needles others could not. His strength gets him through all thirds of the field but pushing the ball down the field has to be another great strength of his. His arm talent should be categorized as elite and will undoubtedly translate well to the next level. His accuracy will be brought into question, but for a guy with just 66 attempted passes in college, he hasn’t begun to show his potential.
Let this serve as a warning to those who are already not on the Anthony Richardson hype train. There are still plenty of seats, but the train is leaving soon. Richardson is your prototypical future starting QB. He checks all the boxes you want. The rest will come in time. NFL scouts should be drooling over this kid, and I have a feeling there will be a lot more eyes on the 21-year-old at year’s end as there are now. Just you wait.
Check out our Linktree to view all of our incredible sponsors as well as our socials!
