Nobody has ever seen a human being move like Anthony Richardson. Not at that size. Not with that much ease. When he stepped onto the turf at Lucas Oil Stadium for the 2023 Scouting Combine, the atmosphere shifted. It wasn't just another workout for a first-round prospect; it was a physical anomaly unfolding in real-time.
He didn't just break the record for quarterbacks in the vertical jump—he shattered it. He leaped 40.5 inches into the air. He’s 6-foot-4 and weighs 244 pounds. Imagine a small sedan flying three and a half feet off the ground. That is basically what we witnessed.
The Numbers That Broke the RAS Scale
You’ve probably heard of the Relative Athletic Score (RAS). It’s a metric used to compare players' athleticism based on their size. It’s graded on a scale of 0 to 10.
Anthony Richardson earned a perfect 10.0.
Out of 916 quarterbacks tracked from 1987 to 2023, he was the single most athletic prospect to ever enter the NFL draft. He joined the elite company of Daunte Culpepper and Cam Newton as the only QBs to ever hit that ceiling.
- 40-yard dash: 4.43 seconds (insane for 244 lbs)
- Vertical Jump: 40.5" (new QB record)
- Broad Jump: 10'9" (new QB record)
- Arm Strength: Easily 60+ yards with a flick of the wrist
The stats from his time at the University of Florida were, honestly, a bit of a mess. He only started 13 games. In 2022, he completed just 53.8% of his passes. Most scouts will tell you that’s a red flag big enough to cover a football field. But NFL GMs aren't just looking at what a kid did in college; they’re betting on what he could be in three years.
Why the Indianapolis Colts Bet the House
The Colts were tired of the "vet of the year" carousel. They had gone through Philip Rivers, Carson Wentz, and Matt Ryan in three consecutive seasons. They needed a ceiling. They needed someone who could make a play when the structure broke down.
On April 27, 2023, the Colts took Richardson with the 4th overall pick.
It was a polarizing move. Some experts called him the biggest "bust" risk in the class because of those accuracy issues. Others, like Daniel Jeremiah, argued that his ability to avoid sacks and create yards on the ground gave him a floor that people weren't respecting. In 2022, Richardson had a pressure-to-sack rate of only 9.2%. That’s elite. It means even when the offensive line fails, he’s almost impossible to bring down.
What Most People Get Wrong About His Accuracy
A lot of the "inaccuracy" talk surrounding his draft profile missed the nuance of the Florida offense. Richardson wasn't throwing bubble screens and "gimme" completions. He had a massive Average Depth of Target (aDOT) of 11.5 yards.
He was constantly hunting big plays. When you're always throwing deep, your completion percentage naturally tanks. Is he Josh Allen? Maybe. Allen had similar completion issues at Wyoming, and we saw how that turned out once he got professional coaching and a real supporting cast.
The Reality of Being a "Project" QB
Let’s be real: Richardson was the definition of a "high-risk, high-reward" prospect. The tape showed a kid who could throw a ball through a brick wall one play and then skip a 5-yard out-route into the dirt the next.
But his pocket presence was surprisingly advanced. He didn't just run at the first sign of trouble. He’d slide, keep his eyes downfield, and wait for a window. That "feel" for the game is much harder to teach than footwork.
Shane Steichen, the Colts' head coach, was a huge reason the pick made sense. Steichen had just come off a Super Bowl run with Jalen Hurts in Philadelphia. He knew how to build a system around a dual-threat weapon. He didn't need Richardson to be Peyton Manning on day one; he just needed him to be a problem for defenses to account for.
Actionable Insights for Scouting Future QBs
If you're tracking the next big draft class, Richardson’s rise offers a few lessons on what the modern NFL actually cares about:
- Physical Traits Over College Production: Production can be a product of the system. Raw traits (arm talent, speed, frame) cannot be taught.
- Sack Avoidance is a Stat: Don't just look at yards. Look at how often a QB turns a "sure" sack into an incomplete pass or a 2-yard gain. Richardson was a master at this.
- The "Allen" Effect: Teams are no longer afraid of low completion percentages if the player has the work ethic to fix their mechanics.
Anthony Richardson wasn't just a draft pick; he was an experiment in human potential. Whether he becomes a Hall of Famer or a cautionary tale, his 2023 draft cycle changed the way teams evaluate the quarterback position forever.
If you want to understand why his stock rose so fast, go back and watch the tape of the Florida vs. Utah game from 2022. You’ll see a player who looked like he was playing at 1.5x speed while everyone else was stuck in the mud. That’s the "it" factor that made him a top-five pick despite only having one year of starting experience.
✨ Don't miss: What Time Do Texas A\&M Play Today: The Lone Star Showdown Returns
To track his ongoing development, keep a close eye on his adjusted completion percentage rather than the raw box score. This accounts for drops and throwaways, giving a much clearer picture of his actual growth as a passer under Steichen’s tutelage.