Texans' QB prospect Anthony Richardson just raised his draft stock
The Houston Texans’ NFL Draft prospect just made a resounding statement.
Even if they don't land the No. 1 overall pick, the Houston Texans are surely picking a quarterback in the upcoming NFL Draft.
That means that even if Bryce Young is the odds-on favorite to be picked by the Texans, the team could very well end up with somebody else. Ohio State's C.J. Stroud, Kentucky's Will Levis, and Florida's Anthony Richardson have all been formally interviewed by Houston.
The latter made sure to turn every head at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis. Heck, he might even force the first GM on the clock to second-guess his decision when the time comes.
During drills, the former Gators QB actually set a Combine record for quarterbacks by jumping a 40.5-inch vertical. Richardson's biggest trait is his athleticism. We knew that coming in and he quickly showed why on Saturday.
Absolutely crazy.
But Richardson didn't stop there. The Texans, and every NFL front office looking at the top quarterbacks this offseason, learned a lot about Richardson's speed, too. He ran a 4.44 40-yard dash, the second-highest mark among quarterbacks since 2003.
Per Next Gen Stats, he reached a higher miles per hour velocity than any ball carrier did last season (with helmet and pads).
The Texans will have to look at Richardson's historic athletic testing and decide how much weight to put into the numbers. He earned the maximum athleticism score from NGS.
Quarterback evaluation is different from every other position in the sport. But an athlete is an athlete. Richardson made a resounding statement that will cause the Texans and every other QB-needy team to pay attention.
"I want to be a legend like Patrick Mahomes. I want to be a legend like Tom Brady," Richardson said during the week via Aaron Wilson.
Those are high aspirations for the standout SEC quarterback. But for now, there's no question he has the athletic tools to succeed in the pros.
Featured image via Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
