NFL Draft: Is Anthony Richardson worth the top selection for Seattle Seahawks?
The Seattle Seahawks are in need of a young quarterback, and Anthony Richardson continues to be part of that discussion at pick No. 5.
It is easy to let the NFL combine carry too much weight, but Anthony Richardson did put on a show.
Richardson made sure the NFL was on notice with his performance on Saturday where he set new QB records in the vertical and long jump, ran a 4.43 40-yard dash, and his deep ball looked perfect. And at the end of it all, Richardson was literally perfect. But being good at combine drills doesn't always equate to quarterback excellence in the pros.
In a recent NFL mock draft, Seattle selects Richardson at pick No. 5. But what remains to be answered is if he is really worth that high of a selection.
Check out what Touchdown Wire wrote about Richardson following the combine:
“From an athletic perspective, there are few at the position more elite than Richardson, who tattooed his name all over the Lucas Oil Stadium turf with a series of incendiary and record-setting drills…. Is he a work in progress as a pure passer? Yes, but perhaps to a smaller degree than you may think, and if Richardson is in a situation where he can learn from a veteran quarterback and doesn’t have to start right away, the return on investment could be something we’ve never seen before. Imagine a guy with Cam Newton’s size, Michael Vick’s speed, and Josh Allen’s arm, and that’s where Richardson sits right now. That’s worth a top-five pick on potential alone, and the development is highly encouraging in a relatively small sample size.”
The problem with Richardson is a simple one: The sample size is too small to consider him a can't-miss prospect. And with that being said, the Seahawks would be better served to look elsewhere for quarterback production next season.
It is easy to get wowed by the physical attributes of arm strength, size, and speed. And it is even easier for NFL teams to believe they can develop a good athlete into a great quarterback. But the reality is that for every Josh Allen, there are a hundred versions of the inverse. Not every great athlete becomes a great quarterback.
There are hundreds of variables that go into the reasoning behind certain quarterback's development, but often it comes down to that quarterback not being very good, to begin with.
And with Richardson, that may be the case.
In his year as a starter at Florida, he showed off his arm strength with an offense that called on him to place balls where only his receivers could catch them. He did that well. But what was concerning was how quickly things broke down if Richardson's first read wasn't there. Additionally, his footwork was inconsistent, meaning he has a loose grasp of the fundamentals of the position.
His counting stats while at Florida were equally unimpressive. He only threw for 17 touchdowns and barely passed the 2,500-yard mark in the 2022 season.
So, though he's shown flashes of what he can be, there are far more red flags than green ones — making him a quarterback Seattle should stay away from unless it is really going to invest in his development, even when things will inevitably look horrible.
Feature image via Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports.
