Don’t forget about Anthony Richardson: Florida draft prospect compared to Steelers great
Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson draws comparisons to this Pittsburgh Steelers great.
If there are four quarterbacks taken in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft, the smart money would have to be on Florida’s Anthony Richardson being the fourth guy coming off the board.
While the expectation is that Alabama’s Bryce Young, Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud and Kentucky’s Will Levis will all go high this spring, Richardson has too much raw talent to be anything less than a second-round pick. When he was playing at his best in Gainesville, Richardson reminded SEC fans of what Cam Newton looked like at times for Auburn. Newton went No. 1 overall back in 2011.
Per FanSided’s Matt Verderame, “one high-ranking personnel evaluator who has done significant film work on Richardson, his comparison was Kordell Stewart. [He] felt Richardson compared to Stewart “mentally and athletically” at this juncture, stating he’s both a project and an excellent athlete.”
To be drawing comparisons to Pittsburgh Steelers icon Kordell Stewart is incredibly lofty praise.
The question remains what NFL franchise would be in line to draft their own version of Slash.
Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson draws comparison to Kordell Stewart
Although Stewart’s run in Pittsburgh was later eclipsed by future Pro Football Hall of Famer Ben Roethlisberger, Slash will always have a special place in the hearts of Steelers fans everywhere. Stewart was a star at Colorado, but the Buffs were more of a run-first, triple-option team at that point in their history. Stewart may have come along too soon in the NFL, but he still had success.
The good news for Richardson is he is entering the league at the absolute perfect time for a player with his skill set. Many great quarterbacks have been able to carve out careers in this league both as a runner and a thrower. Of course, Richardson is still incredibly raw coming out of Florida. Last season was a down year for the Gators. Richardson split time with Emory Jones prior to last year.
In short, Richardson is more of a project than a prospect at this point. Because the upside is too good to pass up, somebody will probably end up taking him inside the top 31, just so the team who picks him will have the fifth-year option available to be used. The best part for Richardson is he will probably end up going to a better franchise than Levis, and definitely over Young or Stroud.
Hendon Hooker could have made it five first-round quarterbacks, but he is coming off a torn ACL…
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