No longer does a quarterback serve only as a facilitator. Teams lose ground if the only thing their quarterback does is run a passing offense, as it is described on paper. Because the landscape of quarterbacking has changed, new-generation players pose a threat to defensive coordinators and keep them up at night. As a result, the offensive coordinators also need to broaden their game plans. Here comes Anthony Richardson, who is looked at as a once-in-a-lifetime prospect.
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The young talent has 13 starts, 455 dropbacks, and a career completion percentage of 53.9% to his credit. This makes him the biggest and the most explosive QB project to be a first-round pick this year. Richardson has a powerful arm and good mobility. However, he was criticized for not being accurate during his time with the Florida Gators. Similarly, analysts noticed a lot of resemblance between him and the star MVP, QB Josh Allen.
How is Anthony Richardson similar to the Bills’ Josh Allen?
According to ESPN’s Matt Miller, an NFL general manager thought that Richardson’s and Allen’s arm strengths were similar. “Allen had this great throw at the combine when he was coming out—it was like a 70-yard bomb—and it kind of made us all sit up and take notice. Richardson will do that, too. And not those fake roll-out throws with tons of momentum. He’ll just drop back and chuck it.”
Additionally, their collegiate careers also match, especially, their average yardage per pass attempt. Allen averaged 6.7 yards in 2017, while Richardson averaged 7.8.
What is the most worrisome part about both quarterbacks?
The most worrisome part of Allen’s years in Wyoming and Richardson’s in Florida is accuracy. Bills’ QB1 has made progress in ball placement as well as in his mechanics. When he was in college, he looked like a relief pitcher, with an outrageously lengthy stride and the attitude of including as much power as possible in every throw.
Even though Richardson throws a bit better than the Bills QB ever did in Wyoming, the issues with overstriding and footwork, in general, are still there. His mechanics are nowhere near NFL-ready in terms of consistency.
However, one AFC area scout believes that, just like Allen, Richardson, and others, he too can improve. “There’s no way around it. The accuracy is bad. But there are so many scouts who think because Josh Allen cleaned up his stuff that Richardson and others can, too. I still think Allen is an outlier, not the rule.”
Richardson can improve and be effective on the field while he grows more consistent. This will not make him a career-ender, which thus, explains all the hype surrounding Richardson as one of the top picks.
