* - How well does his skill set carry over
to the fantasy game? For quarterbacks, a player needs to be a
realistic threat for 4,000 passing yards and 500 rushing yards
to be a candidate for a perfect grade. Positional scarcity at
the pro level is also a part of the equation.
Positives
Richardson may have the perfect build to play his position in
today's game. His height (6-4) is almost ideal for his position,
while the combination of his 244-pound frame and rare elusiveness
makes him an absolute nightmare to defend in short yardage or the
open field. How much of a nightmare? He broke 39 tackles on 97 rush
attempts this season, per Pro Football Focus. He boasts elite arm
strength and speed (ran for touchdowns of 45, 60, 73, 80 and 81
yards over the past two seasons). Richardson loses almost no power
or accuracy on his throws on the move; he may actually be more accurate
on the move than in the pocket. Florida did him a favor in 2022
by opting against a RPO-heavy offensive attack and allowing him
to run more of a pro-style offense, which gives evaluators a better
idea of his ability to go through a progression and show off how
accurate he can be. While he is occasionally guilty of throwing
too many fastballs, he also made more than enough bucket throws
to give evaluators hope. He should get a better feel of when to
take something off his throws as he gets more reps. Richardson displayed
the ability to learn from his mistakes by beating a coverage that
fooled him early in games and played some of his best ball over
his final six games in Gainesville, posting a 12:2 touchdown-to-interception
ratio.
Negatives
For as many raw physical traits as Richardson brings to the table,
he has a lot of work ahead of him to pick up the kind of nuance
necessary that comes with playing quarterback at a high level consistently
- which is not a shock for a player with 13 career starts and a
mere 455 drop-backs in his college career (per PFF). One expected
byproduct of a relative lack of playing time is how he occasionally
handles himself in the pocket. For every time it appears he is showing
poise and awareness of his place inside the pocket, there is another
play where he runs into pressure by drifting outside the pocket
or stepping up into the pocket when he does not have a clear passing
or running lane. His inexperience also rears its ugly head whenever
defenses either muddy the initial defensive look or give him something
different post-snap than he read before the snap. This is another
common issue for an inexperienced signal-caller, especially one
playing in the SEC with talent not on par with the rest of the conference
(and what the Gators had for years). While Richardson displayed
the ability to make bucket throws several times throughout 2022,
his accuracy often runs hot and cold - usually a product of inconsistent
footwork. There were several times last year when he missed a wide-open
teammate down the seam by 3-5 yards.
Bottom Line
Richardson might as well be a real-life create-a-player from
the Madden video game series. As the NFL Scouting Combine showed,
he is among the best athletes at his position in the history of
the draft. The beauty of his game is that he is part bulldozer,
part Lamborghini and part long-range bomber. Richardson can truly
threaten any and every part of the field, which should allow his
new team to open up the playbook in a way few prospects ever could.
Thankfully, he is more than a great athlete; there is some unexpected
nuance to his game.
At the moment, Richardson is essentially a teenage kid whose
parents bought him the aforementioned Lamborghini as his first
car. There will be moments of brilliance in which he drives the
car like a pro and other times where he will hit the curb while
making a turn on an empty street. His biggest problem right now
may be his inexperience (393 pass attempts). It is not hard to
attribute many of his current weaknesses or shortcomings to the
limited reps. His footwork can and will most likely dramatically
improve during offseason work and training camp, which should
have a positive effect on his accuracy. (Shortening up last season's
11.5 average depth of target might help as well.)
Richardson is not close to being ready to be a regular NFL starter
yet, but the sky is the limit for him. Landing with a team with
a respectable quarterback coach and open-minded offensive coordinator
will be essential; Richardson is an offensive weapon with a chance
to be better than Cam Newton with the right coaching. A more rigid
coaching staff that lacks creativity or tries to protect their
investment will likely lead to him being a huge disappointment,
if only because they would be taking away what makes him special.
IF his new employer has the luxury of sitting him for a year and
giving him a solid running game to support him early in his career,
he can be special.
Doug Orth has written for FF Today since 2006 and been featured
in USA TODAY's Fantasy Football Preview magazine since 2010. He
is also a high-stakes player who often appears as a guest analyst
on a number of national sports radio shows, such as Sirius XM’s
“Fantasy Drive." Doug is also a member of the Fantasy
Sports Writers Association.
