Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson will depart for the NFL, confirming season-long hypothesis the redshirt sophomore would flip skilled regardless of one season as a starter.
Richardson introduced his determination on Twitter, thanking coach Dan Mullen for signing him in 2020, his mom LaShawnda Cleare “for her sacrifice,’ and the followers for supporting him.
“As I take my next step in this journey, I will always be a Gator and strive to make Gator Nation proud,” he wrote.
Richardson is a first-round prospect thought-about a long-term venture with large upside and nonetheless a lot to show. The 20-year-old closed his a profession with a 9-of-27 passing effort throughout a 45-38 loss Nov. 25 at Florida State, magnifying the inconsistency of a proficient athlete susceptible to inaccuracy and poor decision-making.
Asked after the sport a timetable for his NFL determination, Richardson mentioned, “I don’t know. We’ve just gotta get to the drawing board and figure out why I’m 9 for 27.”
Richardson’s 53.8 completion share is the bottom by a Florida gamers since Treon Harris in 2015 and matches the mark of Oviedo native Jeff Driskel in 2014, when he was benched and transferred to Louisiana Tech.
The deadline for underclassmen to use for the NFL draft is Jan. 16. Richardson introduced his determination earlier than the NFL Draft Board Advisory had offered a draft grade.
Richardson is the third Florida participant to announce he’ll enter the draft, becoming a member of guard O’Cyrus Torrence and defensive sort out Gervon Dexter.
The 6-foot-5, 347-pound Torrence is a fourth-year participant who transferred from Louisiana. Like Richardson, Torrence is a possible first-round choose after spearheading a run sport averaging 213.7 yards getting into the Las Vegas Bowl Dec. 17 towards Oregon State.
The 6-foot-6, 312-pound Dexter is ranked the No. 2 defensive sort out by the revered web site WalterFootball.com based mostly on his athletic potential greater than his manufacturing. Dexter did document 50 tackles, 2 sacks and 4 quarterback hurries dealing with fixed double-teaming this season.
Richardson is the headliner of the trio. He possesses star potential if he can harness his appreciable skills.
Some NFL groups are certain to miss Richardson’s uneven performances and as an alternative concentrate on his upside based mostly on his dimension (6-4, 232) and dual-threat, big-play talents. He additionally is bound to shine on the NFL Scouting Combine Feb. 28-March 6 in Indianapolis.
“He’s a great athlete. He has tremendous potential,” longtime draft analyst Tony Pauline instructed The Orlando Sentinel. “But he needs a ton of work on his game.”
For the 6-6 Gators, Richardson handed for two,549 yards and 17 landing and rushed for 654 yards and 9 scores. He recorded 16 runs of a minimum of 10 yards, together with landing runs of 45 and 81 yards. He accomplished 46 throws of 20 yards or longer, together with landing strikes of 52 and 43 yards at Florida State.
Richardson additionally threw 11 straight incompletions throughout greater than 35 minutes of sport time. Another signal of inconsistency: he totaled greater than 270 yards in seven video games, however fewer than 150 in three video games, together with a loss to Kentucky and 31-28 win towards USF — winners of 1 sport in 2022.
Against Kentucky, Richardson had 2 interceptions resulting in 14 factors, starting a stretch of turnovers in 5 straight video games. He did, nevertheless, go 4 video games with out a turnover earlier than throwing an interception throughout losses at Vanderbilt and FSU to finish the season, giving him 9 interceptions together with 2 fumbles.
Richardson’s closing efficiency at Florida was in simply his thirteenth profession begin. He doesn’t flip 21 till May.
Richardson’s age and lack of expertise will result in much more hypothesis swirling across the former Gainesville highschool star.
CBSports.com and TheDraftCommunity.com venture Richardson because the No. 24 choice. SI.com doesn’t have Richardson in its first spherical, however amongst quarterback ranks him behind solely Alabama’s Bryce Young, Ohio State’s CJ Stroud and Kentucky’s Will Levis — the consensus top-three.
WalterFootball.com initiatives Richardson fifth, with Stanford’s Tanner McKee No. 4, and never within the first two rounds of its mock draft.
“The learning curve in the NFL is so much steeper than it is in college football,” Pauline mentioned. “Whether it be conditioning, whether it be the training, whether it be the classroom work, whether it be reading defenses — everything is so much so much deeper. The only way I think he succeeds in the NFL, is if a team takes him late in the first round, somewhere in the second round, and sits him for a year a la Pat Mahomes.”
Richardson’s departure leaves Florida main questions at quarterback, one cause coach Billy Napier tried to persuade him to remain.
Incoming 4-star recruit Jaden Rashada headlines the 2023 class ranked No. 8 by 247Sports. The 6-foot-4, 185-pound California native is a proficient thrower however must bodily develop to deal with the pains of the faculty sport.
Ohio State switch Jack Miller II broke his thumb in August and didn’t play. First-year freshman Max Brown has not taken a university snap.
The Gators are certain to show to the switch portal. Players have been allowed to hunt one other faculty starting Monday.
This article first appeared on OrlandoSentinel.com. Email Edgar Thompson at [email protected] or observe him on Twitter at @osgators.
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Source: www.bostonherald.com