Big Board ranking: #5
Positional ranking: #2
Overview
Position: QB
College: Florida
Class: Sophomore (RS)
Age: 21
Measurables
Height: 6’4 1/4”
Weight: 244 lbs.
Arm length: 32 3/4″
Hand size: 10 1/2″
Athletic testing
40-yard dash: 4.43 sec.
10-yard split: 1.53 sec.
Vertical jump: 40.5″
Broad jump: 129.0″
Bench press: N/A
3-cone drill: N/A
Short shuttle: N/A
Strengths
Extremely loose arm talent and great throw power. Extremely twitchy athlete. Ideal overall size with a very strong lower half. Possesses natural accuracy in the pocket and on the move. Ball explodes out of his hand. Quick release and a tight spiral. Drives throws accurately on intermediate passes. Able to deliver throws with touch. Throws a beautiful deep ball. Drops the ball in the bucket over the outside shoulder. Shows promise reading the field and using his eyes to move defenders. Delivers the ball in stride on designed throws when rolling out to the right. Routinely escapes free blitzers. Has the arm talent and instincts to complete throws versus immediate pressure. Keeps his eyes downfield while scrambling. Can whip throws across his body. Keeps two hands on the ball when sliding up in the pocket. Combined ability to step up in the pocket and deliver an accurate touch pass. Advanced feel in the pocket considering his limited experience. Avoids sacks with strength to stay up and arm talent to throw the ball away. Game-breaking ability as a runner. Home-run speed in the open field. Quick and explosive. Tremendous strength and physicality. Used on various designed runs (zone reads, quarterback power, sweeps, etc.). So athletic that Florida used him as a Hail Mary receiver in 2021.
Weaknesses
Accuracy falls off when mechanics aren’t in sync. Footwork can get jumpy in the pocket. Will have random spouts of erratic accuracy. Visually works through progressions but needs to pair his mechanics better. Needs to avoid predetermined throws. Too often doesn’t see underneath defender and will put the ball in danger. Needs to take checkdowns earlier and more often. Vision as a runner can be inconsistent.
NFL comparison
Justin Fields
Conclusion
Overall, Richardson is an extremely athletic quarterback with the passing foundation and natural arm talent to develop into a dominant player. The erratic accuracy issues can be overcome with added experience and development in an NFL offense.