Florida’s Anthony Richardson a winner at 2023 NFL Combine
The 2023 NFL scouting combine is now officially in the books after four days of workouts that gave departing collegiate players an opportunity to show off their talents and physique in front of all 32 National Football League scouts. This year’s combine saw seven former Florida Gators participate as the Orange and Blue sends yet another crop of athletes to the next level of play.
On Monday following the events, USA TODAY Sports’ Michael Middlehurst-Schwartz put together his list of winners and losers from over the weekend, with Gators star quarterback Anthony Richardson taking the top spot of the winner’s bracket. Take a look at what Middlehurst-Schwartz had to offer on the ridiculously talented signal-caller.
Despite entering the combine with perhaps the biggest buzz of any prospect, Richardson somehow managed to amplify the hype that follows him. The 6-4, 244-pounder set combine records for a quarterback with his 40 ½-inch vertical leap and 10-9 broad jump. But the most stunning number was his 4.43-second 40-yard dash, the fourth-best number for a passer since 2003, with the others not coming close to Richardson in size. His throwing session reinforced his otherworldly arm strength as well as his still-spotty accuracy. While a combine workout can at best capture an infinitesimal sliver of the meaningful factors of being a productive quarterback, this much is clear: The NFL doesn’t have any other player comparable to Richardson, even at a time when his tools are in high demand.
Projected as a top-10 pick overall in the draft, Richardson will join cornerback Kaiir Elam (2022, No. 23), tight end Kyle Pitts (2021, No. 4), wide receiver Kadarius Toney (2021, No. 20) and cornerback CJ Henderson (2020, No. 9) among Gators recently taken in the first round.
2023 NFL Combine results for Gators QB Anthony Richardson
The NFL draft is scheduled to be held in the plaza outside of Union Station in Kansas City, Missouri, on April 27–29. The first round takes place on Thursday starting at 8 p.m. EDT, with the second and third rounds on Friday starting at 7 p.m. EDT and the last four on Saturday starting at noon EDT. ESPN, ABC, and NFL Network will air all seven rounds of the 2023 NFL draft.
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