Mel Kiper Jr. analyzes Anthony Richardson's NFL Draft stock drop

Anthony Richardson left Florida for the NFL Draft and ESPN’s Mel Kiper analyzed the quarterback and said his stock dropped.

Richardson, who showcased supreme talent during his short time with the Gators, is full of raw talent. However, that did not translate into consistent, amazing success on the field at Florida.

But Kiper analyzed what he could bring to the table, but made it known Richardson needed time.

“This was a crazy ride and I think back to that Utah game,” Kiper said on the First Draft Podcast. “You saw some brilliance with him … He goes out there and single handedly, he led the Gators through that upset over the Utes. I mean, he was incredible … So you think figure, I think he’s got a chance to be the number one pick overall. Heck with all his talk about the second round, maybe late first …

“Okay, he’s gonna build on that. He maybe won’t be as good but you’ll see him keep showing that kind of, I think it was at 40% (completion against Kentucky). The interception, he didn’t do anything with his legs. They were able to defend him, Kentucky was, and really frustrate him.” 

Kiper pointed out the inconsistency from Richardson after the opener, which caused a stock drop.

“He went from being this A-plus quarterback, to bo,y now we see this is going to be polarizing,” Kiper said. “This is going to be frustrating. It’s going to be difficult, the evaluation process with Anthony Richardson because you see the talent, you see the ability to run and destroy defenses with his legs. You see the big time arm strength, but you see the layups that he’s missing. He’s bounced throws, bubble screens, not on the target.” 

Richardson’s eventual destination in the NFL could be critical as his stock dropped throughout the process.

“Coaching is going to be critical for him,” Kiper said. “I understand that you’d like to see him back for another year, but he (came out). I think the hope is for him to go to a team that can let him sit for a little bit. He is not going to be ready. We see Malik Willis in Tennessee, not ready. We knew that Malik Willis wasn’t going to be ready like Kenny Pickett was going to be more ready. This is a quarterback needs time, a year, two years … 

“It’s going to take some time. There is talent in abundance but he needs work on being accurate throwing the football and seeing the field, making good decisions. That is something Anthony Richardson and people would have loved to see him with another year at Florida, but that’s not going to happen.”

Richardson finished his college career with (22 games) with 3,105 yards, 24 touchdowns, 15 interceptions, a 54.7% completion percentage, 1,116 rushing yards and 12 rushing touchdowns.