Anthony Richardson happy with draft process, but not his NFL Combine testing

ZachAbolverdi

GAINESVILLE, Fla. — Anthony Richardson has lived out his childhood dreams throughout the draft process, which will he complete Thursday night with an NFL draft team selecting him with its first overall pick in 2023.

And it shouldn’t be a long wait for Richardson, who is expected to come off the board early. He boosted his draft stock over the last few months and has put himself in position to be one of the first names called in the opening round.

It’s where Richardson expected to be when he decided to turn pro back in December, even though he was given draft evaluations as a first-to-second-round prospect. Multiple mock drafts now have him projected as a top-10 pick.

“I’m definitely happy with it,” Richardson said of his draft process. “I’m not satisfied yet because I haven’t gotten picked up yet. And I haven’t really done anything yet. I just did what I was supposed to do, and that’s take care of my business, stay out of trouble, be respectful, showcase who I am as a person and showcase what I’m able to do on the field.

“And I feel like I did that the right way, especially with my team. They made sure I’m on track every single day, mentally, physically, emotionally, all that, just so I can get the best out of myself every day and I feel like we’ve done that as a team and I’m just waiting for the day now.”

The rise in Richardson’s draft stock skyrocketed after his showing in Indianapolis, where he put on the best performance by a quarterback in NFL Combine history. Richardson set the combine record at his position in the vertical jump (40.5″) and the broad jump (10’9″), while running the fourth-fastest 40-yard dash (4.43 seconds).

Only Michael Vick (4.33), Reggie McNeal (4.40) and Robert Griffin III (4.41) ran faster 40-yard times. Richardson weighs 34, 46 and 21 pounds more, respectively. He finished with the highest RAS (relative athletic score) amongst quarterbacks all-time, a perfect 10.0, surpassing Cam Netwon’s 9.99 score at the 2011 combine.

But for Richardson, his manager Vernell Brown Jr. and his agent Deiric Jackson, they took the most satisfaction in how he conducted himself during interviews with NFL teams.

“It felt good, not even just performing on the field,” Richardson said of his combine experience. “Just the interview process, that was more important to us than the field stuff because we all knew I was gonna go out there and do something — at least jump high.

“We all knew that was gonna happen because I was doing it while I was training. Jumping 40, running high 4.4s. And they’re like, ‘OK, you can do that, but this is more important. Do this first. Once you knock that out, just go out there and be you.”

Despite his record-setting numbers in Indy, Robinson wasn’t completely satisfied with how he tested. He fell short on a pair of personal goals.

“I didn’t get two of my ideal records,” Richardson said. “I was trying to get at least 41 inches on the vert. I got 40.5. And then broad jump, not satisfied with that. I was trying to get 11 inches and I didn’t get that. So, I was a little hurt.

“But they were like, ‘You got the record, man.’ So, I guess I’ll take that. But it felt good just going out there and putting it all on the line at once and it just naturally flowed.”

There is one benchmark that Richardson did reach: his 40-yard dash. He hit his target time even though he didn’t stay in a straight line.

“I wanted to run a 4.4. I didn’t expect it to be that low, but it was fast and I was excited,” Richardson said. “Some people clocked me at 4.3. But hey, I ain’t gotta run it no more so, I’m good.”