Buccaneers NFL Draft Target: Florida Quarterback, Anthony Richardson

Buccaneers NFL Draft Target: Florida Quarterback, Anthony Richardson

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a question for their long-term answer at the Quarterback position. While Kyle Trask is on the roster and has been developing for the team the past couple of seasons under Tom Brady, it is not a guarantee that he is going to be the guy, and he is still a relatively unknown entity for the Bucs. With that being said one name that has popped into many draft conversations around the Buccaneers is another Florida Quarterback, Anthony Richardson. Let’s take a look at Richardson and see if he is fit to be a future franchise QB for the Buccaneers.

Anthony Richardson’s Collegiate Career

Richardson had a short but overall effective career while playing QB at Florida. Richardson sat his freshmen year after getting redshirted, but in year two he finally got to see some action playing in 7 games and posting a stat line of 529 passing yards, passing 6 TDs, 5 INTs, 401 rushing yards, and three rushing TDs. In his final year, Richardson put up 2549 passing yards, 17 passing TDs, 9 INTs, 654 rushing yards, and 9 rushing TDs. The biggest blemish on Richardson’s game has been his completion percentage as he posted a 59.4 completion percentage in 2021 and a 53.8 completion percentage in 2022. Richardson is still a bit of a raw prospect and would need to work significantly on his accuracy to have success in the NFL and I believe it is something that will hold him back from being a starting QB right away if drafted by the Buccaneers.

Pro Day and NFL Scouting Combine

Anthony Richardson blew up the combine and his pro day ran a 4.43 forty-yard dash, a 1.53 10-yard spit, a 40.5” vertical jump, and a 10’9” broad jump. On his pro day, Richardson showcased his arm talent by making multiple throws at multiple levels and making the deep ball look easy. Teams have fallen in love with Richardson’s athleticism over his combine and pro day and he figures to be a high draft pick in the upcoming NFL Draft.

What Richardson can do for the Bucs in 2023

I don’t view Richardson as the starting QB of the Bucs if he is drafted by the team in the 2023 NFL draft. I think Richardson needs to sit and learn behind Kyle Trask and a veteran QB and will need to take time with his rookie season to develop and learn to become a starting caliber QB at the NFL level regardless of what team draft’s him and Tampa is no different. I think that having Dave Canales as OC would be very helpful to Richardson’s development as we have seen him create magic with QBs Russell Wilson and Geno Smith during his time in Seattle, and I could see similar growth with Richardson under Canales’ coaching.

Three Year-Outlook

If things go well and Richardson somehow falls to the Bucs in the NFL Draft, the team could very well have their franchise QB. Learning behind Baker Mayfield and Kyle Trask would be huge while Richardson adjusts to playing in the NFL and learning the Bucs new offense. Richardson could be the player that would be the legitimate successor to Tom Brady and keep the Bucs playoff relevant for years to come.

Stock Report

It is very likely that Richardson will not be available for the Buccaneers pick as it has been reported that Richardson will likely go in the top 5 picks even with the possibility of going number one overall. That reporting could be smoke and mirrors but it is at the very least unlikely at this point Richardson will be available for the Bucs unless they trade up.

On the Clock…

Let us know your thoughts and opinions Bucs fans! Do you want to see the Bucs draft Anthony Richardson and possibly trade up to select him? Let us know!