Don’t sleep on Florida QB Anthony Richardson | You Pod To Win The Game
Yahoo Sports NFL writer Charles McDonald is joined by The Athletic’s Nate Tice on the latest episode of “You Pod To Win The Game” to discuss the Florida quarterback’s outlook entering this April’s draft and why he may be ready immediately at the pro level.
Hear the full conversation on You Pod To Win The Game. Subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher or wherever you listen.
Video transcript
CHARLES MCDONALD: Let's talk about Anthony Richardson from--
NATE TICE: Oh, yeah.
CHARLES MCDONALD: Because I think when you look at the discourse around him, it's just straight boom-bust. And then when you watch him play, he's a little further along than I think people give him credit for. Because I know, during the season, the only Florida games I watch were first Georgia, and then a couple in between commercial breaks, and flipping around on Saturdays.
NATE TICE: Yeah.
CHARLES MCDONALD: And I wasn't really that impressed. And then when we were getting ready for this, I actually cut some on. I'm like, wait, he's not terrible. He's really not that bad. And I think there's some spaces where he's being let down by the players around him. He's definitely raw to some degree. But I don't think that this is a guy where, if he has to start as a rookie, it's going to be a total disaster.
NATE TICE: I agree. Everyone's like, he has to sit a year. And even I was part of that narrative, just like you were in the season. I kind of agreed with that. I've been a fan of his, watching him last year. And the line I kept using was, he keeps trying to do the right thing, which is good.
The process is there. It's just, sometimes, it just falters, Gun to head, he's my QB 2. But gun to head, this is a guy I would take a home run swing on. And I don't think the bust potential is as much as I think people are making it out to be. So this guy's 240, can run like the wind. He's throwing--
CHARLES MCDONALD: He's never run [? a ?] [? four-four. ?]
NATE TICE: Oh, yeah, at 238, probably. And he runs over DBs. He actually has vision as a runner too. Which we'll talk about with Levis. That's something with him. I don't know if people watch the Super Bowl. But if you watch Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts, getting two defenders are dragging him down. They're still getting rid of the ball.
That matters. Because the pockets are tight in the NFL. And he can do that. It's already shown. It's proof in the pudding. What he has done, this is translatable. All the stuff he does is translatable. And on top of it, he has 1% gifts. As I've studied him this last couple of weeks, I've become a big fan of his.
And I don't think he's as big a project as people made in out to be. I think he has more potential to start his first year. But, yes, he does needs a little bit of time. But I don't think he's as raw as people have made him out to be. I really do think this guy has a chance to hit and be a real, real needle mover as a quarterback.
CHARLES MCDONALD: Dude, if I'm the Panther, that's who I'm trying to get.
NATE TICE: Oh, dude.
CHARLES MCDONALD: Frank Reich, look, we get the first swing here in my first year as a head coach. And if we [MUTED] up, let me get another shot.
NATE TICE: Sign Jacoby Brissett, and draft this guy, and it's a win-win, and you're good to go, you're Golden, I think. And if he hits, then this team is a monster with how loaded that Panthers roster is.