Anthony Richard?s NFL draft stock has surged in recent weeks, and that continued at the Scouting Combine.
"One of the bigger stories coming out of this combine was the rise of Anthony Richardson, the Florida quarterback," Ian Rapoport said on NFL Network's coverage Sunday, one day after Richardson participated. "I think we all knew -- anybody that's watched him knew just based on his skills, his athleticism -- he would blow up the combine. I'm not even sure I realized just how much of a difference it would make."
Richardson set combine records for a quarterback in both the vertical jump and broad jump while his 4.43 in the 40-yard dash was the fourth-fastest by a quarterback since 2003. And his arm talent was on display, too.
The performance caused his betting prices to noticeably alter. BetMGM opened Richardson 100-1 to be the draft's No. 1 pick. His prices have consistently slashed over the last few weeks and he?s now a mere 3-1 at BetMGM and DraftKings Sportsbook to go first overall. The latter also has Richardson behind only Alabama's Bryce Young as the first quarterback to be picked.
The 6-foot-4, 244-pounder's metrics are eye-popping.
Richardson is taller than San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle, heavier than Philadelphia Eagles pass-rusher Haason Reddick, had a higher vertical than Las Vegas Raiders wideout Davante Adams, has bigger hands than the Arizona Cardinals' DeAndre Hopkins and his 40-yard dash was faster than Dallas Cowboys receiver CeeDee Lamb, according to NFL Research. All of those measurements unsurprisingly ranked first among quarterbacks in the 2023 NFL Combine.
"I've been out seemingly every night and I've been talking to a lot of people -- general managers, scouts, head coaches -- Anthony Richardson has probably been the most talked about player here and we've seen a lot of good ones," Rapoport said. "The story of the combine certainly has been the Florida quarterback."
We'll see if that is the case on draft night on April 27.
