New Athletic article paints unflattering picture of Anthony Richardson

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Multiple players met with Richardson privately to tell him he wasn’t meeting the standard, Buckner among them. “I signed an extension here because I believed in you,” Buckner told Richardson, according to The Athletic’s Jim Trotter. “But you’ve got to do your part.”

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The Colts knew Richardson’s development was going to take time. He was 20 years old. He’d started just 13 games in college, where his completion percentage was a dismal 54.7. “Ten years ago, he’s not a first-round pick,” said one league source. “Five years ago, he’s not a first-round pick.”

Assistant GM Ed Dodds was initially skeptical, calling Richardson’s one season as a starter at Florida “a roller coaster,” though he later came around on the quarterback.

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Over the next year-plus, the team would learn Richardson was as raw as they come. “The preparation stuff isn’t there yet. He just doesn’t know,” said one NFL talent evaluator.

“A good kid but naïve to what it takes to be a pro QB,” another added.

None of it should have been a surprise. Asked in March 2023 about where Richardson would need to improve most at the next level, Florida head coach Billy Napier offered a telling response: “Growing as a leader. Having conviction … with his voice, speaking with clarity … to be kind of the standard-bearer for the entire organization.”

One scout who studied Richardson in the draft was surprised to learn he was voted team captain after his first training camp.

“They put a C on his chest, which is not him,” the scout said.

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Because, to this point, he remains too inconsistent from the pocket, especially on short-to-intermediate throws.

Richardson’s completion percentage is a league-worst 47.7, though drops from his receiving corps and uneven line play have factored into that. His EPA per dropback is the second-worst in the league, behind only Levis, who was benched by the Titans earlier this season.

Two years into his career — through injury, criticism and the occasional highlight — Richardson is very much the same player he was at Florida.

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