Former University of Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson is all the rage leading up to this weekend’s final two days of the NFL combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. He gave a glimpse into his competitive and athletic mindset, revealing who his NFL role models are and whom he tailored his game after.
“Growing up, it was always Cam Newton for me,” Richardson said Friday to the media at the combine. “But then, when I got to high school, just seeing how dynamic Lamar [Jackson] was, I tried to implement both of those guys in my life. I started calling myself Cam Jackson in 11th grade, just trying to make plays.”
Advancing Up The Field
Richardson signed with Florida in December 2019 after finishing high school with 6,266 total yards (4,633 passing, 1,633 rushing) and 78 touchdowns (37 passing, 41 rushing). He was featured on the Netflix series “QB1: Beyond The Lights,” bolstering his national buzz. As a third-year sophomore at Florida in 2022, he put up 2,549 yards (212.4 per game) and a 17:9 TD-to-INT ratio through the air, as well as 654 yards and nine touchdowns on the ground, leaving him widely projected to be drafted in the first round next month.
The 6-foot-4, 232-pound Richardson promises he will fully display his abilities on Saturday at the combine. He is participating in the combine’s marquee event, the 40-yard dash. The dual-threat quarterback is focused on securing an excellent stopwatch time.
“I plan on doing everything,” Richardson continued. “I trained for everything, so I’m trying to showcase what I’m able to do. My target time is: Definitely fast; I’m not trying to play numbers out there. I’m just going to showcase that tomorrow.”
However, there are stats that Richardson has to overcome to maintain the confidence of scouts; his failure to complete 55 percent of his career passes at Florida after a 53.8 percent completion rate in 2022.
“I can definitely get better at delivering the ball and helping my guys out — but I can’t also catch every pass. If I could, I would definitely. But it’s just helping guys out, and helping guys help me. My completion percentage, some people say it’s not great. I don’t think it’s great either. But it’s just growing as a quarterback, and not every year is going to be your best year, and I definitely learned a lot from last season.
“Just growing up, I’ve had a lot of people tell me I’m throwing it too hard, (but) when I try to lighten up, it’s not as accurate as I want it to be. I don’t care if somebody’s complaining about if I’m throwing it hard – they better catch it.”
Managing Pro Expectations
Moving forward into the pro ranks, Richardson knows there are things to work on in a game that moves fast and accepts little excuses.
“Just being consistent with my accuracy. Using my arm, using my hips, using my feet, you know, just tying it all together and being consistent,” Richardson said. “Using my hips. A lot of people say I have a big arm, and I do believe so, but you can’t just muscle the ball around all day — that’s not gonna work. You gotta be tuned up, you gotta be tuned in with your mechanics.”
“I’m willing to bring anything and everything that they need from me,” said Richardson. I’m going to work; I’m going to be dedicated to my craft. I’m going to be a leader in that organization. Just growing and continue to grow. I wanna be a legend,” Richardson said. “I wanna be like Patrick Mahomes. I wanna be like Tom Brady — I wanna be one of the greats, you know, I will be one of the greats because I’m willing to work that hard and get to that point.”
