QB Anthony Richardson will enter the 2023 NFL Draft

So, if you’re thinking about the best football bets this weekend, don’t put anything on Richardson with the Gators!

The NFL Draft pool

Only one in 50 college football seniors manages to get drafted by an NFL team, so it’s not guaranteed that Richardson will even make it that far, but if he does, there’ll be big bucks in it! The last player to be drafted won’t get as much as the first, but it’ll still be a great salary!

Who is Anthony Richardson?

Anthony Richardson is a 21-year-old quarterback who currently plays with the Florida Gators as a sophomore. He was born in Miami, Florida on May 22, 2001. He started playing football at his high school, Eastside, in Gainesville.

At Eastside High School, he accumulated 4,633 passing yards, 1,633 rushing yards, 37 passing touchdowns, and 41 touchdowns.

Richardson’s college football career

On leaving high school, he went to the University of Florida, where he started playing college football as a quarterback with the Florida Gators. During 2020, his first year there, he appeared in four games and he redshirted the first year.

In 2021, he entered as Emory Jones’s backup but ended up having more playing time. He replaced Jones against LSU and completed 10 of 19 passes, to gain 167 yards. He had a rushing touchdown, three touchdowns, and two interceptions.

In 2022, he played all 12 games and accumulated 2,549 yards. He had nine interjections, 17 touchdowns, and rushed for 654 yards. His team finished 6-6, with 3-5 in the Southeastern Conference.

Richardson’s NFL announcement

On December 5, 2022, Anthony Richardson announced on Twitter that he would forgo the bowl game against the Oregon State Beavers in Las Vegas on December 17, in addition to his remaining years of college football eligibility, to enter the NFL 2023 Draft. He signed off with a declaration that he would always be a Gator and would strive to make Gator Nation proud.

The No. 15 also added: “It was a childhood dream of mine to become a collegiate student-athlete. That dream came true when Coach Mullen and his staff offered me the opportunity to become a student-athlete at the University of Florida. I will be forever grateful to him and his staff for believing in my potential.”

This time last year he was focusing on NIL deals.

Draft projections

Chris Trapasso, NFL Draft analyst for CBS Sports, has Anthony Richardson going as high as number 16, while Mel Kiper Jr. of ESPN has him listed fourth among the highest-rated quarterbacks.

Richardson is joining some of his fellow Gators, who have already declared themselves for the NFL 2023 Draft. This includes Gervon Dexter Sr., a defensive lineman, O’Cyrus Torrence, an offensive lineman, and Justin Shorter, a wide receiver.

Final thoughts – Gators going forward

It isn’t clear who the Florida Gators will use as their quarterback at the Las Vegas Bowl after Jalen Kitna found himself dismissed following his arrest for offenses related to child pornography. Another possible, Jack Miller III, hasn’t played since his hand surgery earlier this year but he is expected to be around for the bowl.

Two others who are expected to be available are Kyle Engle and Max Brown but it’s only Miller that has college experience. He played with the Buckeyes at Ohio State University in the 2021 season and completed 7 of 14 passes for 101 yards, before transferring to the University of Florida in 2022.

Marcus Stokes, another recruit from Nease High School, looked to be a promising quarterback but he had his offer of a scholarship removed following a video clip surfacing of him using a racial slur.