Hey, yesterday was fun. We got a win on both sides of town on MLB Opening Day. Let’s do it again today. But first, let’s talk about Anthony Richardson’s pro day on Thursday.
- Richardson is the last of the big four quarterbacks in this year’s draft class to have his pro day, and by all accounts, he did wonderful things on and off the field. He completed 55 of 62 passes on the field during his throwing session. However, there were several drops by wide receivers, and two of the incompletions came on a pair of 60-plus yard throws that the receivers couldn’t catch up to.
- But we knew from watching the combine that Richardson was a special physical talent. He also did very well in the in-person interviews with teams this week. Richardson met with the Panthers on “extensively” on Wednesday, per Pro Football Network’s Tony Pauline. Pauline also said that he’s hearing that the Seahawks could jump the Colts in next month’s draft to take Richardson at No. 3 after a trade with the Cardinals.
“Speculation from league insiders during Florida’s pro day is the Seattle Seahawks could be the team that leapfrogs the Indianapolis Colts and trades up with the Arizona Cardinals to secure Richardson. Several reasons were given.”
- The Seattle Seahawks, who own the fifth-overall pick in the draft, were among the teams in attendance on Thursday. Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll and GM John Schneider were in attendance. Schneider told a local radio station that Richardson was “really impressive” on Thursday: “he was really impressive,” Schneider said Thursday on Seattle Sports 710. “Great athlete, great young man. He has a ton of physical talent, no question about it. … He did a great job. He had fun, he was loose, and he had a good time with his teammates.”
- According to Vincent Bonsignore of the Vegas Review-Journal, the Raiders also came away from Richardson’s pro day highly impressed with the Gators QB:
- I still believe the Panthers are sold on C.J. Stroud, and the Texans will take Bryce Young. So, Anthony Richardson and Will Levis will be the two QBs available for the rest of the QB-needy teams in the top 10 next month. It wouldn’t surprise me if the Seahawks take Richardson at No. 5. If they don’t, the Raiders would be silly not to do so at No. 7.
- The Seahawks and Raiders have veteran options in place for the next couple of seasons in Geno Smith and Jimmy Garoppolo, so they’re in a perfect spot to take a potential developmental project in Richardson in the draft. If you have a shot at landing a possible franchise QB on a rookie deal in today’s NFL, you’ve got to take that swing.
- Of the final four teams left in the NFL playoffs last season, the Eagles, 49ers, Bengals, and Chiefs, three had starting quarterbacks in their rookie seasons or on their rookie deal. Plenty more teams in the playoff field were in the same position. Jacksonville Jaguars owner Shad Khan called having a young QB the code to success in the NFL:
“Well, the vibe I get is that, you know, I think we’ve cracked the code,” Khan said via John Shipley of SI.com. “We’ve got a great head coach, we got a great General Manager, and we have a great quarterback. And that’s the trifecta for success in the NFL”
- Khan told SI’s John Shipley that those three things would be the reason that the Jaguars are in a position to have some sustained success in the AFC South, unlike their 2018 run to the AFC Championship that ended in defeat and saw them finish in last place in the seasons to follow.
- Bengals wide receiver Tee Higgins said he’s focused on this season, not an extension. However, he appreciated Duke Tobin shutting down the trade rumors surrounding him earlier this offseason. The Bengals have impending extensions for Higgins, Joe Burrow, and Ja’Marr Chase, staring them in the face. So, it only made sense to consider that one might not be in the long-term fold. But the Bengals insist that’s not the case for Higgins.
- The Blackhawks lost to the Blues last night and are now in the cellar of the NHL. #badforbedard
- Good news for Cubs fans, here: