NEWSLETTER
The Bleacher Nation NFL 2023 Mock Draft will be a running mock draft that spans between now and round one of the NFL Draft. Each of the 31 picks (Miami forfeited their first-round pick due to tampering) will get a dedicated post. Here’s how it’ll work:
- Every pick in the Mock Draft gets its own post. We will do one or two picks per day.
- We will link back to previous posts with a running draft recap.
- This feature will not include trades and will cover the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft.
The Colts are on the clock in the Bleacher Nation NFL Mock Draft …
The Pick Is In
QB Anthony Richardson — Florida
The Fit
Indianapolis needs a quarterback, and while many have mocked Will Levis to the Colts, Anthony Richardson is a perfect fit. Shane Steichen was hired as the new head coach and will be tasked with grooming the next franchise QB in Indy. Richardson is an ideal project for Steichen.
Steichen helped Nick Sirianni and the Eagles unlock Jalen Hurts. In 2022, Hurts went from question mark to MVP candidate and plays away from a potential Super Bowl MVP award. Before that, Steichen worked with Justin Herbert and Phillip Rivers as the offensive coordinator in Los Angeles.
Richardson is a freakishly talented athlete who has been labeled as a project at the next level. The Colts take Richardson and hand Steichen his next QB to mold.
Scouting Report
Anthony Richardson dazzled at the Scouting Combine, specifically when it came to the measurables testing. He set a combine record with a 40.5 vertical and ran a 4.43 40-yard dash in Indianapolis. Richardson’s height (6’4″), weight (244), 40 (4.43), vertical (40.5), and broad jump (10’9″) all ranked first among quarterbacks.
But can he throw it? That’s been the one knock on his game. Richardson completed 55 of 62 passes on the field during his throwing session during Florida’s pro day last week. 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.
The Gators QB has elite arm talent and delivers the ball with zip. He hit 60 mph on the radar gun at the combine. As a runner, he also broke 39 tackles on 97 carries this season for 713 yards. He’s big, he’s fast, he’s explosive. He has all the tools one could ask for in a modern-day QB.
As far as his deficiencies in the passing game are concerned, well, take a look at this breakdown by The Athletic’s Ted Nguyen:
Final Thoughts: You can cite his limited experience, inaccuracy (although the tape says different), or footwork as concerns. You can even point to the fact that he only throws fastballs and has yet to learn to take something off of the throw, which is why he’s behind other QBs in the draft. But these are all fixable. However, he comes with everything you can’t manufacture at the NFL level.
Bleacher Nation’s 2023 NFL Mock Draft
- Carolina Panthers (via CHI) — QB C.J. Stroud, Ohio State
- Houston Texans — QB Bryce Young, Alabama
- Arizona Cardinals — EDGE Will Anderson Jr., Alabama
- Indianapolis Colts — QB Anthony Richardson, Florida
- Seattle Seahawks (via DEN)
- Detroit Lions (via LAR)
- Las Vegas Raiders
- Atlanta Falcons
- Chicago Bears (via CAR)
- Philadelphia Eagles (via NO)
- Tennessee Titans
- Houston Texans (via CLE)
- New York Jets
- New England Patriots
- Green Bay Packers
- Washington Commanders
- Pittsburgh Steelers
- Detroit Lions
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Seattle Seahawks
- Los Angeles Chargers
- Baltimore Ravens
- Minnesota Vikings
- Jacksonville Jaguars
- New York Giants
- Dallas Cowboys
- Buffalo Bills
- Cincinnati Bengals
- New Orleans Saints (via SF)
- Philadelphia Eagles
- Kansas City Chiefs
