We are not yet in March of 2022 but if you look around there are already some way-too-early 2023 NFL mock drafts popping up and most of them have our Detroit Lions having a top 10 pick.
In the most recent 2023 NFL mock draft put out by Walter Football, the Lions use the No. 3 overall pick to select Florida QB, Anthony Richardson.
Unless the Lions fall in love with Kenny Pickett or Malik Willis, they’ll give Jared Goff one more chance. This means they’ll probably be drafting a quarterback in April 2023.
Anthony Richardson is raw, but has a huge arm and great athleticism.
Richardson, who is listed at 6-4, 236 pounds, played in seven games for Florida in 2021. In those games, he completed 59.4% of his passes for 529 yards and six touchdowns to go along with five interceptions. In addition, he carried the ball 51 times for 401 yards and three touchdowns.
Here is what Chris Trapasso had to say about Richardson back in September of 2021:
Sometimes something is so noteworthy an exception must be made to the rule.
And I’ve never highlighted a college player who isn’t draft eligible, but the skill set of Florida’s redshirt freshman quarterback Anthony Richardson is too tantalizing not to be put in the spotlight. Right now.Â
He’s demonstrated No. 1 overall-pick talent and feels like a mixture of Cam Newton and Lamar Jackson. I’m serious.Â
There is no question about it that Richardson has plenty of raw talent both when it comes to throwing the football and using his legs to make plays but he still has a ways to go if he wants to be one of the first quarterbacks selected in the 2023 NFL Draft.
As it stands, I have Richardson behind Bryce Young (Alabama) and C.J. Stroud (Ohio State) in my 2023 QB rankings but that could change if he goes out and proves he be smarter with the football.
