Between Baker Mayfield heading off to the Los Angeles Rams and Sam Darnold getting yet another crack under center, the Carolina Panthers will continue to be a popular mock draft destination for quarterbacks. And that’s exactly where Draft Wire’s Luke Easterling went for his latest set of two-round projections—as he mocked them University of Florida star Anthony Richardson.
“Richardson’s 2022 campaign got off to a rocky start, but he’s got the kind of rare skill set that makes him the closest thing to Josh Allen that we’ll see in this class, with similar boom/bust potential,” Easterling writes. “The Bills are reaping the benefits of the boom, and a team like the Panthers could easily do the same.
With a somewhat middling stat line of 17 passing touchdowns to nine interceptions, Richardson being selected at the sixth overall spot could come as a surprise to some. But to those who have been watching Richardson, they see what is possible with his skillset.
At 6-foot-4 and 236 pounds, Richardson possesses perhaps the highest ceiling of any prospect in the entire draft. As Easterling alluded to, his elite-level athleticism and bazooka of an arm will draw comparisons to Josh Allen.
It will be up to the coaching staff that gets the opportunity to take him early to develop and mold this giant statue of untapped potential. His build is perfect in a run-first offense and he will likely succeed immediately in a system which takes advantage of a lot of movement in the read option and play action.
So, whether or not it’s Steve Wilks heading the organization for 2023 and beyond, the Panthers braintrust could make a heady investment in this potent prospect.
