INDIANAPOLIS — Question the pure passing potential of Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson all you want (though he clearly showed improvement in the second half of his first season as a college starter), but let it be known that this dude is just as freaky an athlete on the track as he is on the field.
During Saturday’s combine drills for quarterbacks, Richardson blew up the 40-yard dash with a 4.44-second time — which, per MockDraftable.com, is the fourth-fastest 40 time for a quarterback since 1999. Richardson finished behind Virginia Tech’s Michael Vick in 2001 (4.33 seconds), Texas A&M’s Reggie McNeal in 2006 (4.4 flat), and Baylor’s Robert Griffin III in 2012 (4.41).
Richardson’s 40 was faster than those of Justin Fields, Tyrod Taylor, Vince Young, Daunte Culpepper, Jake Locker, Colin Kaepernick, and Russell Wilson.
Oh, and he also made history in other ways.
🐊 Anthony Richardson's day at the NFL Combine:
▪️ QB record for broad jump (10'9")
▪️ QB record for vertical jump (40.5")
▪️ 4.44u in the 40All at 6-foot-4, 244 pounds 🤯pic.twitter.com/Jd1fWDxENA
— Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) March 4, 2023
Richardson saw no need to run a second 40, and who could blame him?
Anthony Richardson will not run a 2nd 40
— Matt Miller (@nfldraftscout) March 4, 2023
We’ll see how Richardson fares in the throwing drills — he has a ridiculous deep arm and can feather touch passes a bit better than his detractors think. If he aces that as well, Anthony Richardson could send the 2023 draft class into total chaos.
