The buzz around 2023 NFL draft prospect Anthony Richardson is continuing to build this week. And that buzz should have an awfully familiar sound to the folks over in Charlotte.
On Friday’s episode of NFL Live, ESPN senior NFL reporter Jeremy Fowler dished out the latest about the University of Florida standout—stating that he can’t remember there being a wider variance regarding the league’s feelings on a quarterback.
“I’ve talked to multiple teams whose scouting departments have first-round grades and fourth-round grades on the same player,” Fowler said of Richardson. “So, he’s immensely talented. And so that talent should overshadow the fact that he’s considered a bit of a prospect. He should go somewhere where he can sit maybe a year.”
Fowler then went on to give an example of a high-variance opinion on Richardson, who has an NFL decision maker thinking he’s a mix of one of the game’s most electrifying players and a Carolina Panthers legend.
“This quote from an NFL executive sticks with me—he’s Cam Newton and Justin Fields combined,” he said. “As far as the ability, he has that.”
Richardson has already been linked to Carolina, most recently in a report from Fowler’s ESPN colleague Matt Miller. Miller noted on Friday that a rival general manager believes the Panthers—given head coach Frank Reich’s offensive mentality—are the best fit for the 6-foot-4, 231-pound passer.
So, being that the Panthers actually had Newton and (notoriously, perhaps) could’ve had Fields, then why not go for the potential monster mash-up this time around?
