Indianapolis Colts general manager Chris Ballard has addressed if he plans for quarterback Anthony Richardson to play during his rookie season.
“We gotta get him in here and see where he is,” Ballard said of Richardson while speaking with NBC Sports’ Peter King. “We don’t know. He turns 21 this month—he’s so young still. Let us figure out what he can handle before making any decisions. But there’s not many people who can do what he does. When [Colts chief personnel executive] Morocco Brown watched him, he came back and told me: ‘I’m watching this kid in practice, and I’m drooling.'”
As noted by the NCAA website, Richardson spent only one season as the full-time starting quarterback for the Florida Gators, and he completed just 53.8% of his passes this past college campaign. However, he impressed scouts and executives at the combine when he measured in at 6-foot-4 and 244 pounds and then flashed remarkable athleticism during drills.
After the Colts made Richardson the fourth-overall pick of the draft on Thursday night, Ballard claimed the 20-year-old was always atop his wish list. Colts owner Jim Irsay added he would’ve drafted Richardson with the first choice, and the signal-caller confidently explained he believes he can follow in the footsteps of Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts while working under current Indianapolis head coach and former Philadelphia offensive coordinator Shane Steichen.
“I would rather take the risk, the risk that he might fail, than pass on him and see him become a star somewhere else,” Ballard said in an apparent response to individuals who would claim he spent too high of a draft pick on a raw prospect. “We’re taking a guy not only for what he can do today but for what he can become tomorrow. I’ve told our guys here: Anthony might have some games where he’s nine of 22 for 105 yards—but in the game he’ll run 10 times for 115 yards. It just might look different for a while.”
It sounds like Richardson will have a legitimate chance to win the starting job over free-agency signing Gardner Minshew this summer.
