Will the Seahawks Draft Anthony Richardson? Fantasy Football Outlook

The Seattle Seahawks were one of the surprise teams of 2022, as career backup Geno Smith posted a stellar season that earned him his first Pro Bowl appearance. However, that doesn't mean Seattle is completely out of the market for a franchise quarterback.

Anthony Richardson out of the University of Florida just dominated the combine and could be a "ceiling-raising" signal-caller for an NFL team. There's a chance he will sit out during his rookie season, so could Seattle be interested in drafting Richardson even if they do bring back Smith? It's an interesting question to raise.

Who is Richardson and could the Seahawks draft him in April? Let's dive in.

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Who is Anthony Richardson?

Richardson is 21 years old with just 13 starts under his belt at the University of Florida. In his first and last full year as a starter last year, Richardson completed just 53.8 percent of his passes for 2,549 yards, 17 touchdowns, and nine interceptions. However, his rushing prowess is what makes him intriguing given the modern-day quarterbacks who are taking over the league.

On 103 rushing attempts, Richardson posted 654 yards (6.3 YPC) and nine rushing touchdowns. It's important to remember that sacks are counted as rushing attempts and negative rushing yards, so in actuality, his yards per rushing attempt figure is even more impressive than it seems. When you consider that Richardson is 6 foot 4 and 244 pounds, his rushing statistics become even more impressive.

At the NFL combine, Richardson broke the NFL combine records for quarterbacks in the vertical jump (40.5 inches) and broad jump (10 feet, nine inches). In the 40-yard dash, Richardson posted an official 4.43. His 4.43 time trailed only Michael Vick, Robert Griffin III, and Reggie McNeal for the fastest time ever among quarterbacks. However, at 244 pounds, he scored in the 99th percentile in speed score, which adjusts for size.

Will the Seahawks Draft Anthony Richardson?

ESPN's Field Yates says that the dream scenario for Richardson is to go to a team where he can learn and develop for a year, and Seattle fits that perfectly.

Richardson has a lot of upside but draws concerns because of inconsistency in throwing the football. His raw talent and running skills are off the charts and he has a very strong arm. The 21-year-old needs to work on his accuracy and improve his reads and ESPN draft analyst Mel Kiper believes Richardson needs around two to three years of development.

All that said, a destination with a solid starter like Seattle or the Detroit Lions makes sense. However, there's no information on whether the Seahawks are strongly considering him in the 2023 NFL Draft, so this is all speculation to this point.

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