Florida Football: Anthony Richardson is big winner NFL combine; Bryce Young is loser

Former Florida football quarterback Anthony Richardson comes away as a big winner from the 2023 NFL combine, while Bryce Young is a clear loser.

Florida football quarterback Anthony Richardson has seen his NFL draft stock rise in recent weeks and that will only continue after an impressive showing at the NFL combine.

Anthony Richardson measured in at 6-foot-4, 244 pounds, and also has 10 1/2 inch hands which would be among the biggest in the league. That’s equated with throwing the ball well in cold weather as well as ball security.

Richardson also lit it up in the 40-yard dash with a 4.43 time, as well as setting a record for quarterbacks in the vertical leap with a 40.5-feet vertical jump according to NFL.com.

While there are some question marks about the accuracy of Richardson, he’s been trending up and has even been talked about as the No. 1 overall draft pick. However, he only completed 54.9 percent of his passes and 24 touchdowns compared to 15 interceptions. He’s raw but he’s got a ton of ability and NFL teams have to see a little Josh Allen in him.

It will be interesting to see where Richardson winds up, but right now, it seems like a guarantee that the former Florida football quarterback will be selected in the top 10 of the 2023 NFL draft.

Bryce Young measure 5-foot-10

If Anthony Richardson is the winner when it comes to the NFL combine, Bryce Young of Alabama has to be among the losers. It’s not that people didn’t know that Young was super tall but he measured 5-foot-10.

Quarterbacks like Drew Brees and Russell Wilson have shown that you don’t have to be 6-foot-3 or 6-foot-4 in order to be a stellar quarterback. Young is the most accurate passer in my opinion and was highly productive in the toughest league in college football.

Bryce Young was a 65.8 percent passer in college with 80 touchdown passes compared to just 12 interceptions. Short or not, he played in the conference most like the NFL, and had no issues, so I wouldn’t be concerned. I’d take him top five without hesitation.

Either way, I don’t think it’s going to cause Young to fall far. He will still be a top-10 pick, but if he was over 6-foot-tall, he would probably be a sure-fire No. 1 overall pick.