Getty Former Florida QB Anthony Richardson.
The Las Vegas Raiders brass is hard at work at the NFL Scouting Combine and is already meeting with a number of high-profile prospects. While the team has needs at multiple positions, quarterback is going to take center stage following the release of longtime starter Derek Carr. Luckily for Las Vegas, all of the top quarterback prospects are attending this year’s Combine.
Perhaps the most interesting player to watch will be Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson. The 6-foot-4, 231-pound quarterback is bound to dazzle in workouts. He’s got a cannon for an arm and should run an impressive 40-yard dash. With the Raiders having a need at quarterback but not picking until No. 7, Richardson could be the only quarterback left worth drafting when the team picks. According to Jordan Schultz of The Score, the Raiders are among the teams at the Combine that have already met with Richardson.
Las Vegas essentially admitted that they are going to draft a quarterback but didn’t commit to doing it in the first round. They are likely to meet with all of the quarterback prospects at the Combine but it is notable that they’ve met with Richardson. There’s a strong chance he’ll be the player the Raiders target at No. 7.
Raiders Named Among Best Fits for Richardson
The Raiders spent the last nine years with Carr at the helm. He’s got a good arm but doesn’t make many plays with his legs. Richardson would be a very different quarterback for the team to have. He’s got a lot of work to do and had serious accuracy issues during his time at Florida but is a special athlete. Lance Zierlein of NFL.com believes that the Raiders are one of the best landing spots for Richardson due to head coach Josh McDaniels’ ability to develop quarterbacks:
After jettisoning longtime starter Derek Carr, the Raiders are in desperate need of a starting quarterback — and they happen to have a trio of talented pass catchers (Davante Adams, Hunter Renfrow and Darren Waller) awaiting whoever assumes the role.
Richardson is raw and will need time to work out the kinks, but Josh McDaniels is a quarterback-friendly head coach, and the Raiders won’t have as much pressure on them to win now if they decide to allow the youngster to grow into the position through immediate on-field experience.
Will Richardson Be Available at No. 7?
When the college football season ended, it appeared that Richardson would be a late first-round to early second-round pick. He is starting to skyrocket up draft boards. As of now, he has the sixth-best odds to be the No. 1 pick in the draft, per Caesars Sportsbook.
Now, it’s still difficult to imagine Richardson getting drafted before Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud and Alabama’s Bryce Young but he could leap over Kentucky’s Will Levis in the coming weeks. A nightmare scenario for the Raiders is that all four quarterbacks get selected before they get a chance to draft one. That still seems unlikely to happen but if the Raiders believe Richardson is the quarterback they want, they may need to consider trading up. His accuracy issues and general rawness makes it incredibly risky to trade up to get, Las Vegas is all about taking gambles so the Raiders may want to take a massive swing to try and catch up to the Kansas City Chiefs.