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Brian Daboll got the job as head coach of the New York Giants thanks to his history of developing quarterbacks. Specifically, Daboll came to prominence within NFL coaching circles because of his work with Josh Allen, who became one of the league’s best when operating a high-powered offense for the Buffalo Bills.
Finding another prospect like Allen is never going to be easy, but one writer thinks the Giants are a fit for an intriguing prospect in the 2023 draft. This player, who is “comparably talented” to Allen, would benefit from Daboll’s coaching, as well as the presence of former Bills’ assistant general manager Joe Schoen.
Daboll and Schoen would provide the same support structure that helped Allen thrive in Buffalo. The chance to create similar results may be too good to pass up for the Giants, especially if they remain unconvinced by solid but limited starter Daniel Jones, who is a free agent.
Following this path would mean selecting a prospect an established draft analyst expects to be “polarizing.”
Daboll Can Replicate Allen Magic with Right Draft Pick
The Giants and Detroit Lions represent the best draft fits for Florida’s Anthony Richardson, according to Chris Trappasso of CBS Sports. He made the most compelling case for the Giants, based on Daboll’s chance to recreate the magic that helped make Allen a star: “Along with Allen’s dedication to improving himself mechanically, Daboll and Co. — part of which was Giants GM Joe Schoen — were integral in molding the offense around Allen’s raw but immense skills in his first few seasons with the Bills.”
Trapasso thinks the chance for Daboll, who was Allen’s offensive coordinator for four years, to prove himself a QB whisperer again will be too tempting to resist: “You better believe they’d be enamored with following their own template with a comparably talented quarterback with the Giants. Richardson is big, ultra athletic and has a hose. If there’s any organization — beyond the Bills — that understands the necessary steps to accentuate the upside of a quarterback who needs to be developed after he’s in the league, it’s the Daboll and Schoen-led Giants.”
It’s a strong argument, not least because Richardson shows many of the same traits as Allen. Like the Bills’ star, Richardson is a big body with dual-threat skills and pure but unrefined arm talent.
The 6’4″, 236-pounder has passed for 2,549 yards and 17 touchdowns this season. He’s also added 654 yards and nine scores on the ground for the Gators.
More than his numbers, Richardson offers the promise of what a superior athlete can do to redefine the pro game’s traditional expectations for football’s most important position. That potential is why Ryan Roberts of Sports Illustrated’s Irish Breakdown thinks a patient team will be rewarded for drafting Richardson:
Daboll and the Bills showed similar patience with Allen, who was a raw rookie in 2018, displayed untapped potential a year later and became one of the league’s elite from 2020 onwards. In the process, Allen helped change how a team can use its franchise quarterback, with many of the designed runs and rollout passes Daboll designed still a feature of the Bills’ playbook.
Richardson has a similar ceiling, although not everybody is convinced he can tread the same path as Allen and others like him.
Opinion Divided About Key Prospect
Richardson is the 19th-ranked prospect in next year’s class, according to ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. A 70.6 QBR, good for only 35th in the country, along with “mechanics and footwork” that “need a lot of work,” contributed to Kiper predicting Richardson will “be a polarizing prospect for the next few months.”
The same sentiment is expressed by Pro Football Focus’ Steve Palazzolo, who cited a similar scouting report from Kiper’s colleague Jordan Reid, and asked if betting on a QB’s “upside” is “really the new norm?”
Palazzolo’s reference to Patrick Mahomes is telling because Giants’ OC Mike Kafka acted as position coach for the Kansas City Chiefs’ playmaker before this season. Like Allen, Mahomes doesn’t fit within the conventional framework of how a pro quarterback is supposed to play, but his physical gifts offset any rough edges in his game.
Naturally, the success of Mahomes and Allen will lead other teams to chase similar athletes at the position. It’s why Palazzolo asked the question, and why USA Today’s Doug Farrar thinks “the NFL is trending in Richardson’s direction.”
That would be good news for the Giants if they could bide their time and wait for Richardson late in the first round. He’d bring similar core skills as Jones to the offense, plus the potential to expand the passing game from the 6.8 yards per attempt being mustered this season.
Richardson would surely develop faster on the watch of two coaches, Daboll and Kafka, who know what it takes to fit a mercurial QB talent within the confines of the pro game.
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