The Indianapolis Colts have been searching for a quarterback since Andrew Luck abruptly retired prior to the start of the 2019 season.
Since his retirement, the Colts have traded for Carson Wentz and Matt Ryan, and neither player lasted more than a season.
Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson reacts after being chosen by the Indianapolis Colts with the fourth overall pick during the first round of the NFL draft, April 27, 2023, in Kansas City, Mo. (AP Photo/Jeff Roberson)
With a chance to select a franchise-altering quarterback in the 2023 NFL Draft, Colts general manager Chris Ballard took a risk, selecting Florida’s Anthony Richardson with the fourth overall pick.
His reasoning for the selection is pretty straightforward.
“Sometimes you just gotta take a shot at it,” Ballard said on the video series “The Next Pick.”
“I didn’t want to look up and watch him be a superstar somewhere else,” Ballard said. “If he’s going to be a superstar, he’s going to be a superstar for the Colts. Fortunately for us, it worked out.”
General manager Chris Ballard of the Indianapolis Colts speaks to the media during the NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium March 1, 2023, in Indianapolis. (Justin Casterline/Getty Images)
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Indianapolis made Richardson the third quarterback selected in the first four picks after Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud went first and second in the draft.
The Florida product is considered to have a massive upside even though he is a raw talent.
“Supremely talented. I’ve called him ‘the natural’ at some point. Just some of the s— he can do, very few people on earth can do,” offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter said during the draft. “I think, in the right environment, which I believe we’re building here, he’s got the best possible chance to turn into that upside guy.”
An emotional Anthony Robinson reacts after being drafted by the Indianapolis Colts during the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft April 27, 2023, at Union Station in Kansas City, Mo. (Nick Tre. Smith/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
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Richardson did not have a ton of experience at the college level, becoming the full-time starter his final season at Florida.
He’ll be battling with veteran Gardner Minshew and third-year pro Sam Ehlinger for the starting job next season
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