ESPN's Louis Riddick compares Anthony Richardson to Donovan McNabb

With a month to go until the 2023 NFL Draft, former Florida star Anthony Richardson remains one of the most polarizing players on the board. His numbers were up-and-down with the Gators, but his measurements and performance at the NFL scouting combine continue to make him an interesting prospect.

That athleticism led ESPN analyst Louis Riddick — who worked for the Philadelphia Eagles from 2008-13 — offered an interesting comparison from his experience.

“The thing about Anthony Richardson that I do love, and I was around Donovan McNabb for five years in Philadelphia,” Riddick said Friday. “Anthony is a bigger, stronger, faster Donovan McNabb, to me, as far as the way he throws the football. The way when he grips the football, it kind of disappears in his hand. That quick, whipping motion that he has of his arm where it just looks so damn easy and next thing you know, the ball’s traveling 70 yards in the air on a line. And he can do things that Donovan couldn’t do from a running and creative standpoint.”

Richardson raised plenty of eyebrows at the NFL combine when he put together one of the most impressive performances in recent memory. He ran a 4.43 in the 40-yard dash and set records in the vertical jump and the broad jump to likely increase his draft stock. In ESPN analyst Mel Kiper Jr.’s latest mock draft, he projected the Seattle Seahawks to draft Richardson at No. 5 overall.

But the stat sheet continues to present some question marks. Last year in his lone season as the starter at Florida, Richardson threw for 2,549 yards, 17 touchdowns and nine interceptions while cementing himself as a true dual-threat as he rushed for 654 yards and nine touchdowns.

That raw talent could give him plenty of upside, according to Riddick, who set a high bar for Richardson’s ceiling depending on the situation in which he ends up.

“So earlier today, people asked me, ‘Well, what do you think the upside is for Anthony Richardson?’ I said Pro Bowl,” Riddick said. “Pro Bowl is the upside. I don’t think there’s any reason why he can’t do that. But he has to be at the right place, people have to have the right structure in place, he has to have the right quarterback room in place and he has to be willing to commit himself to the long, tedious process of being a Pro Bowl quarterback because it’s more than just your height, weight, speed and the ball speed. … It’s more than all of that.”