Anthony Richardson's consistency still a concern for Indianapolis Colts

It’s no secret that Indianapolis Colts rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson struggled with consistency during his time at Florida.

Those inconsistencies appear to have followed him to the NFL, and crept up during the Colts’ mandatory minicamp this past week, per Stephen Holder of ESPN.

“Consistency was always the biggest concern for Richardson coming into the NFL draft,” Holder wrote Monday. “And that has proved to be a fair assessment throughout spring practices as he works to perfect his mechanics. But what also stands out are the physical gifts Richardson brings. ‘It’s crazy,’ linebacker Zaire Franklin said. ‘Even just in the walkthrough against him, it’s like, ‘OK, when [No.] 5’s in there, you’ve just got to be aware.’ It’s just like a whole other element to an offense that you don’t necessarily have to think about with more of a traditional quarterback.’

“Look for the Colts to lean into Richardson’s running ability from day one — whether he’s the starter or not.”

Richardson, one of the more athletically-gifted quarterbacks to enter the league in some time, had just one starting season under his belt before the Colts made him the centerpiece of their future. In 12 games in his final season at Florida, Richardson threw for 2,549 yards with 17 touchdowns and nine interceptions on 53.8% passing. He added 654 yards and nine scores on the ground.

While the 6-foot-4, 244-pounder will undoubtedly go through some growing pains — and has to this point — things are beginning to slow down for the 21-year-old.

Things are slowing down for Anthony Richardson

“Things have definitely slowed down,” Richardson said last Tuesday. “It was my first day practicing with the vets was way different from rookie minicamp. You know, I just see guys flying around. I pulled the ball on a zone read one time and the end was chasing me, he was like right next to me. I’m like, okay, this is different. So, it was definitely more fast, but the next day I noticed some progress and I was just relaxing and just trusting what I was studying. But it’s definitely slowing down for me.”

First-year head coach Shane Steichen, meanwhile, was pleased with Richardson’s progress throughout the Colts’ offseason program.

“Obviously, we’ll get pads on in training camp to get the real rush, the real feel and all that stuff. But pleased with where he is at, grasping the offense,” Steichen said this past Wednesday. “It’s a day-by-day process with any player whether it’s quarterback, receiver, tight ends, running backs, DBs — all those different things. But pleased with where he’s at. We’ve got to keep working and we’ll go from there.”