Anthony Richardson may be the most underrated quarterback of the 2023 NFL draft class. While much of the attention has gone toward Alabama’s Bryce Young, Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud, and even Kentucky’s Will Levis, Richardson has been the best of the second tier. Teams needing a quarterback later in the first round have been generally linked to Richardson in mock drafts.
According to Chris Trapasso from CBS Sports, who released his two-round mock, Richardson gets stupendous consideration in the draft as the Indianapolis Colts trade up from No. 4 overall to the Chicago Bears’ No. 1 overall just to take the Florida signal caller.
I think Richardson is going to emphatically remove the lid from Lucas Oil Stadium at the NFL Scouting Combine. That will lead to the Colts taking a chance on him, given the hiring of former Eagles offensive coordinator Shane Steichen as head coach. Richardson has similarities to Jalen Hurts and All-Pro upside.
If the Colts were to jump ahead of the Texans to take Richardson, it would leave Young still on the board, and that is where Houston goes with the No. 2 overall pick.
Houston uses No. 12 overall to give Young a rookie receiver in USC’s Jordan Addison, a pairing that Daniel Jeremiah recently had in his second mock draft.
Addison can either learn lots from the similarly sized Brandin Cooks in Year 1, or act as his instant replacement. With Young and Addison, this is a quality first-round haul for Houston.
If the Texans are taking Addison, he is replacing Cooks, but will be a part of a triumvirate of young wideouts that includes Nico Collins and John Metchie.
The Texans use their No. 33 overall selection in Round 2 to take Georgia Tech defensive end Keion White, giving new coach DeMeco Ryans an edge defender to work with as he revamps the defense.
