The Indianapolis Colts’ decision to bench 2023 fourth-overall pick Anthony Richardson seems harsh on the surface. Even though Richardson has had a statistically horrendous season, with four passing touchdowns to seven interceptions and a 44.4% completion percentage, he is a developmental project.

That’s exactly the problem, though: Richardson is a project. He was not a high-quality quarterback in college at the University of Florida, where he played only one season as a starter and threw 17 touchdowns to nine interceptions. He was drafted simply on the basis of having the physical tools to eventually develop into a good quarterback and never should have been picked in the first round, let alone the top five.

This is the new age of NFL quarterback scouting, though. Given the successes of raw passers such as Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, and most notably Patrick Mahomes, every team now wants to find the next gem. Here’s the problem with that: all of those players were actually set up to succeed.

Mahomes and Jackson were both drafted by existing playoff-level teams with established winners as head coaches and sat behind veterans for the bulk of their rookie seasons. They were drafted to be the difference-makers that could turn a good team into a great one, and once they became starters, they did exactly that. Allen, meanwhile, struggled at first but was developed patiently by a Buffalo Bills organization that surrounded him with the right people.

Anthony Richardson Landed In A Bad Spot

Anthony Richardson

Richardson, on the other hand, was taken by a Colts team at a crossroads. He was drafted the same year Indianapolis hired Shane Steichen as its head coach, and was thrown directly to the wolves despite everybody knowing he was a project. Richardson actually showed some impressive flashes as a rookie, despite being exceptionally raw, but his season ended after four games due to an injury.

Now, only ten games into his NFL career, he’s been effectively given up on. In summary, the Colts reached on a player who was not yet a good quarterback, banking on him eventually becoming one, and then wasted no time kicking him to the curb when he wasn’t. What are we even doing here?

There are many issues with the Colts’ handling of Richardson’s situation, but it all boils down to the fact that there is too much emphasis on physical measurables in today’s drafts. Most players like Richardson will be highly dependent on the situation they are drafted into, and even in an ideal one, it’s no guarantee they pan out (see: Lance, Trey). Teams would be much better off if they focused on players who have shown they possess the skills to play quarterback in the NFL, rather than the genetic gifts.

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