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Some good insight in the full article.
https://www.msn.com/en-us/sports/ncaafb/how-kentucky-qb-will-levis-worked-his-way-from-run-first-backup-to-top-nfl-draft-prospect/ar-AA1a6sls
Kentucky coaches do not pretend they were certain Levis was about to blossom into a possible top-10 draft pick, but even then it was clear he was the best quarterback on campus.
Levis had committed to Kentucky as a transfer from Penn State in February 2021 but remained in State College through the end of the spring semester to finish his undergraduate degree. Meanwhile, Coen, who had recently been hired from the Los Angeles Rams, was trying to rebuild a Kentucky offense that had become too run-heavy over the previous five years.
Former four-star quarterback recruits Joey Gatewood and Beau Allen were on campus for spring practice, but neither boasted the type of NFL-level physical tools Coen was used to working with. A year later, Gatewood would be a backup wide receiver at UCF and Allen would be the starting quarterback for FCS Tarleton State.
But Kentucky coaches knew if they simply handed Levis the starting job as soon as he arrived on campus it might lead to issues in a locker room where he had not yet proven himself to new teammates. After all, Levis boasted prolific arm strength but was transferring because he was stuck behind Penn State quarterback Sean Clifford, a quarterback hardly known for his big-play ability.
“It wasn’t like he came in here, walked in the door and he’s our starting quarterback,” Coen said. “Could we have done that? Yeah, it would have been warranted, but he handled that with such grace and such understanding of that’s how Coach (Mark) Stoops wants to run a program. You’re not just given it in this program. He bought into that, he handled it and then two days later after he wins the job he’s named captain.”
A week into preseason camp in 2021, Kentucky coaches had seen enough to be comfortable naming Levis the starter. He would go on to lead the Wildcats to just the program’s second 10-win season since 1977, scoring upset wins over Florida, LSU, Louisville and Iowa along the way.
As the Kentucky offense improved, Levis’ NFL Draft stock soared. He returned to Lexington for his senior season hyped as a possible first-round pick, and while the 2022 season was a disappointment for Kentucky, Levis continued to be mentioned as one of the top quarterback prospects in the class.
Now, when Levis turns on ESPN he often sees his own face on the screen as pundits debate the merits of a team selecting him with a top-10 pick. Levis’ college career does not resemble the typical first-round quarterback pick, but his Kentucky coaches have little doubt that he can be the face of a franchise in the NFL.
That opinion has been met with skepticism by others, though.
“How can you draft a quarterback in the top 10 who could not beat Sean Clifford for the starting job at Penn State?” the popular argument goes.
Of course, Levis is not the same quarterback now that he was at Penn State. A closer look at the progress he made in two years at Kentucky reveals why NFL teams are considering drafting him in the top 10 despite inconsistent college results.
https://www.nfl.com/news/back-2-campus/2...et-to-come
Richardson is expected by many to be a top-12 pick when the 2023 NFL Draft kicks off Thursday night in Kansas City, but there does not appear to be a consensus about where he fits in relation to the QBs in this class. I asked five personnel people or scouts, each of whom works with a different NFL team, to rank the top QB prospects this year, and one ranked Richardson first, three had him third and one had him fourth. Of the group, two expressed fear in taking him within the first 12 picks, because he still has so much yet to prove.
In 2022, his lone year as a full-time starter at Florida, Richardson was inconsistent as a passer, putting up a 53.8 percent completion rate, and he led the Gators to a pedestrian 6-6 record in his starts. He completed 55 percent of his 393 total attempts overall in college.
"Nobody wants a quarterback with a 53 percent completion percentage. I don't want to be that guy either," said Richardson, who spent nearly every weekday from Dec. 26 through March 30 training for six to eight hours per day. He split his time between on-field workouts and weight-room sessions and throwing, mechanics and film sessions.
"I know I have to get better," Richardson said. "But I promise, I will work relentlessly to improve. And I will improve. All you need to do is watch the tape to know my best is still yet to come."
Quote: @PurpleCrush said:
https://www.nfl.com/news/back-2-campus/2...et-to-come
Richardson is expected by many to be a top-12 pick when the 2023 NFL Draft kicks off Thursday night in Kansas City, but there does not appear to be a consensus about where he fits in relation to the QBs in this class. I asked five personnel people or scouts, each of whom works with a different NFL team, to rank the top QB prospects this year, and one ranked Richardson first, three had him third and one had him fourth. Of the group, two expressed fear in taking him within the first 12 picks, because he still has so much yet to prove.
In 2022, his lone year as a full-time starter at Florida, Richardson was inconsistent as a passer, putting up a 53.8 percent completion rate, and he led the Gators to a pedestrian 6-6 record in his starts. He completed 55 percent of his 393 total attempts overall in college.
"Nobody wants a quarterback with a 53 percent completion percentage. I don't want to be that guy either," said Richardson, who spent nearly every weekday from Dec. 26 through March 30 training for six to eight hours per day. He split his time between on-field workouts and weight-room sessions and throwing, mechanics and film sessions.
"I know I have to get better," Richardson said. "But I promise, I will work relentlessly to improve. And I will improve. All you need to do is watch the tape to know my best is still yet to come."
I am very wary of Richardson and would not move up for him even if he fell into the mid teens. I would move up in the teens for Levis. Not only are Richardson's overall one year stats subpar but if you look to see improvement over the course of the year that didn't happen either.
I also just looked at his stats vs the 5 ranked teams he played against and his stats are even worse which you would expect vs better competition but he was 1-4 w/l, 49% completion percentage, 6 TD's and 4 Int's. Of course stats are not everything but past performance is usually a good indication of future performance. I think many fell in love at the combine and he is having a Mike Mumula effect on many - looks like Tarzan plays like Jane 
I offer one armchair opinion
Quote: @minny65 said:
@ PurpleCrush said:
https://www.nfl.com/news/back-2-campus/2...et-to-come
Richardson is expected by many to be a top-12 pick when the 2023 NFL Draft kicks off Thursday night in Kansas City, but there does not appear to be a consensus about where he fits in relation to the QBs in this class. I asked five personnel people or scouts, each of whom works with a different NFL team, to rank the top QB prospects this year, and one ranked Richardson first, three had him third and one had him fourth. Of the group, two expressed fear in taking him within the first 12 picks, because he still has so much yet to prove.
In 2022, his lone year as a full-time starter at Florida, Richardson was inconsistent as a passer, putting up a 53.8 percent completion rate, and he led the Gators to a pedestrian 6-6 record in his starts. He completed 55 percent of his 393 total attempts overall in college.
"Nobody wants a quarterback with a 53 percent completion percentage. I don't want to be that guy either," said Richardson, who spent nearly every weekday from Dec. 26 through March 30 training for six to eight hours per day. He split his time between on-field workouts and weight-room sessions and throwing, mechanics and film sessions.
"I know I have to get better," Richardson said. "But I promise, I will work relentlessly to improve. And I will improve. All you need to do is watch the tape to know my best is still yet to come."
I am very wary of Richardson and would not move up for him even if he fell into the mid teens. I would move up in the teens for Levis. Not only are Richardson's overall one year stats subpar but if you look to see improvement over the course of the year that didn't happen either.
I also just looked at his stats vs the 5 ranked teams he played against and his stats are even worse which you would expect vs better competition but he was 1-4 w/l, 49% completion percentage, 6 TD's and 4 Int's. Of course stats are not everything but past performance is usually a good indication of future performance. I think many fell in love at the combine and he is having a Mike Mumula effect on many - looks like Tarzan plays like Jane
I offer one armchair opinion
I dont recall who posted it, but it resonated with me; The bet a team makes drafting AR, is that over time, he's coachable enough to turn him into a better passer to pair with that superb athleticism.
I still suspect (strongly) the Vikings are in love with the guy for that very reason.
Quote: @minny65 said:
@ PurpleCrush said:
https://www.nfl.com/news/back-2-campus/2...et-to-come
Richardson is expected by many to be a top-12 pick when the 2023 NFL Draft kicks off Thursday night in Kansas City, but there does not appear to be a consensus about where he fits in relation to the QBs in this class. I asked five personnel people or scouts, each of whom works with a different NFL team, to rank the top QB prospects this year, and one ranked Richardson first, three had him third and one had him fourth. Of the group, two expressed fear in taking him within the first 12 picks, because he still has so much yet to prove.
In 2022, his lone year as a full-time starter at Florida, Richardson was inconsistent as a passer, putting up a 53.8 percent completion rate, and he led the Gators to a pedestrian 6-6 record in his starts. He completed 55 percent of his 393 total attempts overall in college.
"Nobody wants a quarterback with a 53 percent completion percentage. I don't want to be that guy either," said Richardson, who spent nearly every weekday from Dec. 26 through March 30 training for six to eight hours per day. He split his time between on-field workouts and weight-room sessions and throwing, mechanics and film sessions.
"I know I have to get better," Richardson said. "But I promise, I will work relentlessly to improve. And I will improve. All you need to do is watch the tape to know my best is still yet to come."
I am very wary of Richardson and would not move up for him even if he fell into the mid teens. I would move up in the teens for Levis. Not only are Richardson's overall one year stats subpar but if you look to see improvement over the course of the year that didn't happen either.
I also just looked at his stats vs the 5 ranked teams he played against and his stats are even worse which you would expect vs better competition but he was 1-4 w/l, 49% completion percentage, 6 TD's and 4 Int's. Of course stats are not everything but past performance is usually a good indication of future performance. I think many fell in love at the combine and he is having a Mike Mumula effect on many - looks like Tarzan plays like Jane
I offer one armchair opinion
the Cam Newton effect. A superior athlete playing QB. But the bottom line in the NFL, you have to be able to play QB in the NFL. You can make highlight reels running over LBs, but throwing gets the ball down the field much faster than running it. And RBs are cheap, more suited for the need to pound the rock.
Just saw an article at SI.com that Minnesota is 'intrigued' with Richardson, lol.
"I know I have to get better," Richardson said. "But I promise, I will work relentlessly to improve. And I will improve. All you need to do is watch the tape to know my best is still yet to come."
Not sure this is quite the self-endorsement he intended.
Quote: @MaroonBells said:
"I know I have to get better," Richardson said. "But I promise, I will work relentlessly to improve. And I will improve. All you need to do is watch the tape to know my best is still yet to come."
Not sure this is quite the self-endorsement he intended.
Anthony Richardson: this year’s most tantalizing NFL Draft prospect who says he is ‘not from Earth’
Heading into the NFL Draft, there’s always one prospect coming out of college who everyone becomes infatuated with, despite not being the finished article.
Sometimes, it’s down to physical traits shown at the Combine; sometimes, it’s down to their personality; or sometimes, it’s down to their display at their particular pro day in front of scouts.
This year’s golden boy is Anthony Richardson and, in his unique case, he’s impressed at every stage of the process.
Richardson ran the fastest 40-yard dash time of all quarterbacks, as well as jumping the highest and furthest at the Combine.
But it was at his University of Florida pro day where his big arm and all-around skillset lit up social media and had teams drooling over his potential.
He literally almost threw the ball out of the building when one of his booming throws hit the ceiling of the indoor facility.
Richardson has become the most tantalizing prospect at the draft; reports have indicated some see him as the next Josh Allen – a rough diamond who will take years to perfect but who has elite potential – with teams all the way up to the Carolina Panthers at No. 1 considering taking him.
It is those rough edges which could see him fall down the draft order. But the prospect of ‘what if’ that comes with Richardson – and at just 20 years of age – is one general managers and coaches around the league have been unable to turn a blind eye to for years.
NFL analyst Lance Zierlein described him as having “elite size, strength and athletic ability for the quarterback position … potential to perform in a variety of offensive schemes … arm strength to throw downfield and into tight windows” in his official draft profile, but also points to his passing inaccuracy.
With potentially nine picks in the opening 12 being held by quarterback-needy teams, Richardson could be finding a new home anywhere across the league.
Despite the lack of experience, the evidence on tape shows that Richardson has ability.
Richardson’s electricity with the ball in his hands isn’t limited to throwing; the young quarterback has had touchdown runs of 45, 60, 73, 80 and 81 yards over the past two seasons.
But despite those wow plays, both throwing and running the ball, Richardson will need “a lot of work that needs to be done to reach a potentially high ceiling,” according to Zierlein’s evaluation.
“His accuracy on short and simple throws left much to be desired due, in part, to shoddy footwork and inconsistent rhythm. The footwork issues can be corrected, but the challenge will be determining whether he can be at least a functionally accurate passer at the next level.”
According to FiveThirtyEight, Richardson’s draft stock rocketed from a mid-first round pick at the end of a college season to a top-five pick in the matter of months.
The comparison which Richardson has drawn from analysts is to Cam Newton – a physically dominant quarterback with some accuracy issues.
In 2011, Newton was coming off a thrilling final season with Auburn, winning the Heisman Trophy and the NCAA championship, and eventually going on to have an extremely successful NFL career with the Carolina Panthers, including winning the 2015 NFL MVP award.
Matching the production of an MVP is a high bar, but Richardson’s ceiling is such that Newton’s career path is what a team selecting him in the top five of the draft will be hoping for.
Richardson would also continue the trend of teams prioritizing quarterbacks in the draft who can excel at both throwing and running the ball – Trevor Lawrence, Trey Lance and Justin Fields in 2021 and Joe Burrow, Tua Tagovailoa, Justin Herbert and Jalen Hurts in 2020 can all count mobility in their arsenal of weapons.
And nobody wants to miss out on picking a franchise quarterback; no one wants to be the Chicago Bears choosing Trubisky over Patrick Mahomes. While Mahomes has won two Super Bowl rings and two league MVPs, Trubisky is on his third team and has settled into a back-up role.
Come Thursday, Richardson could be drafted first overall or he could go outside the top 10.
His rare combination of athleticism and a big arm is an intriguing prospect and could have general managers pulling out their hair if they decide to look past him or could totally transform their prospects if he reaches his potential.
https://www.cnn.com/2023/04/26/sport/anthony-richardson-profile-2023-nfl-draft-spt-intl/index.html
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