Just Another Prediction About QBs...
The ghosts of Trey Lance and Malik Willis will haunt the early stages of this year’s NFL draft and Anthony Richardson will be the 4th QB drafted this year.
While most observers rank Richardson 3rd among available QBs in this year’s draft, I have a hunch that when it finally comes to decision time, NFL deciders will default to their classic QB choice and opt for Levis rather than Richardson. (This assumes both Young and Stroud get chosen prior to those two.)
While both Richardson and Levis are less polished than Stroud or Young, Levis better fits the mold of the NFL QB over the last half century and he offers some of the traits of the modern, mobile QB who extends plays with his feet and is capable of turning a failed 3rd and 5 into a first down with his legs. Richardson offers the same - plus he seems more adept at feeling and responding to pressure - but his elite athleticism actually works against him, in this respect, as it feeds a narrative that he is a raw runner/passer who tucks the ball under the slightest reason and takes off. Again, this impression appears contrary to reality, but there is a reason false narratives survive They rely on and are buttressed by prejudices and stereotypes that are often difficult to acknowledge, let alone dispute. And when NFL front office types see Richardson, one can bet they flash, at least momentarily, to the image of the uber-athletic black athlete who may be talented but is most likely borderline in terms of intelligence and the mental aptitude necessary to play the position. And the recent memories of Lance and Willis and their failure - at least till now - to excel will be uppermost in their minds, even if they never say one word about either player.
And spare me the references to everyone from Wilson to Mahomes as proof to the contrary. I still hear public comment about Lamar Jackson’s weaknesses that sound suspiciously like the comments that were made about everyone from James Harris and Joe Gilliam. Some of the comments about Jameis Winston are so outright racist it is difficult to believe those statements are being uttered in this decade. This is the USA and as long as the NFL is located here, there will be people in positions of authority who manifest retrograde and racist beliefs. Most of them are smart enough to avoid revealing those attitudes openly, but one can rest assured there are plenty of suits in front offices who think black QBs are more likely to lack the mental capacity to excel at QB, all contrary examples being exceptions to that general rule.
It is likely, however, that Seattle will jump at the chance to draft Richardson, so it is unlikely he will be on the board when Detroit picks at #6. Seattle and Pete Carroll have always adopted some of the NFL’s tainted misfits and my guess is they would leap at the chance to add Richardson to the list of gambles they taken on talented players.