Ranking the NFL Starting Quarterbacks

#26 Anthony Richardson (Indianapolis Colts)

Anthony Richardson is in the top tier of NFL quarterbacks in terms of physical talent. He’s big, fast, and has a cannon for an arm. You could see it all over his tape at Florida, and there were glimpses of it in his limited playing time in Indy last year:

I want to put Richardson higher on this list because he’s so dynamic. But I can’t ignore how raw he is as a quarterback. And the fact that he wasn’t able to get more than a handful of games worth of experience last year does nothing to dampen those concerns.

The most important thing for Richardson during his rookie season was to get more reps. He needed to get a season of seeing NFL coverages under his belt. Unfortunately, he didn’t get that after taking one too many hits.

And similar to Deshaun Watson, his season ended due to an injury to his throwing shoulder, which is a concern.

What makes Richardson such a special prospect is his dynamic ability as a thrower AND a runner. He can out-throw the defense and run around defenders or through them. He appears more than capable of doing what Jalen Hurts did in 2022, when Colts Head Coach Shane Steichen was the Eagles Offensive Coordinator and Hurts nearly led his team to a Lombardi Trophy. Richardson is more talented as well, so it wouldn’t be a stretch to see him quickly turn into what Hurts was that season.

Here’s the issue, though; Richardson needs to be able to run, particularly at this point in his career, to be effective. He needs the threat of his legs to open things up in the passing game. He’s not capable of solely playing from the pocket right now. But will Steichen and the Colts be willing to utilize him enough in the running game coming off of a significant injury?

And what impact will that injury have on his ability to throw? Often, when players are coming back from injury, the majority of their time in the offseason is spent rehabbing the injury instead of refining their skillset.

Despite my concerns, I still have him ahead of a player like Deshaun Watson on this list because he is so dynamic physically (And Watson’s skills in the pocket, which would have been a differentiator, have fallen off).

Richardson has the potential for the widest range of results of any quarterback in the NFL this season. He could break out as a star if he stays healthy, or he could be a complete disappointment. That puts him high on my radar as a player to keep an eye on in 2024.

Check out the rest of the rankings here:
#32 Bo Nix (Denver Broncos)
#31 Drake Maye (New England Patriots)
#30 J.J. McCarthy (Minnesota Vikings)
#29 Gardner Minshew (Las Vegas Raiders)
#28 Will Levis (Tennessee Titans)
#27 Deshaun Watson (Cleveland Browns)
#26 Anthony Richardson (Indianapolis Colts)
#25 Bryce Young (Carolina Panthers)
#24 Daniel Jones (New York Giants)
#23 Jayden Daniels (Washington Commanders)
#22 Caleb Williams (Chicago Bears)
#21 Geno Smith (Seattle Seahawks)
#20 Russell Wilson (Pittsburgh Steelers)
#19 Derek Carr (New Orleans Saints)
#18 Baker Mayfield (Tampa Bay Buccaneers)
#17 Kyler Murray (Arizona Cardinals)
#16 Trevor Lawrence (Jacksonville Jaguars)
#15 Jared Goff (Detroit Lions)
#14 Tua Tagovailoa (Miami Dolphins)
#13 Kirk Cousins (Atlanta Falcons)
#12 Jalen Hurts (Philadelphia Eagles)
#11 Brock Purdy (San Francisco 49ers)
#10 Jordan Love (Green Bay Packers)
#9 Dak Prescott (Dallas Cowboys)
#8 C.J. Stroud (Houston Texans)
#7 Justin Herbert (Los Angeles Chargers)
#6 Aaron Rodgers (New York Jets)
#5 Matthew Stafford (Los Angeles Rams)
#4 Lamar Jackson (Baltimore Ravens)
#3 Joe Burrow (Cincinnati Bengals)
#2 Josh Allen (Buffalo Bills)
#1 Patrick Mahomes (Kansas City Chiefs)