2023 NFL Scouting Combine: Anthony Richardson runs 4.43 40, sets modern record for QBs in vertical jump

INDIANAPOLIS — Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson arrived at the 2023 NFL Scouting Combine as one of the draft’s most intriguing players and made history during practice at the event on Saturday.

Richardson set a modern quarterback combine record with a 40 1/2-inch vertical jump (the best since at least 2003). In addition, Richardson showed a 10ft 9in long jump, tying Arkansas’ Matt Jones for the best mark in that event by a QB combine since at least 2003. Later, during Saturday’s competition at Lucas Oil Stadium, Richardson rushed 40 yards in 4.43 seconds, placing the former Gator fourth among quarterbacks to rush 40 yards at the Combine since 2003.

The folks at NFL Research helped put this mind-boggling display of athleticism into context:

NFL Network analyst Daniel Jeremiah ranks Richardson 14th overall in this year’s draft. Richardson said at his Friday press conference that he models his game after Cam Newton and Lamar Jackson. With a performance like Saturday’s, it seems like the work of copying yourself after those former MVPs is paying off. In fact, he surpassed Newton in jumping at the same size as Newton’s back in 2011.

After Saturday, we expect discussions about where he might end up in the draft to intensify.

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