INDIANAPOLIS. A passer-by could not help but notice a young man with a huge physique and gigantic shoulders who towered over everyone in his orbit.
Finally, curiosity got the better of this visitor to the Indiana Convention Center.
So what position do you play? the man asked Anthony Richardsonknowing that an NFL reconnaissance team had captured downtown Indianapolis.
“What position do you think I’m playing?” Richardson responded playfully.
The man gave a logical, albeit incorrect, answer.
“You look like a linebacker,” he said, “maybe a linesman.”
A sly smile lit up Richardson’s face. He’s clearly talked about this before.
“I’m actually a quarterback,” said the 6-foot-4, 244-pound prospect from the University of Florida.
“Quarterback?” replied the stunned Inquisitor. “Wow.”
The scene was a small glimpse of what Richardson hopes will eventually become the story of his harvester. Richardson, who was scheduled to go No. 9 to the Seattle Seahawks by Sportzshala NFL draft analyst Mel Kiper in a proposed trade in his last dummy draft, attracted significant interest from several pre-unification top 10 teams, but his goal was save upcoming surprises for everyone to want to take a closer look at.
With Richardson’s college experience limited to 13 starts and his 53.8% completion percentage last season ranked 105th out of 113 FBS quarterbacks, his inconsistency has sparked a lot of opinions about his future in the NFL. But given how Richardson dominated the tournament with quarterback records in the high jump (40.5 inches) and long jump (10 feet 9 inches), and how he interacted with coaches, scouts and team leaders In an NFL interview, it’s hard to argue that he hasn’t been successful in this endeavor.
Richardson, one of the brightest candidates in this year’s NFL Draft, offered an exclusive look behind the scenes during his harvesting experience. What followed was five grueling days of the most grueling job interview you can imagine, capped off with an exhilarating finale.
“Throughout this process, my main focus has been to grow,” he said. “And I feel like doing it. I think I showed it to everyone here. I don’t even care what everyone else says. It’s about what these 32 teams think. And only one of them should please me. “
IT WAS 11:00 PM on Wednesday. At this point, Richardson was just a tired 20-year-old who could only think about getting into bed.
He had been driving non-stop since Tuesday morning when he was called by a 5 a.m. wake-up call in Jacksonville, Florida for an early flight to Indy. From there, he moved on to introductory and walk-through interviews with the team, which ended at 23:30. end.
As Richardson trudged along the last city block to the players’ hotel, the weight of the week was becoming apparent.
“Dude,” he said, “I’m going to sleep well tonight.”
As tedious as they were, the interviews became one of the most memorable aspects of the reunion for Richardson. They are also extremely important due to Richardson’s relative inexperience. If selected in the first round, he would tie with Mitch Trubisky for the fewest college first-round QB starts since 2002. At least 20 teams officially met him in Indianapolis, including one that also traveled to the meeting on site. in Florida to try and get more information.
The big moment came when Richardson faced the Seahawks. Richardson said he felt an immediate rapport with energetic coach Pete Carroll.
“He had such a big smile on his face,” Richardson recalled. “We shook hands, and there was something very different about it. You only see these guys on TV. And now I’m in their presence, and they immediately talk to me. feel good.”
Hearing Richardson say that he accepted the interview was remarkable. He is quiet by nature and not particularly expressive off the field.
“I didn’t want him to shy away from telling his story,” his agent Deirik Jackson said. “It’s part of who he is. This is an advantage, not a disadvantage.”
Richardson’s mother, LaShonda Lane, juggled multiple jobs to support Richardson and his younger brother Corey Carter. Richardson also contributed. He was often late for practice at Eastside High in Gainesville, Florida because his priority was making sure Carter got home safely from school. Mode of transport: on the handlebars of Richardson’s bicycle.
“We stayed in different apartments every year,” Richardson said of his early childhood in Miami. “We didn’t have a solid foundation until we moved to Gainesville. [when Richardson was 10].”
Even after the family moved, Richardson took on the role of his brother’s guardian.
“I had to grow up fast,” Richardson said during a runway speech, emotionally describing his relationship with Carter.
This is an experience that helped shape Richardson and is worth sharing with others.
“I really tried to be myself,” Richardson said. “I tried not to embellish anything. I wanted them to know who I am and where I come from. Because that’s why I’m in the position I’m in right now.”
Jackson said, “I think the whole thing that drove him was because of who he does it all for.”
Richardson admitted that he was initially nervous about the interview, but that didn’t seem to stop him.
Sportzshala senior reporter Jeremy Fowler said Sunday that Richardson’s interviews with teams were impressive and he felt comfortable in front of coaches and executives. Sportzshala draft analyst Matt Miller said last week that several scouts said Richardson had the best quarterback interview in the entire class of 2023.
THURSDAY MADE A BIG a standard medical examination, a multi-hour series of tests that touched on every conceivable aspect of the body.
“I had to sit on this [exam] table for about three hours,” Richardson said. “That was crazy, man. I’ve heard guys say they’re checking them out for high school injuries. High school?”
Routine aptitude tests and psychological tests were also carried out. One of them, t. Cognitive test S2may get dizzy.
“They want to see how quickly you can remember and notice certain things,” Richardson said. “On one of [questions], you had to look at the six balls that they highlighted, and they moved around the screen. You had to select the balls and highlight them. I’m like, “How can I focus on six balls at once?”
This is a typical harvester experience. There is so much to process, but Richardson kept it all in perspective. After all, he knows that being here is a harbinger of the fulfillment of the purpose of a lifetime.
“I wanted to play in the NFL since sixth grade,” he said. “And I’m blessed enough to be here.”
“I don’t even care what everyone else says. It’s about what these 32 teams think. And only one of them should please me.
Anthony Richardson
What followed was an easier moment. Richardson sat down to film a segment with former NFL coach Steve Mariucci for the NFL Network.
It was both a conversation and a test of his quarterback memory. After wandering back and forth for a bit, Mariucci went to the board and sketched out the move he led when he coached the San Francisco 49ers. After about five minutes of chatter, Mariucci hit Richardson with a twist ball.
Do you remember my play? he asked, handing Richardson a marker.
Richardson brought it almost to perfection. He left out one small detail: the quarterback was in the center in Richardson’s formation, not in the center. Close enough.
After a short break and dinner, Richardson returned to the field to drill. At 10:00 pm he was still in it and had to get a massage before the night was over, part of the necessary body care before the big Saturday afternoon.
“You’re tired and you’re working out all the time,” Richardson said of the week. “But you just can’t show that you’re tired. You just have to keep going.”
IT WAS FRIDAY in the afternoon, approximately 24 hours before the show. Saturday’s field exercises were inevitable.
Time to rest? Hardly.
Richardson and his team went off the court to an indoor area to practice throwing. His personal trainer, quarterback Denny Thompson, had a coach friend who would round up some local high schoolers to catch passes from Richardson.
After a series of exercises, Richardson was ready to give free rein to his cause. If there’s one thing Richardson can do, it’s play football with authority. At first, the children were not ready for the heat.
“Honestly, it’s the same for everyone,” Richardson said.
By the time Richardson warms up, he’s sending balls 70+ yards through the air. The young adopters got more training than they bargained for.
Anthony Richardson lets him fly. @GatorsFB
📺: #NFLCombine on @nflnetwork
📱: Broadcast on NFL+ pic.twitter.com/mRi0vkL7X6— NFL (@NFL) March 4, 2023
“He does something every day that I sit back and enjoy,” said Will Hewlett, who works with Thompson at 6 Points, a quarterback training facility. “It’s like, ‘Oh, I haven’t seen this before.'”
Then Tom Gormely, an expert on sporting achievements, took over. Gormely’s job was to squeeze every ounce of production out of Richardson. They worked with weighted balls, did various stretching exercises, worked on his long jump technique, and put the finishing touches to his preparation for the 40-yard dash.
When it was over, Richardson found a spot and lay down on the floor, scrolling through the screen on his phone. It was a chance to go crazy, and Richardson took full advantage of it.
“When they arrive here, it happens from 6:45 or from 7 am to 11 pm, basically every day,” Gormeli said. “… And then all this cognitive fatigue and just [physical] fatigue. And then in between, we’re trying to fit in, to make sure his body is up to speed, to make sure his tissues are primed, to make sure we’re getting enough stimuli within the body.
“That’s what people don’t see behind the scenes.”
STADIUM WAS buzzes on Saturday. Quarterbacks…
Source: www.espn.com
