Jeff LechvoldESPN Senior Writer2 minute reading
INDIANAPOLIS — Florida Gators quarterback Anthony Richardson said he refers to himself as “Cam Jackson” because he likes Cam Newton and Lamar Jackson so much.
During quarterback workouts at the NFL’s scouting combine on Saturday, Richardson looked every bit as physical as Newton and ran almost as well as Jackson.
At 6-foot-4, 244 pounds, Richardson tied the records for a quarterback with a vertical jump of 40.5 inches and a broad jump of 10 feet, 9 inches. Richardson, in his only attempt, clocked 4.43 seconds in the 40-yard dash at Lucas Oil Field.
To put that into perspective, Newton, at the 2011 combine, was 6-foot-5, 248 pounds and ran a 4.60 40-yard dash. Newton, the future league MVP, had a broad jump of 10 feet, 6 inches with a 35-inch vertical. Considered one of the league’s fastest players, Jackson had never run the 40-yard dash for scouts before the 2018 draft, and Kyler Murray had never run 40 before the 2019 draft.
Richardson’s time is tied for fourth-fastest among quarterbacks since 2006, according to ESPN’s Stats and Information Research. But Richardson is the heaviest player in the group.
Texas A&M’s Reggie McNeal ran 4.35 at 198 pounds in 2006, Robert Griffin III ran 4.41 at 223 pounds in 2012 and Marcus Vick ran 4.42 at 200 pounds. Denard Robinson had the other 4.43 among quarterbacks at 199 pounds.
Richardson is one of the top quarterback prospects in the draft and has met with several teams with top 10 picks during his time in Indianapolis this week. Richardson is the 12th-ranked player in ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr.’s latest big league.
A full-season starter at Florida, Richardson finished last season with 2,549 yards passing and 17 passing touchdowns to go along with 654 rushing yards and nine rushing touchdowns. He started eight games as a redshirt freshman in 2021. He’s not considered as polished a passer — he had nine interceptions last season — as some of the other quarterbacks in the draft, but staff evaluators of his ability are trying to figure out how far he can go in his development. condition.
Richardson, Ohio State’s CJ Stroud and Kentucky’s Will Lewis — all top-12 players on Kiper’s big board — were among the quarterbacks who practiced together Saturday. Lewis was in the first session while Stroud and Richardson were in the second.
Alabama’s Bryce Young, Kipper’s No. 4 prospect, did not work out Saturday and will instead throw for the team at his pro day on March 23.
On Friday, Richardson said he intends to show scouts and personnel executives around the league. Personally, several evaluators said in recent days that Richardson has done a better job in his individual team interviews when asked to break down game video or break down plays on the white board.
