Colts GM Chris Ballard on Anthony Richar

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We know coming into the 2023 that the wanted to land their quarterback of the future. They made no secret of that fact pretty much since the end of their 2022 season, and when they came on the clock at No. 4 overall on Thursday night, they found their man in Florida  Anibal Sanchez Jersey quarterback . What drew them to Richardson? "He's a pretty unique athlete and talent," general manager Ballard said, . That is certainly the case. Standing 6-4 and weighing 242 pounds Jose Berrios Jersey , Richardson blew up the combine by setting quarterback records for vertical jump (40.5 inches) and broad jump (10 feet, 9 inches), and blazing through the 40-yard dash in an absurd 4.43 seconds with a 1.52-second 10-yard split. That performance made him the most athletic quarterback in the history of the combine, according to Relative Athletic Score Zach Duke Jersey . According to Ballard and new Colts coach Shane Steichen, it was not the athleticism that nudged them in Richardson's direction. "We knew after we spent our time, worked him out, spent a lot of time with him, just felt really good about Tony Oliva Jersey  who he was as a person," Ballard said. "Of course, he's still young but just felt really good about who he was."   "His character -- the vetting proce s that we did, calling around people that know him, that have been around him, that's a big part of this thing," Steichen said. "There are a lot of guys Kennys Vargas Jersey  that I know that I trust that I talked to about him and everything was, you know, right at the top of the list as far as that (character). Then, just going through having him here, getting to know him as a person, talking football with him, I think he's got a chance to be a really good player in this league Michael Pineda Jersey ." Obviously, Richardson does not have much experience just yet, but Steichen seemingly felt comfortable with that as well. "The development of players comes with more experience," Steichen said. "(Richardson had) 13 starts, I think when you play more, that's how you develop. You know what I mean? So, with him playing and his experience as a player and getting more reps, practice reps, game reps, I think that's how Fernando Rodney Jersey  you develop."   Steichen spent the past couple seasons working with in Philadelphia, and Richardson has a similar skill set but in a much bigger body. Hurts was not the most accurate pa ser in college either,  Minnesota Twins Jersey but that improved when he was put in better position to succeed and given higher-caliber weapons. The hope for the Colts has to be that Richardson's athleticism and rushing ability give him (and their offense) a floor while his proce sing and accuracy come along to raise the ceiling in the future.