Colts GM Chris Ballard reveals he didn’t want to see Anthony Richardson become a ‘superstar’ with some other team

The Colts drafted Anthony Richardson with the 4th overall pick in the 2023 Draft.

Colts GM Chris Ballard reveals he didn’t want to see Anthony Richardson become a ‘superstar’ with some other team

(Images via ESPN and Getty Images)

The Indianapolis Colts finally seem to have found a franchise quarterback as they roped in the highly touted QB Anthony Richardson in the 2023 NFL Draft. Ever since Andrew Luck retired in the 2019 pre-season, the Colts have had Philip Rivers, Matt Ryan, and Carson Wentz as their quarterback in the past three seasons. Now they can finally enjoy some stability in the most important position of a football team.

Nonetheless, drafting Anthony Richardson was not an easy decision to make. He is undoubtedly one of the most physically talented QBs in the 2023 Draft class but there were concerns about his accuracy and lack of experience. The Colts didn’t have a shot at picking sure-fire talents like Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud.

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But the Colts were reportedly split on who is the third-best signal-caller between Will Levis and Anthony Richardson in this year’s draft class. Richardson’s ceiling was off the roof and he was even called “a bigger version of Michael Vick” by one SEC Coordinator. However, Richardson started only 13 games in Florida and had an ugly completion percentage of 53.8%.

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Will Levis, who played with injuries and a deflated offensive line had a 65.4% completion percentage in the 2022 college football season. However, Levis’s upside was nowhere close to Richardson’s. So, in the end, the Colts‘ general manager Chris Ballard selected Anthony Richardson to lead the Indianapolis-based football team in the future.

Related: 4th overall pick Anthony Richardson claims he’s ‘extremely thankful’ to be playing for the Colts

Chris Ballard explains why he drafted Anthony Richardson

Anthony Richardson Colts 2023 NFL Draft
(Image via AP)

The Colts documented their 2023 draft process and released it as a series named “The Next Pick.” In that series, the Colts GM Chris Ballard had an explanation for why he drafted the Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson in the 2023 NFL Draft.

“Sometimes you just gotta take a shot at it,” Ballard said. “I didn’t want to look up and watch him be a superstar somewhere else,” Ballard said. “If he’s going to be a superstar, he’s going to be a superstar for the Colts. Fortunately for us, it worked out.”

It seems like the Colts liked Richardson from the initial draft process. The Colts owner Jim Irsay, GM Chris Ballard, and the new offensive coordinator Jim Cooter all allegedly liked the tremendous potential of the 6’4″ quarterback from the beginning.

Richardson rose through the QB rankings after his remarkable performance at the 2023 NFL Combine. At one point, he was even favored to be selected as the 1st overall pick by the Carolina Panthers but he fell into the lap of the Colts. Now the question is can the Colts develop the raw prospect to become a good franchise QB in the NFL? Only time can answer that question.

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