The 2023 NFL draft is just a few hours away and the franchises are ready to place their bets on the future. This year’s draft class boasts of immense talent and the fans are excited to see which prospect lands into their favorite team. One such talent is Florida QB Anthony Richardson. Just before the draft, one of the hottest prospects opened up about the impact that QBs like Lamar Jackson and Superman Cam Newton had on his game while growing up.
Experts have projected Richardson to go off the board in the first round of the draft on Thursday, much like the QBs he looks up to. In an interview, he revealed how he was mesmerized by the game of Newton and Jackson. So much so that at one point, he even started calling himself by a different name as an ode to the two electrifying quarterbacks.
An Ode to Lamar Jackson and Cam Newton
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Anthony Richardson has an ode for Cam Newton and Lamar Jackson. In a pre-draft interview video, the Florida QB remembered a time when he started calling himself Cam Jackson as he tried to inculcate the qualities of both the QBs in his game. And to be honest, he did succeed in doing so.
“When I was younger, I definitely tried to mimic Cam Newton, just seeing how big and physical he was and just how electrifying he was. I definitely tried to copy that. Then, when I got to High School, just seeing Lamar Jackson. At one point I started calling myself Cam Jackson just because I tried to implement both of those guys into my game,” Richardson said in the video by the NFL.
The Florida QB is a big physical presence on the football field, just like Newton was when he played for the Carolina Panthers. And he has taken the dual-threat ability from the game of the Baltimore Ravens QB Lamar Jackson. Clubbing the two into one single quarterback makes him a hot prospect in the draft. Who else is in the running?
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
The competition for Anthony Richardson
Anthony Richardson isn’t the only clear hot prospect in this year’s QB class. There are other names that have made this year’s draft a tad more interesting. Mostly because not many can really pinpoint who will go off the board first.
ADVERTISEMENT
Article continues below this ad
Kentucky’s Will Levis is another candidate whom the experts have put high on the chart. According to him, it is his intelligence and toughness that will help him in the draft. Tennessee QB Hendon Hooker is a leader on the field that many NFL teams might just love to have. Some are concerned about Bryce Young because of his height. But he actually might be the favorite to be the number one pick. CJ Stroud is another big name in the draft class. How high will Anthony Richardson go in the draft? Who will be the number-one pick this year?
Watch this story: “Go ahead and take a break”: Lamar Jackson shoots cryptic social media message amidst uncertain NFL future