Once pegged as franchise quarterbacks, this pair of prospects now face an uphill climb. CBS Sports examined whether former first-round QBs Anthony Richardson and J.J. McCarthy can rescue their careers after being effectively cast off by the teams that drafted them.
Richardson was the No. 4 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft after turning heads with his elite athleticism at Florida. Now, the 24-year-old sits behind starter Daniel Jones and backup Riley Leonard on the Indianapolis Colts’ depth chart.
CBS Sports NFL writer Ryan Wilson studied seven recent first-round QBs whose original organizations chose to move away from by the end of year three: Josh Rosen, Dwayne Haskins, Sam Darnold, Zach Wilson, Mac Jones, Justin Fields, and Kenny Pickett. Five of the seven would go on to start another game and three made at least 10 additional starts. However, only one of the seven rebuilt his reputation in Sam Darnold.
Richardson’s physical gifts are obvious; his big-time throw rate of 6.8% ranked in the 94th percentile according to CBS Sports’ study. His pressure-to-sack rate ranked in the 89th percentile. Those statistics represent his upside. The remaining numbers tell a different story. The biggest obstacle for Richardson is his accuracy. He posted a 60.2% adjusted accuracy rate in 2024, the worst among every QB with at least 200 dropbacks from 2015-2025.
Even more alarming is that the next-lowest figure was Josh Allen’s rookie season of 64.7%; this means that Richardson was nearly 4% worse than any quarterback in the decade-long sample. Wilson goes on to point towards Allen and Lamar Jackson as example of QBs with the ability to run effectively, who sizably improved their accuracy.
Though the two had considerably better starting points than Richardson, the potential remains for a turnaround. Allen and Jackson were able to develop while playing, whereas Richardson is no longer receiving consistent QB1 reps.
Wilson ultimately argues Richardson’s extreme accuracy has historically proven difficult to fix.
“I’d bet on McCarthy to figure things out, even after a 2025 season that was arguably worse overall. His best trait is already showing up at an elite rate, and the things dragging him down — sacks, turnovers and down-to-down accuracy — have all improved dramatically in previous reclamation stories.
“Richardson obviously has elite traits too, but becoming even an average NFL passer requires something much closer to the transformation that made Allen an outlier in the first place.”
Follow us @GatorsWire on X, formerly known as Twitter, as well as Bluesky, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Florida Gators news, notes and opinions.
This article originally appeared on Gators Wire: Biggest obstacle facing Anthony Richardson’s NFL future
Reporting by Michael Long, Gators Wire / Gators Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Michael Long, Gators Wire | USA TODAY Network
