Anthony Richardson Should Be in 'Conversation' as 2023 NFL Draft's Top QB, per Scout

The quarterback class at the 2023 NFL draft may lack a clear top option at the moment, but at least one player is slowly gaining traction as a consideration.

According to Ben Solak of The Ringer, "Most rank Kentucky's Will Levis, Alabama's Bryce Young, and Ohio State's C.J. Stroud at the top, but I spoke to one scout who thinks Florida's Anthony Richardson belongs in the conversation."

Here's how those four players' 2022 statistics stack up:

• Levis: 2,406 yards, 19 touchdowns, 10 interceptions, 65.4 completion percentage, sacked 36 times
• Young: 3,328 yards, 32 touchdowns, five interceptions, 64.5 completion percentage, sacked 18 times
• Stroud: 3,688 yards, 41 touchdowns, six touchdowns, 66.3 completion percentage, sacked 12 times
• Richardson: 2,549 yards, 17 touchdowns, nine interceptions, 53.8 completion percentage, sacked 13 times

Young won the Heisman Trophy in 2021, while Stroud was a two-time finalist for the award.

Both Levis and Richardson are seen more as prospects with an intriguing set of tools and potential.

Richardson's athleticism will be a selling point, as he rushed for 654 yards and nine touchdowns in 2022. Oh, and he can do this:

But Richardson also has big-time arm talent, and he cuts the figure of a player who NFL teams could fall in love with as they evaluate his skill set. He has excellent size (6'4" and 232 pounds) as well, and it isn't hard to envision that he sneaks into the top 10 of this year's draft.

Quarterback-needy teams often aren't afraid to take early shots on the position. Richardson may have been inconsistent enough in college to keep him from being the first quarterback off the board, but it's hard to ignore his upside.