Anthony Richardson felt ‘instant rapport’ with Pete Carroll at NFL combine

The Seattle Seahawks have not yet retained the services of quarterback Geno Smith, and even if they do it’s not totally out of the question that they draft a QB in Round 1 of next month’s NFL Draft. One of the names floated as potential target for the Seahawks is Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson, who dazzled at the NFL combine in Indianapolis and established himself as an elite athlete.

In a feature ESPN+ column on Richardson by Stephen Holder, there’s a little blurb detailing Richardson’s visit with the Seahawks. Safe to say Richardson enjoyed his meeting with Pete Carroll more than Sauce Gardner did last year.

A cool moment came when Richardson met with the Seahawks. Richardson said he felt an instant rapport with energetic coach Pete Carroll.

“He had this big smile on his face,” Richardson recalled. “We shook hands, and something about it was just different. You only see these guys on TV. And now I’m in their presence and they’re right there talking to me. And they’re interested in me. That makes you feel good.”

Richardson’s college stats may not impress, and his lack of starts in theory means he’s a very raw but exciting prospect, but both Richardson and Kentucky’s Will Levis are Round 1 projections largely because they were negatively impacted by the quality of the talent around them. Of course, for every Josh Allen who starred on nondescript Wyoming teams and eventually became a high draft pick and NFL Star, there’s also a Jake Locker, who had plenty of experience on bad Washington Huskies teams and was a draft bust. It ain’t that simple!

There are questions about Richardson’s actual quarterbacking abilities, but if he can be coached up successfully then that combo of athletic gifts and potential as a dual-threat QB is going to be irresistible.

I believe Richardson is the only quarterback the Seahawks have definitely met with pre-draft, but I could be wrong on that front. Last year Seattle only brought in Desmond Ridder for an official visit, and obviously he was taken by the Atlanta Falcons.

To follow our Seahawks pre-draft visits tracker, click the link below.