ESPN's Dan Orlovsky remembers calling one of Anthony Richardson's first college games and turning to his broadcast partner with a question: "Why isn't this guy starting?"
This was 2021, when Richardson was largely off the national radar as a backup at Florida. But Orlovsky saw something in the young quarterback: Dazzling athleticism and certain natural talents for the position.
A year later, Orlovsky was on the call for Florida's season opener against Utah – in which Richardson completed 17 of 24 passes and rushed 11 times for 106 yards with three touchdowns – and was even more impressed. After the game, Orlovsky went on Paul Finebaum's show and said: "If he doesn't play another down, he's a top 10 pick. He's that talented."
Orlovsky recalled these early moments of watching Richardson in an interview with Matt Taylor and Jeffrey Gorman, which will air Friday on "The Last Word" on 93.5/107.5 The Fan and can be downloaded on the Colts Audio Network. In the interview, Orlovsky explained why Richardson's college completion percentage isn't a good representation of his accuracy and goes in depth on some of the quarterbacking skills Richardson will bring to the Colts beyond his elite athleticism.
Orlovsky, too, is confident the Colts will get the most out of Richardson after watching what Shane Steichen did with Jalen Hurts in Philadelphia the last two years.
"If you watch what Shane did with Jalen, the use of the quarterback run, the threat of the quarterback run, the simplification of some of their pass concepts," Orlovsky said, "you sit there and go yeah, there's a lot of evidence not only that he can do this but that we can build on top of what (Steichen) did in Philadelphia because of the runaway speed he has."
You can listen to the full interview on "The Last Word" Friday evening on 93.5/107.5 The Fan and on the Colts Audio Network.
The Colts 2023 rookie class arrives at the Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center in preparation for the start of rookie minicamp.
Zavier Scott,
The Colts 2023 rookie draft class arrives at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
Julius Brents
The Colts 2023 rookie draft class arrives at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
Donavan Mutin
The Colts 2023 rookie draft class arrives at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
Donavan Mutin
The Colts 2023 rookie draft class arrives at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
Tyler Richardson,
The Colts 2023 rookie draft class arrives at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
Josh Downs,
The Colts 2023 rookie draft class arrives at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
Julius Brents
The Colts 2023 rookie draft class arrives at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
Julius Brents, Richard Howell Head Strength and Conditioning,
The Colts 2023 rookie draft class arrives at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
Josh Downs, Michael Blazejowski,
The Colts 2023 rookie draft class arrives at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
Julius Brents
The Colts 2023 rookie draft class arrives at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
Josh Downs
The Colts 2023 rookie draft class arrives at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
Michael Blazejowski,
The Colts 2023 rookie draft class arrives at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
Julius Brents
The Colts 2023 rookie draft class arrives at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
Adetomiwa Adebawore, Richard Howell Head Strength and Conditioning,
The Colts 2023 rookie draft class arrives at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
Evan Hull
The Colts 2023 rookie draft class arrives at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
The Colts 2023 rookie draft class arrives at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
Josh Downs,
The Colts 2023 rookie draft class arrives at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
The Colts 2023 rookie draft class arrives at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
Adetomiwa Adebawore,
The Colts 2023 rookie draft class arrives at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
Brian Buening Assistant Athletic Trainer, Daniel Scott
The Colts 2023 rookie draft class arrives at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
Adetomiwa Adebawore,
The Colts 2023 rookie draft class arrives at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
Adetomiwa Adebawore, Richard Howell Head Strength and Conditioning,
The Colts 2023 rookie draft class arrives at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
Brian Buening Assistant Athletic Trainer, Evan Hull,
The Colts 2023 rookie draft class arrives at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
Brian Buening Assistant Athletic Trainer, Daniel Scott,
The Colts 2023 rookie draft class arrives at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
Tyler Richardson, Richard Howell Head Strength and Conditioning,
The Colts 2023 rookie draft class arrives at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
Aaron Maddox,
The Colts 2023 rookie draft class arrives at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
The Colts 2023 rookie draft class arrives at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
The Colts 2023 rookie draft class arrives at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
Aaron Maddox,
The Colts 2023 rookie draft class arrives at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
Tyler Richardson, Richard Howell Head Strength and Conditioning,
The Colts 2023 rookie draft class arrives at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
Tyler Richardson, Richard Howell Head Strength and Conditioning,
The Colts 2023 rookie draft class arrives at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
Josh Downs, Lummie Young,
The Colts 2023 rookie draft class arrives at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
Daniel Scott, David Thornton Director of Player Engagement,
The Colts 2023 rookie draft class arrives at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
Blake Freeland, Richard Howell Head Strength and Conditioning,
The Colts 2023 rookie draft class arrives at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
Guy Thomas,
The Colts 2023 rookie draft class arrives at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
Julius Brents
The Colts 2023 rookie draft class arrives at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
Brian Buening Assistant Athletic Trainer,
The Colts 2023 rookie draft class arrives at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
Blake Freeland, Richard Howell Head Strength and Conditioning,
The Colts 2023 rookie draft class arrives at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
Darius Rush
The Colts 2023 rookie draft class arrives at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
Darius Rush
The Colts 2023 rookie draft class arrives at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
Anthony Richardson,
The Colts 2023 rookie draft class arrives at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
Tyler Richardson, Blake Freeland,
The Colts 2023 rookie draft class arrives at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
Anthony Richardson,
The Colts 2023 rookie draft class arrives at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
The Colts 2023 rookie draft class arrives at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
Tyler Richardson, Blake Freeland,
The Colts 2023 rookie draft class arrives at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
Dave Hammer Head Athletic Trainer,
The Colts 2023 rookie draft class arrives at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
Anthony Richardson,
The Colts 2023 rookie draft class arrives at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
Anthony Richardson,
The Colts 2023 rookie draft class arrives at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
Darius Hagans, Richard Howell Head Strength and Conditioning,
The Colts 2023 rookie draft class arrives at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
Jaylon Jones,
The Colts 2023 rookie draft class arrives at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
Blake Freeland, Harris LaChance,
The Colts 2023 rookie draft class arrives at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
Richard Howell Head Strength and Conditioning, Jaylon Jones,
The Colts 2023 rookie draft class arrives at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
Tyler Richardson,
The Colts 2023 rookie draft class arrives at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
Blake Freeland, Harris LaChance,
The Colts 2023 rookie draft class arrives at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
Jaylon Jones, Richard Howell Head Strength and Conditioning,
The Colts 2023 rookie draft class arrives at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
Richard Howell Head Strength and Conditioning, Jaylon Jones
The Colts 2023 rookie draft class arrives at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
Jones, Jaylon
The Colts 2023 rookie draft class arrives at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
Anthony Richardson
The Colts 2023 rookie draft class arrives at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
Aaron Maddox, Zane Fakes Assistant Strength and Conditioning,
The Colts 2023 rookie draft class arrives at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
Adebawore, Adetomiwa
The Colts 2023 rookie draft class arrives at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
Anthony Richardson, Amber Derrow Senior Director of Content and Operations,
The Colts 2023 rookie draft class arrives at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
Anthony Richardson
The Colts 2023 rookie draft class arrives at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
Chris Albright Director of Graphic Design, Anthony Richardson
The Colts 2023 rookie draft class arrives at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
Anthony Richardson
The Colts 2023 rookie draft class arrives at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
The Colts 2023 rookie draft class arrives at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
The Colts 2023 rookie draft class arrives at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
David Thornton Director of Player Engagement,
The Colts 2023 rookie draft class arrives at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
Jamal Woods, Matt Bowen Creative Director of Photographic Services
The Colts 2023 rookie draft class arrives at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
Jamal Woods, Matt Bowen Creative Director of Photographic Services
The Colts 2023 rookie draft class arrives at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
The Colts 2023 rookie draft class arrives at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
Tyler Richardson,
The Colts 2023 rookie draft class arrives at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
Harris LaChance,
The Colts 2023 rookie draft class arrives at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
The Colts 2023 rookie draft class arrives at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
The Colts 2023 rookie draft class arrives at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
Anthony Richardson
The Colts 2023 rookie draft class arrives at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
Dave Hammer Head Athletic Trainer,
The Colts 2023 rookie draft class arrives at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
Anthony Richardson
The Colts 2023 rookie draft class arrives at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
The Colts 2023 rookie draft class arrives at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
The Colts 2023 rookie draft class arrives at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
Zavier Scott,
The Colts 2023 rookie draft class arrives at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
The Colts 2023 rookie draft class arrives at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
The Colts 2023 rookie draft class arrives at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
Anthony Richardson
The Colts 2023 rookie draft class arrives at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
Zavier Scott,
The Colts 2023 rookie draft class arrives at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
Darius Rush
The Colts 2023 rookie draft class arrives at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
Evan Hull
The Colts 2023 rookie draft class arrives at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
The Colts 2023 rookie draft class arrives at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
Julius Brents
The Colts 2023 rookie draft class arrives at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
The Colts 2023 rookie draft class arrives at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
The Colts 2023 rookie draft class arrives at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
The Colts 2023 rookie draft class arrives at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
The Colts 2023 rookie draft class arrives at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
Zavier Scott,
The Colts 2023 rookie draft class arrives at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
The Colts 2023 rookie draft class arrives at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
Jacob Gall
The Colts 2023 rookie draft class arrives at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
Jake Witt
The Colts 2023 rookie draft class arrives at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
The Colts 2023 rookie draft class arrives at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
The Colts 2023 rookie draft class arrives at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
Tyler Adams,
The Colts 2023 rookie draft class arrives at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
The Colts 2023 rookie draft class arrives at Indiana Farm Bureau Football Center.
