As quickly as the 2022 NFL Draft came to an end, attention shifted towards the eventual 2023 wave of newcomers. Next year’s class is expected to be deep at quarterback with names like Bryce Young and C.J. Stroud garnering the most attention. But don’t be surprised if Anthony Richardson is a trendy name once next season concludes.

The way ESPN's Mel Kiper Jr. sees things, Richardson should be in the conversation for a top-10 pick, or even higher, revealed Monday in a discussion about potential No. 1 overall picks in the 2023 NFL Draft.

"Anthony Richardson from Florida is a talented kid,” Kiper said on The Adam Schefter Podcast. “Wow, is he talented. If he can become consistent throwing the football, you’re going to be talking a lot about Anthony Richardson as well."

Richardson has the keys to the Gators’ offense this season after the team struggled in 2021 under Emory Jones who since departed for the transfer portal. Richardson was effective when healthy but also struggled with turnovers. He played in seven games, and went 38-64 on the year for 529 yards, six touchdowns but five interceptions. His potential is so high due to his ability to make plays with his legs, he picked up 401 yards on 51 carries while scoring three times. Now under Billy Napier’s offense, Richardson is tasked with making large strides in a new system.

"Anthony’s a production of a lot of hard work," Napier said after the spring game. "I can’t say enough about his approach, it’s been first class. When I think about a quarterback, I think about a person who represents everything the organization is about. Certainly at the highest level of football, the quarterback I the face of your origination. They set the greatest example. Their work ethic, their attention to detail, their self-discipline in their approach. He’s product of his work. He’s learned a new system. He commented well and the ball went where it was supposed to go. The players around him played well. The pocket was clean."

Before Napier’s comments, Richardson had tossed out three scores during the spring game which caused Steve Spurrier to rave about the quarterback’s ability. Spurrier knows a thing or two about being an elite signal-caller considering the Gators’ legend won the Heisman Trophy back in 1966. That year, he threw 16 touchdowns and eight interceptions in an ere of college football that was drastically different than today.

“Tell you what ... I think we all know Anthony Richardson is a talented player. And he can be big time for us,” Spurrier said during the SEC Network’s broadcast of the game. “Hopefully he can stay very healthy this year. He can throw the ball, he can run. Hopefully we will use him -- occasionally run him not dominantly, because he’s an excellent passer. He’s a natural quarterback.”

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Coming out of Gainesville (Fla.) Eastside, Richardson was a four-star in the 247Sports Composite. He ranked No. 204 in the nation, No. 9 dual-threat quarterback and No. 30 in the state of Florida.

It may have happened a couple of days sooner than originally anticipated, but we finally got an extended look at the next era of Florida football in the form of last Thursday’s spring game.

New Florida head coach Billy Napier has brought a ton of excitement — and about four dozen new staff members — with him to Gainesville. While there are always a lot of things for new coaches to accomplish off the field, one of the most important questions that can be answered on the field is simple: “Do we have a starting quarterback?” After Thursday night, the answer to that question seems to be an emphatic “YES!” for Florida.

The story of the spring game was, obviously, the performance of Anthony Richardson. He looked extremely comfortable in Billy Napier’s offense and showed no ill signs from his offseason surgery. There have been some questions about Napier taking on the roles of offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach along with his head coaching responsibilities, but his offensive scheme seems to fit Richardson to a tee.

Speaking of Napier’s offense, let’s take a closer look at how the Gators lined up and what type of plays they called during the spring game.

Florida had something of an adventurous spring at the tight end position. New tight ends coach William Peagler had his work cut out for him, with injuries reducing his room to one scholarship player at one point. The lack of tight ends was especially concerning when you you think about Napier’s preferred personnel groupings. Napier uses at least one tight end on nearly every play, and often you will see two tight ends sharing the field. Peagler said that they are typically at about a 60/40 split between 11 and 12 personnel.

Luckily, Florida found some capable bodies to move over to tight end and we were able to get a good look at the new offense.

I charted every series with Richardson and Jack Miller at quarterback, as they seem to be the furthest along in the new offense. They were also the most likely to play with other “first team” level players. (Carlos Del Rio-Wilson choosing to transfer is probably a consequence of both of these factors.) In any case, I thought their reps would give us the best sense of the offense.

When looking back on the spring game, both teams operated similarly in terms of play-calling. Each team was primarily in 11 (1 back 1 tight end) personnel. Out of the 87 plays I tracked featuring Richardson or Miller at QB, Florida was in 11 personnel on a little more than 71 percent of those plays. The Gators lined up in 12 (1 back 2 tight ends) personnel on just under 29 percent of their plays. It’s not quite the 60/40 split that Peagler mentioned, but it’s a far cry from last season: In 2021, Florida lined up in 11 personnel on 88.17% of the time and only lined up in 12 personnel on 6.64% of play calls.

Also a change from last year was the run-pass split. Last season, Florida ran the ball 55 percent of the time and threw on 45 percent of playcalls. Based on Napier’s previous offenses, many expected the run/pass split to be similar. But in its spring game, Florida threw the ball more than I anticipated — and, actually, the Gators were the inverse of last season’s team in this regard.

Florida once again had a 55/45 split, but this time it was in favor of the pass. In 11 personnel, that split was even higher, with nearly 60 percent of the plays being passes. I’d envision this percentage normalizing more towards the running game in the fall, but it was still interesting to see Napier play against type for one evening.

One reason for the increased passing numbers was the play of the quarterbacks. Of particular interest was their decision making. There were probably five to 10 plays where there was a called run with a throw option attached. Some were pre-snap reads where a single receiver had an option route attached to a called run play; others were RPOs where the quarterback made the run pass decision after the ball had been snapped.

From what we saw on Thursday, this offense gives the quarterback a lot of options. The aforementioned throw options attached to run plays were just one part. There were also multiple options on several screen plays with the quarterback picking which side of the field he should go to with the ball.

For some, too many options can be overwhelming. For others, it can consistently give them answers for what the defense is showing. I thought the best thing about the play of Anthony Richardson was his decisiveness. He knew where he wanted to go with the ball often before the snap and got the ball out of his hands quickly.

I heard Coach Napier say in an offseason clinic that he should be able to get his play call and the defensive play call and know exactly where the ball should go before the play even happens. For a lot of the night, Richardson was there.

He wasn’t perfect, though. There was one particular play that nearly gave me a Nakobe Dean flashback. For much more on that play, along with a lot of other good ones for Richardson and Jack Miller, watch the video below.

As he nears the end of his recovery from a torn ACL, rookie OLB Andre Anthony is ready to apply some lessons he learned while essentially serving as a sideline coach for young LSU defenders most of last fall

Andre Anthony's long LSU playing career came to an abrupt end last September, as he tore an ACL on a non-contact play against Central Michigan. He had first arrived in Baton Rouge in 2016, taking a redshirt year and then missing the next season thanks to a different knee injury. Anthony then played four more years for LSU, though the last one as a grad student was only three games long to his season-ending mishap.

Now Anthony is back on the football field just a few days shy of eight months after his injury against the Chippewas, as he's taking part in a rookie mini-camp with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Buccaneers selected him in the seventh round of the 2022 NFL Draft after not addressing the outside linebacker position in the first six rounds. Anthony is not yet fully recovered – he expects to be full-go by the start of training camp – but he is taking part in drills and he has a strategy for making a strong first impression while not yet physically at his peak.

"Do the most," said Anthony of his approach to this stage of his transition from college to the pros. "Do what you can do, and what you can do go 100 percent at it, regardless of the situation of where you got picked. Do what you can. And my situation, coming in hurt, just do what you can, and when you can do something go hard at it so they can see, 'Okay, he's trying and he's steady developing.' Showing that you know the playbook so when it's time to get out there [they say], 'Okay, we can trust that he knows what he's doing.' So it's not just going out there and seeing what you can do physically."

Anthony's 2017 experience with a similar injury helped him get through his current recovery process, both mentally and physically. It was a tough blow to absorb, though. After leading the Tigers with 5.5 sacks as a senior in 2020, he had gotten off to a blazing start in what should have been a showcase season for NFL scouts. Anthony was among national leaders in sacks (3.5) and tackles for loss (4.0) before he went down shortly before halftime of LSU's third game of the year. Earlier in that game, he had picked up a fumble and returned it for a touchdown.

"Oh yeah, it was [emotional], just because it's your senior year, obviously, and you started off so great," said Anthony. "Coming into yourself and becoming a team leader, and a lot of the stuff that we went through years before, it was just a lot of emotions. But like I said, it's something I've been through [before]. I had an injury my freshman year so I kind of knew what to expect."

That means Anthony, who is nearing the end of his physical recovery, knows that the next big hurdle will be mental. He has to trust that his knee is ready to let him do all of the things he used to do on the football field, at the same high level.

"That's the process that I'm going through right now," said Anthony. "Going out there and doing drills and team [drills] and stuff like that, just knowing like, 'You're alright.' Just trying to push it in your head that you're good, it's healed. You've just got to get back used to moving and trusting that it's going to be fine."

The stakes are fairly high for Anthony. The Buccaneers could definitely use a little more depth at edge rusher, but seventh-round picks are never a guarantee to make the 53-man roster. He could have used the rest of his senior season to continue honing his game and in recent months he could have been focusing on adding to his arsenal of pass-rush moves rather than working to get his knee back in order. But Anthony did find another way to make use of the rest of his final year at LSU, even if he didn't get back on the field after Week Three.

Essentially, Anthony became something of a coach to LSU's younger defenders, and that in turn helped him learn more about his own game. He would stand next to his young teammates on the sideline and point out things that were happening that they didn't necessarily understand yet.

"I guess me coaching kind of helped me as far as the mental aspect of the game, to let them know what I saw," Anthony recalled. "'Maybe this will work, maybe that will work.' Same thing like coming here. You see some of the older guys that you've seen on TV, seeing what they see, just learning from each other. The main thing is, they say the best way to learn is to coach. Me coaching up them, I learned a lot about myself and some other stuff that I could get better at. It was good."

One of the main lessons Anthony took away from that period in his life was to be relentless and creative on the field.

"Mine is staying active," said Anthony of what he will be focusing on when he gets back to full speed. "Just not having one move in my head and if that doesn't work. Just kind of being active, being violent. If that move doesn't work, go to another one. Just keep going, because you never know when something's going to work and you can get there."

The 53-year-old musician and 23-year-old former Miss Universe contestant announced their engagement on Thursday during a party at Sexy Fish restaurant in Miami, Florida, and Ferreira took to her Instagram story to share a photo of her large diamond ring.

According to Ferreira's Instagram, the pair spent the day in Miami with friends leading up to the party, dined and partied on a boat, and toasted with champagne. The Sexy Fish party was reportedly held as a celebration of the model's 23rd birthday, which was May 10.

"They dined on a lavish dinner of sushi, oysters and caviar and appeared to be in an extremely celebratory mood, hugging and kissing throughout the night at an opulent table surrounded by friends," a source tells PEOPLE.

"But the surprise came at the end of the dinner, when Nadia, wearing a skin-tight white dress, posted a picture on her IG showcasing a stunning diamond engagement ring with the caption 'Engagement Partyyy' with a ring emoji," continues the source.

Anthony and Ferreira sparked romance rumors following an outing in Mexico City earlier this year, and they confirmed their relationship via Instagram with a selfie taken on an airplane in March. "Que Dios les multiplique todo lo que ustedes nos desean," the "I Need to Know" singer wrote in the post's caption, which roughly translates to, "May God multiply all that you wish us."

Prior to his relationship with Ferreira, Anthony had been married three times. He tied the knot with former Miss Universe Dayanara Torres in 2000, and the pair welcomed two sons, Cristian and Ryan, before splitting in 2004. The same year, Anthony began dating Jennifer Lopez, and the pair married in July 2004 before having twins, Max and Emme. They announced their split in 2011, and the divorce became final in 2014, but the exes remain cordial co-parents to this day.

Anthony then married model Shannon De Lima in November 2014. The pair separated two years later before announcing their divorce in December 2016 and finalizing the split in February 2017. Before announcing his relationship with Ferreira, he was most recently publicly linked to Madu Nicola, with whom he shared a kiss on the 2021 Billboard Latin Music Awards red carpet.

Photo: Anthony Richardson; Credit: Alex Shepherd

Now that the 2022 NFL Draft has come and gone, ESPN's Todd McShay has published his first way-too-early mock draft for next year's 2023 NFL Draft, which includes Florida Gators quarterback Anthony Richardson.

This year, Florida sent three players to the pros via the 2022 NFL Draft, including first-round selection (pick No. 23 overall) cornerback Kaiir Elam, a third-round selection (pick No. 95) in defensive lineman Zachary Carter and a fourth-round selection (pick No. 107) in running back Dameon Pierce.

Several other players were also signed to NFL rosters in undrafted free agency shortly following the draft. Though it was a "down" year for Florida in terms of sending players to the NFL, next year's class appears to be much deeper.

Richardson, 6-foot-4, 237 pounds is entering his redshirt sophomore season at Florida and is expected to be the team's next starting QB, taking over for Emory Jones who recently transferred to Arizona State after one year as the team's starter.

McShay projects Richarson to be selected within the top 10 next year, pick No. 6 to the Carolina Panthers, who spent a third-round pick this year on former Ole Miss QB Matt Corral. The team also rosters former first-round pick QB Sam Darnold, but he isn't expected to be on the roster st this time next year.

Here is what McShay had to say about the selection:

The Panthers, however, should start scouting the 2023 signal-callers. I'm not so sure they view Matt Corral as a long-term option, and Sam Darnold will be off the books after this season. Plus, Carolina could have a new regime in place, especially if it's picking this early again. Now, Richardson is a huge projection -- the 6-foot-4, 236-pound passer played in just eight games and started once last year -- and has some turnover issues. But he's extremely talented and poised for a breakout season in his first as a full-time starter.

Enter Richardson, who is one of the most physically dominant QBs in the SEC and all of college football, built similarly to former Panthers QB Cam Newton, who spent time at Florida before eventually making his way to Auburn and subsequently becoming the No. 1 overall selection by Carolina in 2011.

Last season, Richardson showed off some of the traits one would want to see in a dominant player at the position, especially on the ground. In seven games, Richardson posted 529 passing yards, six touchdowns and five interceptions, also able to rack up 401 yards on just 51 attempts on the ground along with three TDs.

This, obviously, is a pure projection from McShay as Richardson hasn't shown enough on film for teams to make that selection today. Richardson was also the third QB selection in McShay's mock, behind Alabama QB Bryce Young (No. 2 overall) and Ohio State QB CJ Stroud (No. 1 overall).

But, with what Richardson has shown over the years on the practice field and at moments in games, it wouldn't be unreasonable to see him put on a show this season in Gainesville, and immediately boost his draft stock.

After this season, Richardson would still have two more years of eligibility, but if he does what the is capable of, especially given the talent level on offense, it wouldn't be surprising to see him declare early, making himself a lot of money in the process.

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