The Indianapolis Colts hoped when they spent the fourth overall pick on Anthony Richardson in the 2023 NFL Draft that he would be their next franchise quarterback. This organization had lucked out getting Peyton Manning and Andrew Luck to lead the charge for several years but it's been difficult finding their next face of the franchise at the sport's most important position.
Richardson, to put it bluntly, has not been that guy. To make matters worse, Bryan DeArdo of CBS Sports went so far as to say that Richardson has been Indy's worst draft pick of the entire century.
"Richardson was projected as a first-round pick despite completing fewer than 55% of his pass attempts at Florida. Richardson quickly went to the bench after the signing of Daniel Jones. His future is uncertain, with Indianapolis likely hopeful to find a trade partner."
Anthony Richardson tabbed as Colts' worst draft pick this century
While Richardson has certainly been a disappointment, the main reason he's probably the culprit here is because of how high he was chosen and the position he plays. That duo is a deadly combination so it makes sense that he'd be the pick here.
That being said, Richardson didn't get a ton of chances to prove that he was the right guy. He was injured after just four starts during his rookie year in 2023, a rookie campaign that showed a lot of promise. In 2024, his second year in the league, he started 11 games, won six of those starts, but caught a ton of deserved flack for essentially wanting a play off during a game.
This past year, well, we saw how that played out. Richardson barely saw the field due to Daniel Jones passing him on the depth chart and then an unfortunate orbital injury that sidelined him for most of the season.
Colts fans were hoping that Richardson would be the answer to this team's quarterbacking problems but that sadly hasn't been the case. He's either been injured or inconsistent and with Jones playing well in the early half of the 2026 season, it's clear that Richardson's time in Indianapolis is just about up.
Will he be remembered as an all-around bust or just a bust with the team that drafted him? Only time will tell there. Either way, he'll go down as a disappointing Colts draft pick and that label will be hard for him to shake.
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