Thanks to the NFL Draft, Colts QB Anthony Richardson already has a natural rival
Sports are all about rivalries, and thanks to the NFL Draft, Indianapolis Colts quarterback Anthony Richardson will be entering the league with a natural rival.
Typically, it takes a couple of years in the league and a few dramatic games for rivalries to develop. However, the groundwork for a rivalry for the top pick of the Indianapolis Colts, Anthony Richardson, has already been laid. Thanks to the pre-draft process, and where each player was ultimately drafted, Richardson and new Tennessee Titans quarterback Will Levis enter the league as natural rivals.
All throughout the pre-draft process, the debate of QB3 was between Richardson and Levis. The expectation was that Bryce Young and CJ Stroud would be the first two names selected by the Carolina Panthers and the Houston Texans, and then, Indy would have to decide between Richardson and Levis.
That expectation led to intense debates about why one would be better than the other. Similar to the Tua Tagovailoa and Justin Herbert debates from the 2020 Draft. Tagovailoa and Herbert are forever connected, and their careers are constantly being compared against each other’s.
That will now be the case for Richardson and Levis since Indianapolis selected Anthony Richardson over Levis. The fact that both are on rival teams in the AFC South will only make this budding rivalry more intense.
Anthony Richardson and Will Levis are natural rivals after NFL Draft
The Colts and the Titans already have an intense rivalry. Their games are typically really tough and close battles, and before last season, those two battled for the crown of the division. Regardless of who the quarterbacks are, the rivalry between Indianapolis and Tennessee will remain.
But, if Richardson does become the franchise QB for Indy and Levis becomes the franchise quarterback for the Titans, their two battles a year will be great for the people that debated which quarterback would be better. Of course, this rivalry all hinges on both Levis and Richardson adequately adjusting to the pros and establishing themselves as long-term starters.