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Former Indianapolis Colts punter Pat McAfee had an epic reaction to the team's selection of former Florida quarterback Anthony Richardson at No. 4 overall in the 2023 NFL Draft during the Pat McAfee Show Draft Spectacular live stream Thursday (April 27) night.
An excited McAfee acknowledged Richardson's impressive NFL Combine performance -- which included setting quarterback records in jumping drills, as well as running a 4.43-second 40-yard dash -- and comparisons to Philadelphia Eagles All-Pro quarterback Jalen Hurts, who worked directly with newly hired Colts head coach Shane Steichen when he served as offensive coordinator for the NFC champion Eagles last season.
"If we're going to work on a project quarterback, a quarterback that didn't have a lot of wins, let's go ahead and get the guy whose No. 1 overall in the quarterback category in the history of the NFL Combine," McAfee said. "Anthony Richardson, welcome to Indianapolis, pal! Shane Steichen worked MAGIC with Jalen Hurts. We assume the same damn thing with you. The Colts are back! I'm so pumped!"
McAfee's former Colts teammate, Darius Butler, also expressed his excitement over the selection of Richardson, who he called a "freak of nature athlete," while also crediting the team for finally drafting a long-term option at quarterback in the first-round, having previously signed veteran starters during each of the last three offseasons.
"You take a swing at this quarterback carousel we've had here, you've got to take this swing. I love it," Butler said.
Richardson had the fastest rising stock of any quarterback prospect this offseason with many experts projecting him to have the best raw skills of any draft eligible player. The former four-star high school prospect threw for 2,549 yards, 17 touchdowns and nine interceptions on 215 of 393 passing, as well as 1,116 yards and 12 touchdowns on 161 rushing attempts in 2022, having previously appeared in just 10 games during his first two collegiate seasons.