AFC Notes: Anthony Richardson, Allen Robinson, Colts, Steelers, Titans

The Colts knew pretty early last season they were going to be taking a quarterback in the draft this year, and since then they’ve put months of exhaustive research into their options in this class. They settled on QB Anthony Richardson with their first-round pick at No. 4 overall, and while he’s viewed as a gamble by many, the Colts are comfortable in what they’ve learned about their new quarterback of the future. The talent is obvious, but Colts chief personnel executive Morocco Brown adds they were impressed by Richardson’s character. He played a big part in raising his younger brother as their mom worked multiple jobs to support them. 

“If you look at his past and some of the obstacles he’d had to overcome, I mean, (quarterback) is the most difficult position to play, and he’s been able to fight through some of the things he’s had to fight through?” Brown said via the Athletic’s Zak Keefer. “You wanna bet on that type of person.”

On the field, Richardson might be one of the most physically impressive quarterbacks in NFL history with his unique combination of size, speed and arm strength. Those attributes along with some of the innate instincts of playing the quarterback position drew the Colts to Richardson. As Brown put it, “he’s the guy you don’t wanna play against.”

“The top-10-paid quarterbacks in the league, they’re all dual-threat quarterbacks,” he continued. “When you have that type of talent, you have to defend every blade of grass on the field, and you can’t as a defense. You can’t. At some point — and this guy isn’t a finished product at all — but to have those traits, it’s just scary.”

Steelers

The Steelers added veteran WR Allen Robinson this offseason and GM Omar Khan mentioned that the team had him in mind since his time at Penn State.

“Well, I’d say that’s where it all started,” Khan said, via Pro Football Talk. “Coach Tomlin got a great feel for him when he was coming out of college at Penn State. Got to know, you know, his parents at the Pro Day and got to know Allen a little bit. Obviously, they interacted whenever we played. He was a free agent last year. We had an interest in him and, you know, didn’t work out. He ended up going to the Rams. But one of the things that Coach and I had discussed earlier this year was we wanted to get find a veteran leader in that receiver room and when the opportunity came about where we were able to have some conversations with the Rams and they went on for a few weeks, it was a no-brainer for us. Just the leadership, obviously the talent. He just brings so much to the organization. He’s just a great community person. It’s going to be it’s exciting to have him as part of this team.”

“We’ve got a young group and you always like having a veteran in there,” Khan added. “You know, he can play in the slot, he can play outside, just adds some flexibility. It’s always good to have strong leadership, and a veteran leadership presence in that room. Ever since I’ve been here, when we’ve been successful, there’s always been that individual in that room.”

Titans

Titans QB Ryan Tannehill addressed the team trading up to select QB Will Levis with the 33rd overall pick and said it’s “deja vu,” referencing the team selecting QB Malik Willis in the third round last season.

“Yeah, we’ve been down this road before so it’s definitely a little bit of déjà vu,” Tannehill said, via ESPN.

Although Tannehill’s future with the team is uncertain at best, he’s taking it all in stride.

“My job is to get ready to go win football games and that’s what I’m going to do each and every day,” Tannehill said. “As players, you got to control what you can control — and that’s doing the best you can.”