AFC Notes: Anthony Richardson, Colts, Texans, Titans, Peter Skoronski

Colts

Colts GM Chris Ballard said they are not expecting first-round QB Anthony Richardson to be “Superman from Day One” and thinks most quarterbacks require 2-3 years to hit their stride. 

“He’s got to come in and earn his way like every player we bring in. Let’s not expect him to be Superman from Day One,” Ballard said, via ProFootballTalk. “I think history has shown there’s not many of them that are Superman from Day One. Some of them it takes two, three years for them to become a really good player. … It’s the one area where teams that, the pressure for these guys after one or two years — back 10, 15 years ago, guys would get year three, four, five. Think about it. Terry Bradshaw, he might have never played in today’s NFL. It took him time in Pittsburgh. We’ve got to let these guys develop and play. They’re going to have some struggles and then they’ve got to work through the struggles and eventually, their talent, the more they play, their talent will come to life.”

Ballard is excited about Richardson’s arrival and now wants to focus on his development. 

“I think you all know well enough, we’re excited, we’re excited to get Anthony,” Ballard said. “Now we’ve got to go play. Now you’ve got to go prove it. Damn right I’m excited. Then you sober up and say, ‘OK, now we’ve got to go play and make it work.’”

Texans

Texans GM Nick Caserio said they didn’t initially expect to trade up to No. 3 overall with the Cardinals.

“We didn’t really know,” Caserio said, via TexansWire. “We thought maybe there’s a possibility. Our job and part of my responsibility is to explore every alternative and every option.”

Caserio mentioned they had “exploratory discussions” with multiple teams about trading up from No. 12. 

“I’ll say throughout the course of the day today, there was exploratory discussions not only with Arizona, but with some other folks,” said Caserio. “We’re at 12. If we’re going to come up from 12, what would it take? Here’s what it would take. Let’s see how it goes. That was really up until.”

Soon after Houston selected C.J. Stroud at No. 2, Caserio got on the phone with Arizona about the third overall pick. 

“Then I think, as soon as Arizona was on the clock, then I would say the pace of those dialogues and discussion picked up.”

Titans

Titans GM Ran Carthon said first-round OL Peter Skoronski “checks all the boxes” for them and was unsure if he’d be available at No. 11 overall. 

“Peter checks all the boxes for us, and what we’re looking for in an offensive (lineman), and what we’re looking for in our program,” Carthon said, via Jim Wyatt of the team’s official site. “He’s a guy that, truth be told, we targeted from the beginning, but we didn’t know if he was going to be there or not. So, we had other contingency plans in place. But we got lucky, and he was there, and so it made the pick real easy to pull off at 11. The player and the person checked all the boxes for us. So, we felt like who he was and what he brings here was easy.”

Titans HC Mike Vrabel had high praise for Skoronski’s footwork and intelligence. 

“He has great footwork, he plays square, and he’s strong,” Vrabel said. “You can watch some of these clips and these are 270-pound guys, 280-pound guys rushing on the edge or blocking down on a three technique, and he gets his hands on you, and for the most part they don’t go very far. I think he uses his mind; he is intelligent.”

Skoronski is excited to block for RB Derrick Henry and thinks the Titans bring a physical offense. 

“I am decently familiar (with the Titans) – obviously I know Derrick (Henry) is one of the best to run the ball in the league right now, so it’s going to be an honor to block for him,” Skoronski said. “I know they’re just a really physical team, a team that’s always competitive. I know they had a lot of injuries last year, and were still a really, really competitive team. So, I think that kind of mentality as an organization, I am really happy to be a part of, because the Titans are kind of known for that. I’ve already had family members come up to me at the party right now saying how much they respect the Titans, and how much they love the way they play. So, I am really happy to be a part of that.”

• Vrabel said Skoronski will start but will figure out whether he’s a guard or tackle later on this offseason, per John Glennon.