Anthony Richardson is said to be the quarterback future of the Indianapolis Colts. Owner Jim Irsay spoke highly of the 20-year-old, but has strong opinions on a starter role

Jim Irsay, owner of the Indianapolis Colts, has heaped praise on quarterback Anthony Richardson and made it clear that the 20-year-old was the franchise’s clear number one pick in the draft.

“If we had the first pick in the draft, we probably would have taken Anthony,” Irsay told the Colts’ official website, “I felt early on that Richardson was the guy we were going to take.”

The Colts selected Richardson with the fourth pick, with playmakers Bryce Young (to the Carolina Panthers) and C.J. Stroud (Houston Texans) having previously come off the board. According to Irsay’s statements, however, this had no impact on the Colts’ plans.

Richardson dominated at the Combine with outstanding physicality numbers, and the 6-foot-5 hunk is an absolute model athlete. However, he is still rather inexperienced at quarterback, playing just one season as a starter at the University of Florida. Richardson undeniably has tremendous potential, but it’s still early in his development.

Richardson direct starter? “Key to the future of the franchise “

Accordingly, Irsay doesn’t want to commit at this point to whether Richardson will lead the offense onto the field right away in the first game of the season. However, the 63-year-old notes that development only comes with playing time.

“You get better by playing,” he said. Practice and preseason games his admittedly “great. But he gets better by playing. That’s very important. Because his development is a key to the future of the franchise,” Irsay made clear. Also signed in free agency was Gardner Minshew, who could play initially. In addition, Nick Foles and Sam Ehlinger are still on the roster as quarterbacks.

The Colts’ new head coach, Shane Steichen, knows his way around young quarterbacks. For the past two years, he has been instrumental in the development of Jalen Hurts as offensive coordinator for the Philadelphia Eagles. Still, general manager Chris Ballard cautions against asking too much of Richardson too soon.

“He shouldn’t be expected to be Superman from day one. History has shown that there haven’t been many who have been Superman from day one. Some have taken two or three years to become really good players,” Ballard said.