INDIANAPOLIS — Anthony Richardson walked onto the stage at the NFL Scouting Combine in a crisp, red, long-sleeved shirt. It was his first time — literally — standing on an NFL stage.

Fifteen minutes later, after Richardson explained why he should be a top pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, there was a seven-second discussion in which I thought Richardson had blown his chances of being selected fourth overall by the Indianapolis Colts.

The young quarterback spoke enthusiastically about his athleticism and limitless potential, but when asked about his 54.7 completion percentage at Florida, his demeanor changed somewhat.

“I can definitely get better at delivering the ball and helping my guys,” Richardson said. “But I can’t catch every pass. If I could, I would.”

Despite his supernatural physical qualities, his response sounded like he wasn’t ready to command an NFL locker room full of grown men.

But now, more than a year after that moment, it’s clear that the 20-year-old on that stage is a far cry from the 22-year-old now the face of an NFL franchise. Richardson, no longer having to sell himself to achieve his dream, has managed to be authentically, and sometimes boringly, himself.

He’s not a fan of the massive media scrums outside his locker room every Wednesday, but that’s not because he doesn’t want to face the music. He’s in charge of everything. Sometimes too much, wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. noted.

“Quarterback is the toughest position in all of sports,” said Pittman, who had one of the few drops by Colts pass catchers last week. “There’s a lot we can take off his plate, and we didn’t do that.”

Regardless, Richardson still doesn’t like having microphones and phones shoved in his face every few days, because he finds it all a bit intrusive. He’d rather show his teammates who he is and what he’s made of, especially now that the Colts are down 0-2, than talk about it to the world.

“I think I’m showing the team that I’m still going to be me no matter what,” Richardson said, describing how he won over the locker room. “We had a great play, of course I’m going to celebrate. But that’s in the past. We’ve got to keep pushing. We had a bad play, I’ve got to think about it and recover, but it’s still in the past. You just have to make it work. Go out there and play it out, no matter what. I think I showed that to the team, and I feel like everyone’s behind me.”