Multiple NFL Coaches/Scouts Spill Thoughts on Desmond Ridder

Pittsburgh is a popular landing spot for the former Cincinnati quarterback.

Author:
Russ Heltman
Apr 22, 2022 11:15 AM EDT

CINCINNATI — Desmond Ridder has been in the news plenty recently as his NFL Draft stock continues rising throughout the league. NFL Network's Tom Pelissero spoke with scouts/coaches in the AFC and NFC recently to see what they thought of Ridder.

"Leaving the ball a little bit behind a crosser or throwing it a little bit ahead of a [receiver sitting down in a zone] -- those are the completions that you've got to see translate to NFL ball," One AFC coach said about Ridder's weaknesses. "And I think he's got one really bad trait, that when he feels the pocket start to collapse or he feels off time, he gets his shoulders parallel to the line of scrimmage and looks for an escape path." Multiple scouts and coaches remarked that Ridder's delivery is a little robotic. His pro-day throwing session drew mixed reviews. But he rose to the occasion again in the Senior Bowl, leading two of the National team's three touchdown drives. One NFC scout said he could feel Ridder's presence on the field all week in Senior Bowl practices, too, immediately leading a bunch of guys he'd just met."

"There's a savviness to him," another NFC scout said about Ridder's leadership acumen. "He'll have some inconsistencies at times throwing the ball downfield. But he has got a pretty good skillset, and he's probably the most calm and collected guy that kind of looks the same from the first play to the last play in every game. If he makes a wrong read or makes a bad play, you don't feel any panic from him. He just played with more poise."

"I think he can make all the throws," An NFC quarterbacks coach said. "He's physically gifted for this class -- but when you look around the league at those type of players, where does he stack?" Ridder is tall, long (32 3/4-inch arms) and has 10-inch hands, though his build is a little on the leaner side. "I don't see a lot of splash plays on tape that would lead you to believe he's a high-end starter," an AFC quarterbacks coach said. "But he's certainly going to get a chance to start at some point, because he has the tools and he's athletic, he can run. He's not real laterally twitchy and elusive. He's a straight-line athlete. So you can get him out on the edge on bootlegs and some different concepts, and he can use his speed that way."

Another NFC coach said, "I just don't love the way he throws the ball. But then I go back and I'm like, this guy's won a hell of a lot of football games now. I'm not going to just get rid of that."

Ridder is the consensus 37th-ranked player in the draft and the fourth-best quarterback. Pittsburgh is his most popular destination in the past week (28% of mock drafts).

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