NFL Draft: Atlanta Falcons Take Their Future Signal-Caller
Ridder was widely thought to be the 4th or 5th quarterback taken in the 2022 NFL Draft. But as we have seen, teams are perhaps even lower than we thought on this class, with Ridder having to wait until round three to be the second quarterback taken.
The Falcons have long been tied to a quarterback after the departure of Matt Ryan. With Marcus Mariota in a bridge role, it seems as if Ridder will be allowed to sit and learn, before his time in Atlanta.
From an experience and leadership degree, few players of any position match Ridder. He also carries a live arm and has multiple NFL throws on tape. That being said, Ridder will need to develop his skills as a fundamental quarterback. Atlanta will be the place where he does it.
"We don't want to reach at any points," Fontenot said. "Our scouting department, led by Kyle Smith, working with our coaches in a collaborative effort, do a great job setting that board, and we stayed true to that board and took the best players off. He was meant to be there at that time, and we're excited to make that call."
"We get to the second round and we're sitting there waiting," Ridder said. "And we're waiting, and we're waiting and we don't get anything. You know, I finally texted Malik. Texted Malik Willis and I'm like, 'Man, what's going on? Like, they don't like us, or what?' He was just like, you know, let's just sit and wait, be patient, God's going to do his thing. But, you know, it was just a lot. But I'm blessed to be a Falcon."
