'Fell Into Our Lap': Desmond Ridder's Wait Pays Off With Falcons
Late into Friday evening, Cincinnati quarterback Desmond Ridder sits on a couch, staring at his phone and waiting for a call. He walks around, talks with family, gets some food.
The phone doesn't leave his side.
The third round of the NFL Draft begin and Ridder sends a text message to Liberty quarterback Malik Willis. A high-power passer room for development and immense upside, scouts projected Willis to be the first quarterback selected on Thursday night.
It's 64 picks in and only Pitt's Kenny Pickett has been selected.
‘What’s going on? Do they not like us or what?’ Ridder texted.
‘Let’s just be patient and God’s going to do his thing.’ Willis responded.
It took time, but a 404-area code flashed across Ridder's phone at pick No. 74. It was the Atlanta Falcons. The wait was over.
Now, the climb to QB1 begins.
“There was never a time where (head coach Arthur Smith) and I said we have to come out of this draft with a quarterback,” Falcons general manager Terry Fontenot said Friday evening. “He was the best player on the board at that time, and that’s why we took him.”
Atlanta improved immensely defensively. The Falcons added athletic linebacker Troy Andersen from Montana State. They hopefully fixed their putrid pass rush with the addition of Penn State's Arnold Ebiketie and Western Kentucky's DeAngelo Malone.
The focus on Friday night was one Ridder; a high-tempo passer with leadership traits and a winning mentality. After trading Matt Ryan to the Indianapolis Colts for a third-round pick, Atlanta needed a future heir.
Is that Ridder? Is it Marcus Mariota?
“As with any position, the best guy is going to play,” Smith said. “With Marcus being the veteran, that’s the way it’ll go for now.”
Mariota starting might be the best thing for Ridder's young career. Despite his efforts in leading Cincinnati to the College Football Playoff last year, he needs work. Accuracy has been a concern. So is his ability to handle pressure of a collapsing pocket.
Mistakes such as those are correctable. Smith already has carbon copy formula to work with Ridder's mechanics and get him up to speed with his playbook. He's done it once with Tennessee Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill.
Low-and-behold, that was one of the two passers Ridder said he modeled his game after during the NFL combine. The other? Mariota.
"When they picked him up, that got me really excited for Atlanta,” Ridder said of Mariota. “Then we met with them for pro day, and I liked the staff, liked the GM and offense and everything. I just thought it was a perfect fit.”
Mariota and the Falcons initially met at the combine before traveling to Cincinnati for the Bearcats' Pro Day. The Falcons were impressed with his charisma and demeanor off the field.
They also were pleased with his attention to detail in the meeting rooms when speaking with Smith and offensive coordinator Dave Ragone.
They said they didn’t even need me down for a top-30 visit, that they had all they needed," Ridder said. "I thought I did really well. I thought I put my best foot forward.”
Ridder simply wants to learn. He'll keep his head down, study the playbook and wait for his number to be called to enter the huddle.
There's a winning mentality to his game. In four seasons, he picked up 44 wins, the most for a quarterback in program history. Last year, he threw for 30 touchdown passes and eight interceptions while leading the Bearcats to an undefeated regular season.
“Des is made of the right stuff,” Smith said. “He went (to Cincinnati), and he won, and he’ll come in here, and he’ll compete. We’re excited to bring him in.”
When Ridder's time arrives, he'll take the moment.
Like Willis said: be patient.
"My job is to bring other people along with me to make everyone else great," said Ridder. "That’s what I’m going to do. I want to be that leader.”
