Falcons QB Desmond Ridder; 'The Next' Deshaun Watson or Ryan Tannehill?
University of Cincinnati quarterback Desmond Ridder has his model.
And the Atlanta Falcons have their guy. With the No. 74 pick, the Falcons drafted Ridder.
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According to The Falcoholic, Atlanta's interest in Ridder began back in January after has a meeting with the 6-4, 215-pound Ridder at the 2022 Reese’s Senior Bowl.
The Falcons' quarterback search has been a whirlwind all offseason, from Matt Ryan to maybe Deshaun Watson, to being out on Watson, Ryan traded, Marcus Mariota as a band-aid, and now Ridder.
Losing the Watson sweepstakes was the primary catalyst to drafting Ridder, but Ridder himself wants to "mold" his game around the QB the Falcons wanted all along.
“Deshaun Watson, just from his decision making, his athletic ability,” Ridder said. “Then just Ryan Tannehill. One, because of his longevity. Two, for his game management and he’s also a great player.
“Those are two of the players that I really look at to try to model my game after to be the best in the league.”
Tannehill played with head coach Arthur Smith during his time in Tennessee, and the familiarity is likely why the Falcons put Ridder's name on the card at No. 74.
There's no room for snark here, so we probably don't need to point out that Ridder threw for 10,239 yards and 87 TDs while also rushing for 2,169 yards and 28 touchdowns in his time at Cincinnati.
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Can Ridder do anything in the NFL, though, along the lines of Tannehill or even Watson? Writes: Pro Football Network: "Ridder has excellent size ... moves exceptionally well as a ball-carrier. He’s not incredibly fast like a Lamar Jackson, but his long strides allow him to cover ground well ... Ridder also displays stellar change-of-direction ability. He can turn quickly to escape the pocket, and he uses his elusiveness in the open field. The mobility makes him a scoring threat.''
Now Ridder has the potential to be the guy in Atlanta.
