Seahawks Draft Profile: Desmond Ridder
With the 2022 NFL Draft set to kick off in Las Vegas on Thursday, April 28, the Seahawks will have a chance to kickstart a new era for the franchise with eight selections, including a top 10 pick and four picks total in the first three rounds.
Over the next month leading up to draft weekend, the Seahawk Maven writing staff will dish out in-depth profiles on numerous prospects who could be targets on Seattle's big board.
Next up in the series, the Seahawks need a new franchise quarterback in the wake of Russell Wilson's departure. After taking Cincinnati to new heights, could Desmond Ridder be the perfect successor?
Background
Ridder heads into the 2022 NFL Draft with one of the most impressive résumés you'll see. He appeared in 50 games for the University of Cincinnati, helping lead the mid-major Bearcats to a 2021 Peach Bowl victory over Georgia and maneuvering his squad to an undefeated regular season before losing to a loaded Alabama team in the 2022 College Football Playoff.
In his 48 starts, Ridder compiled over 10,000 pass yards, 87 touchdowns and threw just 28 interceptions, all while adding 2,180 yards and 28 touchdowns on the ground. He also completed 65 percent of his passes over his junior and senior seasons and boasted an impressive 30:8 touchdown-interception ratio.
Strengths
Ridder stands tall in the pocket and has all the physical measurables you could ever want. He stands 6-foot-3, 211 pounds with 10-inch hands. He is also an incredible athlete, clocking in a 4.52-second 40-yard dash time at the combine to pair with a 36-inch vertical jump and a 127-inch broad jump, ranking in the 92nd percentile for quarterbacks.
In addition to his impressive athleticism, Ridder is, without question, the most polished quarterback in an otherwise underwhelming draft class. He is smart and accurate with the football, working through his progressions and manipulating safeties with his eyes. And despite some arm limitations, he makes more tight-window throws than anybody in this class. Ridder knows who he is and plays to his strengths.
Greatly improving his deep ball accuracy over the past two years, Ridder has no issue stretching the field vertically. But his real value comes in the intermediate passing game; Ridder is straight-up lethal on throws between 15-25 yards—something the Seahawks were previously unable to threaten with the limitations of Russell Wilson.
Weaknesses
The most common complaint of Ridder's game is his average arm. Scouts love big throws delivered with incredible velocity. Ridder doesn't have that type of arm. He also needs to do a better job protecting himself as a runner. While he does have the height that conventional scouts will love, his slender frame could cause some injury concerns down the line.
Ridder will also no doubt be knocked for playing in an "inferior conference" and his less-than-inspiring numbers against two of the best SEC defenses in recent memory. He also needs to improve his pocket movement as he occasionally will take a bad sack in an attempt to create.
Fit in Seattle
Early this off-season, head coach Pete Carroll talked about wanting a point guard at the quarterback position. There is no better player in this class that fits that mold like Ridder. However, Carroll has also prioritized arm strength in the past, so it's possible Ridder may fall short in the head coach's eyes. It is also important to note that, while Ridder doesn't have an elite arm, it certainly isn't below-average—just simply a grade below the cannons of Drew Lock and Jacob Eason.
Ridder can extend plays, is a threat on the ground, ran a pro-style offense and excels in the intermediate passing attack. He elevated Cincanniti to heights it had never achieved, earning him extreme marks for his work ethic and leadership skills in the process. And perhaps most importantly, he is ready to jump into the starting quarterback competition today.
Ridder has been favorably compared to Dak Prescott and Alex Smith—two quarterbacks the Seahawks had been previously linked to. There isn't a better fit of preparedness, skill and upside in this draft. Selecting him with pick No. 9 might be a slight reach, but trading down into the mid-first round could be the steal of this draft; and not to mention, you gain an extra year of financial flexibility with the below-market fifth-year player option.
Ridder is ready for this moment and he checks all of the boxes for general manager John Schneider and company. He could very well could be the Seahawks' next starting quarterback.
Previous Seahawks NFL Draft Profiles
Sam Howell, QB, North Carolina | Tyler Linderbaum, C, Iowa | Arnold Ebiketie, EDGE, Penn State | Tyler Allgeier, RB, BYU
