FLOWERY BRANCH in Ga. — The Atlanta FalconsBoth teams closed the 54-pick gap in quarterback drafts and might have answered their question by selecting Cincinnati‘s Desmond RidderThe No. The overall pick at 74 in the NFL draft.
It is not surprising that the Falcons selected a quarterback. Terry Fontenot, Atlanta’s general manager, stated Tuesday that he hopes to draft a new signal-caller because the team has only one starter. Marcus MariotaSecond-year Pro Feleipe FranksYou can find the list here.
Fontenot stated that “we could come out this draft with a QB.” “We want more room. We’ll see what happens.”
With their fourth pick, the Falcons made it happen. Ridder was Ridder’s only quarterback draft this year. Kenny PickettHe was ranked No. 20 overall Thursday Night by the Pittsburgh Steelers.
This is the most recent second-quarterback to be drafted in a single draft, since 1996 when Tony Banks was selected at No. 42, Bobby Hoying was No. 85 to Philadelphia
Ridder was 6 feet 4 inches tall and 215 pounds. He was a four-year starter with the Bearcats. His best year came in 2021 where he completed 64.9%. He threw 3,334 yards, 30 touchdowns, eight interceptions and rushed for 334 yards. In three of the four seasons he was at Cincinnati, Ridder completed at least 60% of his passes and threw at most 18 touchdowns each season. He also never threw more that nine interceptions per season.
Ridder is the latest development in a busy quarterback offseason. Deshaun WatsonA possible trade with Houston TexansTraded franchise QB Matt RyanThe Indianapolis ColtsMariota was signed by Arthur Smith, Atlanta’s head coach. Tennessee TitansCoordinator of offensive operations.
The Falcons spent considerable time researching the entire quarterback draft class, and sent large numbers of players to Cincinnati’s pro-day to scout. Atlanta drafted Ridder three more times over other players, and finally decided that Ridder was worth the risk.
Ridder is now in a position where he may be competing against Mariota for the role of starting quarterback. Atlanta will be able to choose a new starter. The Falcons have drafted a USC receiver as their No. 1 receiver. Drake LondonIn the first round, Thursday night.
Ridder is now the Falcons second quarterback, having taken Ryan in 2008’s draft. Sean Renfree was No. 249 in 2013.