Welcome Pittsburgh Steelers fans to the pre-draft season! Leading up to the 2022 NFL Draft starting on April 28th, we will be releasing draft profiles of prospects who could potentially see themselves on the Steelers. Next up…
Desmond Ridder (Quarterback), University of Cincinnati, Redshirt Senior
OVERVIEW
The Steelers are going to be drafting a quarterback in the 2022 NFL Draft. Towards the beginning of the offseason, I was rather suspect towards the talent level featured in this year’s quarterback class. But now that the free agency dust has began to settle, the NFL Combine and majority of Pro Days are complete, my rhetoric has changed a bit. It is clear the Steelers are leaving no stone unturned in e-bolstering their quarterback room for the post-Ben Roethlisberger era. Although they acquired Mitch Trubisky last month, there is a very good chance the Steelers will use one of their earlier picks on a younger quarterback. One name they’ve followed, and met with, is Desmond Ridder out of Cincinnati.
NFL Draft prospect, Cincinnati quarterback, Desmond Ridder. | GoBearcats.com
PROS
Ridder is considered one of the hardest-working quarterbacks in this year’s class. In college, he was a four-year starter and had a winning record in each of those seasons. He is a big body measuring 6’3” and weighing 207 pounds. But it is Ridder’s mechanics that make him such an intriguing prospect for NFL teams. Ridder is great at standing tall in the pocket, controlling his feet, and going through his progressions. He is able to take command of the offense and can be smart with the football. His throwing motion needs some time to adapt to the NFL game speed, but he has the right tools in place to transition seamlessly and quickly to the next level. Ridder isn’t necessarily a ‘dual-threat’ quarterback, but he is mobile enough to escape the pocket and pick up yards on his feet. If the play breaks down and Ridder finds himself gliding outside of the pocket, he’s great at keeping his eyes downfield to find what the defense gives him. Ridder played in a pro-style offense in college, so adapting to that type of scheme wouldn’t take him a lot of time.
Desmond Ridder finished his career 26-0 at home in his college career
CONS
Although he has tremendous mechanics, Ridder is fairly inconsistent with his ball speed and accuracy. His deep balls tend to hang up in the air and forces the receiver to slow up to adjust to the ball. We saw multiple times during his combine sessions where the receiver had to almost wait on the ball deep down the sideline to make the catch. In his shorter to intermediate passes, Ridder seems to have trouble controlling the ball speed and accuracy in the tighter windows. There were instances in his combine workouts where he’d sling the ball over the receiver’s head on quick five-yard out routes. In addition, although he is great at going through his progressions and diagnosing the defense, he has a slow mental clock and has trouble getting through the entire progression before being forced outside of the pocket. One final, and more critical aspect Ridder will need to adjust is his running skills. Ridder needs to show he is smart with the ball beyond the line of scrimmage and knows when to slide down to avoid unnecessary hits. Even though he is a large person, he can’t sustain a career without being smart of when to take on tacklers.
Before the combine kicked off, Ridder was hovering more in the Day 2 conversation of the draft. But after impressive performances at the combine and Pro Day, Ridder is now considered one of the highest-rated prospects heading into the draft. Ridder is making his rounds around the league in meeting with different quarterback-needy teams and this could play into Ridder hearing his name called on the opening evening of the draft.
VERDICT
As I mentioned before, I was not onboard with any quarterback selection by the Steelers in this year’s draft. But seeing where we are at this point in the process, it is becoming more and more realistic that we’ll see the first quarterback the Steelers draft since Mason Rudolph in 2018. Given what Ridder brings to the field and pairing that with what the Steelers are looking for in a young quarterback, I like Ridder. In Pittsburgh, Ridder wouldn’t be forced into a starting role unnecessarily, like he would on other teams, and can learn a lot by sitting behind a veteran in Trubisky. Ridder has all the right ingredients to groom him to become a winning NFL quarterback; it is simply a matter of coaching him up and providing all the right pieces around him in order to succeed. All of those things the Steelers have ready for him; and they are willing to do so.
Where do you see Ridder going in April? Would you want to see him in the black and gold? Let us know in the comments below!
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