By Charlie Campbell
Weaknesses:
Summary: Ridder was a solid quarterback for Cincinnati over the past four seasons, leading the program all the way to the college football playoff in 2021. Ridder forst started as a freshman, completing 62.4 percent of his passes for 2,445 yards, 20 touchdowns and five interceptions. His numbers dipped as a sophomore, when he completed 55 percent of his passes for 2,164 yards, 18 touchdowns and nine interceptions. Ridder played better as a junior in 2020, completing 66 percent for 2,296 yards, 19 touchdowns and six interceptions. The senior had his best season in 2021, completing 64.9 percent of his passes for 3,334 yards, 30 touchdowns and eight interceptions.
Ridder then participated in the Senior Bowl, where he turned in an underwhelming week of practice. Ridder showed he has a quality skill set, but he also illustrated that he needs a lot of development in terms of issues like field vision and accuracy.
As a pro prospect, Ridder has the physical talent to be a starting quarterback in the NFL. There is no doubt that he has some good tools to work with. Ridder possesses a quality arm and can fire some passes downfield and to the sideline. He also shows the ability to put air under the ball and throw touch passes. Lofting in passes between defenders and throwing receivers open can be tough for strong-armed quarterbacks because they can become too reliant on fast balls. Ridder does not have that issue, and he has some mobility to move around as well. When plays break down, Ridder can use his feet to buy time, and he can make some passes off platform. Ridder has enough quickness and athleticism to present a threat to hurt defenses on the ground.
There are significant flaws in Ridder’s game entering the next level. His field vision is a major point for improvement. He consistently locks his eyes on his primary read and does not move them away. He stares down targets and does not look off defenders. On the occasion Ridder does scan the field, he’s too slow; he needs to get faster for the NFL and not hold the ball so long. His issues could be seen at Senior Bowl, where he took some unnecessary sacks. Reading the field, working through his progressions, and making good decisions are the key parts of Ridder’s development.
In speaking to sources at multiple teams, they said had Ridder graded as a future backup and mid-round pick. Perhaps there is a team that likes him enough to take him early in the 2022 NFL Draft, but the consensus opinion among scouts has him lower.
Player Comparison: Brett Hundley. Ridder reminds me of Hundley coming out of UCLA. Both had quality skill sets, but pocket-passing limitations left them needing development. Huntley was an NFL backup, and Ridder could end up being a backup as well.
RELATED LINKS:
2022 NFL Mock Draft: Charlie’s | Walt’s
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