Desmond Ridder
Desmond Ridder  QB  Cincinnati | NFL Draft 2022 Souting Report - Portrait Image
Desmond Ridder
Height
6-3
Weight
211
College
Cincinnati
Position
QB
Class
Senior
Home town
Louisville, KY
86.1/100
Player Rating
3
PositionRank (QB)
4.52
FortyYD Time
QB Rating
109.3
YDS
3334
Comp %
64.9
TDS
30
INTs
8
Rush AVG
3.2

Desmond Ridder QB Cincinnati | NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report

Desmond Ridder QB Cincinnati
NFL Draft Profile & Scouting Report

PLAY STYLE: Dual Threat QB
Last Updated: 01/06/2023
Draft Year: 2022
40 time: 4.52 seconds (96%*)
Age: 24.7 DOB: 08/31/1999
Measurables:
Height: 6-3 (53%*) Weight: 211 (17%*)
Hands: 10 (70%*) Arm: 32 3/4 (69%*) Span: 78 7/8 (87%*)
Forty: 4.52 (C) (96%*) Shuttle: 4.29 (C) (61%*) Ten Yard: 1.59 (C) (89%*)
Vertical: 36 (C) (93%*) Broad: 127 (C) (99%*)
Three Cone: 7.15 (C) (42%*)
0% 100%
(C) - NFL Combine (P) - Pro Day (O) - Other (HS) -Estimated from High School Combine
For an explanation of how the (HS) data is calculated see this article
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NFL Combine Results
PLAY STYLE: Dual Threat QB
Last Updated: 01/06/2023
Draft Year: 2022
40 time: 4.52 seconds (96%*)
Age: 24.7 DOB: 08/31/1999
Measurables:
0% 100%
Height: 6-3 (53%*) Weight: 211 (17%*)
Hands: 10 (70%*) Arm: 32 3/4 (69%*)
Span: 78 7/8 (87%*)
Forty: 4.52 (C) (96%*) Shuttle: 4.29 (C) (61%*)
10 Yard: 1.59 (C) (89%*)
Vertical: 36 (C) (93%*) Broad: 127 (C) (99%*)
3 Cone: 7.15 (C) (42%*)
(C) - NFL Combine (P) - Pro Day (O) - Other
(HS) -Estimated from High School Combine
For an explanation of how the (HS) data is calculated see this article
SHARE THIS PROFILE:
NFL Combine Results
Overall Rating: 86.1 / 100
Average rating of opposition Defense player has faced
Defense Rating:
75%
Click the links below to view how player ranks vs other prospects.
Release Speed:
83%
Short Passing:
70%
Medium Passing:
77%
Long Passing:
85%
Rush/Scramble:
71%
DRAFT PROJECTION: 2nd - Late
Overall Rank: #54 Position rank: #3
College Games: 50 College Snaps: 3108
Grade: 3 ESPN  Stars 3 ESPN  Stars ESPN RATING: 76/100
College Combine Results
Grade: 247 Sports 3  Stars 247 Sports 81 Stars 247 RATING: 81/100
Grade: 2 Stars 2 Stars RIVALS RATING: 5.4 (89%)
Atlanta Falcons Drafted: ROUND: 3 - Pick Number: 74 (ATL)
Draft Profile: Bio
As a recruit Ridder, received scholarship offers from just two schools: Eastern Kentucky in the FCS and Cincinnati in the Group of Five. After redshirting his first year, Ridder won the number one quarterback job as a freshman and has now 34 starts for Cincinnati.
Ridder ended t his 2018 campaign with 2,445 passing yards and 20 touchdowns. Additionally, he would add 583 rushing yards and 5 scores for Cincinnati showing his talents as a dual-threat athlete.
Ridder had a less impressive 2019 season where he completed just 55.1% of his passes. Although, he still managed to produce 346 total yards and 3 touchdowns against Memphis in the AAC Championship Game. He was the MVP of the Birmingham Bowl.
In 2020 Ridder came back to form and led the Bearcats to a 9-1 record where his 22 total career scores set the record for most rushing touchdowns by a quarterback. Also, he had career highs for completion percentage (66.2%), passing yards per attempt (8.2), rushing touchdowns (12), and average rushing yards (6.0). He received first-team All-AAC honors and was the first Cincinnati QB to be named the AAC Offensive Player of the Year.
Scouting Report: Strengths
  • Enough arm strength to drive the ball through tight windows up to 20 yards downfield. Spreads the ball around to multiple receivers.
  • He’s tall at 6’4″ and moves very well. He’s not super fast land elusive, but his Kaepernick like long strides allow him to cover ground well
  • Sees the field very well when the play breaks down and occasionally changes plays at the line.
  • Very confident passer and shows good accuracy and feel when in rhythm. Showed better ball placement from past years and throws very catchable passes. Puts too much air in some of his throws and needs to show a lower trajectory on deep throws.
  • Athletic quarterback who is a threat to leave the pocket and gain positive yardage at any time. Possesses very good vision balance, elusiveness, and deceptive speed and power as a runner.
  • Generally accurate on intermediate and short throws; flashes anticipation and placement on intermediate outs and the ability to lead receivers on deeper throws.
  • Possesses a strong arm and is capable of making every NFL throw easily. Can drive the deep out to the sideline from the opposite hash and has no problem threading the needle between closing defenders. Easily zips to all areas of the field, demonstrating very good touch on underneath routes to running backs and receivers, as well as down the sideline on deep passes.
  • He made Bruce Feldman’s 2021 College Football Freaks List, and reports that he runs a 4.55 40 and 4.00 shuttle with a 36-inch vertical and a 10-foot-8 broad jump at 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds.
Scouting Report: Weaknesses
  • Too often fails to give receivers a chance to make a play after the catch. High completion percentage padded by many quick screens.
  • Not the most accurate QB, where he has struggled with completion percentage up until 2020
  • Doesn't have a lot of touch on his passes
  • Takes too many sacks and this will likely be more of an issue in the NFL
  • Has struggled with his decision-making and needs to improve his pre-snap recognition skills to read defenses and see blitzes. Doesn't decipher information as quickly as you would like, but does see the entire field and understands coverage.
Scouting Report: Summary
Ridder is a boom-bust prospect with similarities to Josh Allen. He’ll likely need time to be accustomed to the NFL game and develop his ability as a progression-style passer, but the foundation for him to become a dynamic dual-threat quarterback in the NFL is there if he can work on his accuracy issues.
Overall he's a very raw quarterback who has a chance to make the first round in the 2022 NFL Draft, although we regard him as more of a second-round prospect who could be featured early by a team that uses the RPO game.

Desmond Ridder percentiles vs other Quarterbacks (NFL Combine historically - higher value represents better perfomance)

How other scouting services rate Desmond Ridder (Overall Rank)

All Scouts AverageOverall Rank
45.9
All Scouts AveragePosition Rank
4.0
*Percentile Ranking in Player's Position Group (NFL Combine Historical Data): This percentile reflects how a player's specific statistics rank in comparison to historical performances at the NFL Combine, specifically within their position group. A higher percentile indicates a better performance. For instance, being in the 90th percentile for a particular stat means the player outperformed 90% of their peers in that category.

*Similarity Percentage: This percentage is calculated based on a comprehensive analysis of various factors, including height, weight, 40-yard dash times, on-field performance statistics, and overall player rating. The analysis is conducted against our database of draft prospects from 2021 to 2023. This similarity score helps in evaluating how closely a current prospect aligns with past prospects. It is important to note, however, that this score reflects similarities based on college production and attributes, and does not account for eventual success or performance in the NFL.