Desmond Ridder QB Scouting Report

[Jets Global]

Desmond Ridder NFL Draft Profile Position: Quarterback School: Cincinnati Current Year: RS Senior Height: 6'2" Weight: 215 pounds
Desmond Ridder Scouting Report Desmond has excellent arm strength. He generates tremendous velocity on his short throws while possessing the power to get ball downfield and across the field. On games studied, saw beautiful throws where he put exceptional zip on the ball. Ridder also demonstrated the ability to slot the ball into tight windows. Ridder has found success as a dual threat QB, due to his athleticism. He moves exceptionally well, with his long strides able to cover ground well. He also displays stellar change of direction ability. He can turn quickly to escape the pocket and will use his elusiveness in the open field. He has impressive competitive toughness, on busted plays he turns into the defender and chases down those busted plays. He never gives up on play until the whistle. He shows this toughness when grinding out yardage with quarterback sneaks. Desmond battled injury in 2019 but still played through it. He has demonstrated time and time again that he can take a hit, dust himself off and get back into action.
Areas for Improvement Desmond often faile to give his receivers a chance to make a play after the catch. His high completion percentage padded by many quick screens. He is not the most accurate quarterback, where he has struggled with completion percentage up until 2020. He does not have a lot of touch on his passes. He takes too many sacks and this will likely be more of an issue in the NFL. He struggled with his decision making and needs to improve his pre snap recognition skills to read defenses and see blitzes. He does not decipher information as quickly as one would like.
Desmond Ridder Career at Cincinnati 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.
Desmond Ridder NFL Draft Player Profile Desmond Ridder has the physical presence of a quarterback with his frame and athletic ability. He has the awareness and experience to the proper circumstances to put zip or touch on his throws. He has very solid arm strength and is able to make any throw on the field. Adds value as a runner, both drawn-up run plays and from scrambles out of the pocket. Excellent leader and is loved by his teammates. Has the ability to squeeze tight throws into the receiver’s path because of his arm strength to rope the ball with a tight spiral. Fairly clean footwork in his dropbacks.