Ranking the 5 quarterbacks Carolina Panthers met with at the NFL Combine

Carolina Panthers met with Desmond Ridder

The Alabama college playoff game was the biggest moment in Desmond Ridder’s football career so far. One that could have launched his draft stock to the moon, and he failed to live up to the moment.

Now in evaluating a prospect, one game should never make or break them. But there were certain questions that needed to be answered for Ridder in regards to playing against top-level talent, and that was his best option to answer those doubts.

Ridder is still a fine quarterback prospect. Maybe not one worth a top-10 pick, but he certainly showed enough in an impressive four-year career with the Cincinnati Bearcats. Over those years he accounted for 116 touchdowns and a quarterback rating of 145.8 and was the clear-cut leader on a team that went 44-5 over those years and has never lost a home game (26-0).

While he is a very good athlete with all the tools necessary to be a dual-threat, Ridder thrives as a pocket passer, he operated as much in an NFL-style offense and was very good in making pre-snap adjustments and motions. The prospect consistently showed on tape that he progresses through his reads, keeping his eyes downfield while showing off his excellent pocket movement and diagnosing what is in front of him.

He has enough arm strength to hit on off-platform throws as well as most downfield shots, though he does get a bit inconsistent when pushing the ball further down the field, and this jumps out on you on tape. It will be something he needs to work on in the future, as Ridder will sometimes just miss throws regardless of level.

Ridder remedies this with an ability to throw with great anticipation and his consistent ability to identify what a defense is doing. While his ceiling is not the highest in the class and would be a major reach for the Carolina Panthers without acquiring Day 2 capital, there is certainly a path for the player to be a starting-caliber quarterback and prove that he can play with the best players on the field.

• Pro Comparison: Daniel Jones
• Projection: 2nd round