8 Relative Athletic Score gods the Panthers could draft in 2022
By Dean Jones
Carolina Panthers could draft Desmond Ridder
- Quarterback | Cincinnati
- Relative Athletic Score – 9.62
Ahh, the quarterback position.
The cause of many problems currently enveloping the Carolina Panthers after their major gamble to acquire Sam Darnold from the New York Jets didn’t reap much in the way of dividends.
Darnold is still around and unless the Panthers eat a substantial amount of salary-cap space, that’s likely to remain the case with trade interest extremely limited this offseason. After failed bids for Russell Wilson and Deshaun Watson coupled with free-agent options dwindling, Carolina could choose a quarterback from a class that does come with a fair share of doubts.
Finding one that can make an immediate difference will be extremely difficult. Taking one so high at No. 6 overall is even more of a risk.
Desmond Ridder is a signal-caller that gained significant traction during the 2021 season, leading Cincinnati to the college football playoffs and backing this up by thriving during the assessment process – something that brought a Relative Athletic Score of 9.62.
Although it’s a major reach for Ridder to be considered as a top-10 pick, some analysts believe he should definitely be taken in the top-20 after teams have reportedly been “blown away” with the quarterback.
Trading down to get a tackle and a new man under center is an option for Carolina. And it does appear Ridder has some positive momentum.