‘I sat way too long’: UC’S Ridder’s ready to join Falcons
LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Nestled on a brown leather couch inside the Loft at The Biscuit Lounge, just a few miles from the Highlands neighborhood where he grew up, Desmond Ridder sat with his cellphone on his lap. His agent and managers paced, exchanging text messages while keeping their phones charged in a nearby outlet. But through the first two rounds of the 2022 NFL draft, none of their phones rang.
It took longer than expected for Ridder to get the call, but once he did, the tears welled up in his eyes, and the loud cheer from the crowd behind him was right on time.
While most projections had Ridder being selected anywhere from the middle of the first round to early in the second, the former University of Cincinnati quarterback instead had to wait until the third round.
“When I saw that number go across my phone and I saw the ‘Atlanta, Georgia,' that's when I knew that's where I needed to be. That's where I want to be,” Ridder said.
Surrounded about 100 family members and close friends, Ridder watched as three of his Cincinnati teammates — cornerback Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner (New York Jets), wide receiver Alec Pierce (Indianapolis Colts) and safety Bryan Cook (Kansas City Chiefs) — were selected before him.
Then it was Ridder's turn. “There was definitely some relief,” said Ridder while sporting a Falcons hat. “And then there was another fire lit because I sat way too long. I felt like I should've been off the board a little bit earlier. But I can control what I can control, and I did what I could do from before the draft started to now. I'm just blessed to be able to be in this position to get picked up. But I'm definitely excited to go prove some people wrong.”
Ridder became the fifth Cincinnati quarterback drafted all time, the first since Tony Pike to the Carolina Panthers in the sixth round in 2010. He was the second quarterback taken in this year's draft after the Pittsburgh Steelers selected University of Pittsburgh quarterback Kenny Pickett with the 20th overall pick.
Liberty's Malik Willis, the other quarterback prospect ahead of Ridder according to most draft analysts, was selected by the Tennessee Titans with the 86th pick. After a lengthy embrace with his mom, Ridder turned to a crowd welcoming him with more hugs, cheers and handshakes. “Welcome to Atlanta” by Jermaine Dupri blasted through the room's speakers.