2022 NFL Draft: 7 quarterbacks who could breakout in a big way

Desmond Ridder, Cincinnati

When the 2021 college football season is all said and done, don’t be shocked if Desmond Ridder is QB1.

Ridder has three years of starting experience under his belt, and he’s proven he’s a guy who can raise all boats and make the players around him better.

Through three seasons with the Bearcats, Ridder has 79 total touchdowns (57 passing, 22 rushing) and 20 interceptions. He’s thrown for nearly 7,000 yards in 33 games and by the time he gets to the point of being evaluated as a possible NFL Draft choice, he will likely have more than 40 games for NFL teams to study to see where he’s made changes and improvements to his game.

Despite having 20 interceptions in three seasons, Ridder is an accurate passer and has made tremendous strides in that regard, seeing his completion percentage jump from 55.1 in 2019 to 66.2 percent in 2020.

He has dual-threat abilities and is one of the most dangerous threats on the ground at the quarterback position in all of college football, ranking second among all QBs in 2020 (Malik Willis, 14) with 12 rushing touchdowns.

Ridder makes throws on the move, he has an absolute cannon for an arm, and how many quarterbacks can do this?

Although Ridder has been starting for three years, he’s not necessarily being projected by everyone to be this year’s “it” guy at the quarterback position. He should be getting a lot more hype.