Despite the Falcons fully committing to Desmond Ridder being the starter in 2023, the club isn’t closing the door on taking a quarterback in the upcoming draft.
Matt Miller of ESPN reports, “Sources close to the Falcons say they are taking a serious look at the quarterbacks in the class, but the team is comfortable with 2022 third-rounder Desmond Ridder under center.”
Arthur Smith confirmed that Ridder was the starter, but he did specify ‘right now,’ meaning things could change. The ESPN piece went on to say that the Falcons would need a “dream scenario” to take one of the quarterbacks in the top 10.
Miller’s take on that dream scenario would be Bryce Young or C.J. Stroud falling, and I agree.
Young and Stroud are elite prospects that are franchise quarterbacks in waiting. The pair will likely be the first two players off the board, so it truly is a dream scenario, and one Falcons fans shouldn’t get their hopes up for.
But Falcons fans should also come to terms with the fact that Desmond Ridder is upgradeable.
To me, Young is a generational prospect, and the Panthers would be fools not to take him. He doesn’t have the rocket arm that Josh Allen or Patrick Mahomes has or the elite mobility of Lamar Jackson, but he’s got enough arm strength and mobility to do just about anything an offensive coordinator could ask him.
Moreover, Bryce Young is about as polished as a prospect could be in terms of intangibles. The young man led Alabama as a true sophomore and threw for nearly 5,000 yards and 50 touchdowns. Above the neck, he’s one of the best prospects in the last decade. He’s a can’t-miss type of guy.
There’s virtually no reality where the Falcons have a shot at taking Bryce Young, and the odds of landing C.J. Stroud aren’t much better.
What I take away from this report is how the Falcons feel about Desmond Ridder. The club is comfortable with him starting but sees Stroud and Young as upgradable options. Granted, they’re not realistic options but nonetheless preferable ones.
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Photographer: Michael Wade/Icon Sportswire
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