Atlanta Falcons Buzzing About Rookie QB: 'Ridder's a Winner'

The third-round pick could be the Falcons' next franchise quarterback.

Jeremy Brener | Jun 1, 2022

There are a number of reasons why the Atlanta Falcons selected Cincinnati quarterback Desmond Ridder with the No. 74 pick in April's NFL Draft.

But the biggest reason? Ridder's a winner.

"Winning is contagious and Desmond Ridder's a winner," Falcons assistant director of college scouting Dwaune Jones said in an interview with AtlantaFalcons.com. "It permeates the whole building because he's a guy who's going to have command of the entire locker room. He's going to demand respect as well. A guy like that, he's going to do his absolutely best to hit his ceiling."

Ridder proved himself as the starting quarterback at Cincinnati, throwing for 10,239 yards and 87 TDs while also rushing for 2,169 yards and 28 touchdowns. He also proved himself to be one of the greatest winners in NCAA history, going 44-6 during his time as the Bearcats' starter.

If the Falcons need to add anything to their team, it's winning. The team has failed to have a week over .500 since 2017, the year the team made it to the Super Bowl.

By choosing Ridder, the Falcons are setting an example for what they want to see in the cultural reset of the franchise. With Ridder as the face and voice of the locker room, the plan is to set a winning tone.

It may not happen right away as the team looks to give veteran Marcus Mariota a shot to start under center first, but in due time, the Falcons will hopefully become Ridder's winners.

Published Jun 1, 2022

JEREMY BRENER

Jeremy Brener is an editor, writer and social media manager for several Fan Nation websites. His work has also been featured in 247 Sports and SB Nation as a writer and podcaster. Brener has been with Fan Nation since 2021. Brener grew up in Houston, going to Astros, Rockets and Texans games as a kid. He moved to Orlando in 2016 to go to college and pursue a degree. He hosts "The Dream Take" podcast covering the Rockets, which has produced over 350 episodes since March 2020. Brener graduated in May 2020 from the University of Central Florida with a Bachelor's degree in Broadcast Journalism minoring in Sport Business Management. While at UCF, Brener worked for the school's newspaper NSM.today and "Hitting the Field," a student-run sports talk show and network. He was the executive producer for "Hitting the Field" from 2019-20. During his professional career, Brener has covered a number of major sporting events including the Pro Bowl, March Madness and several NBA and NFL games. As a fan, Brener has been to the 2005 World Series, 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2016 NCAA National Championship between the Villanova Wildcats and North Carolina Tar Heels. Now, Brener still resides in the Central Florida area and enjoys writing, watching TV, hanging out with friends and going to the gym. Brener can be followed on Twitter @JeremyBrener. For more inquiries, please email jeremybrenerchs@gmail.com.