A very interesting prospect, only a 3-star recruit coming out that has really over exceeded expectations. Consistently winning and putting up solid numbers since his freshman year. He has ideal size at 6’4 and deceptively fast in the open field. Doesn’t get fazed by pressure, and will step up and deliver a strike or take off, often avoiding any negative plays. Runs the RPO and read option plays very smoothly, making the right decision the majority of the time. Has a tendency to throw deep balls short and inside at times, when they should be towards the sideline. Another concern, as a sophomore he had only a 55% completion percentage, which is terrible but came back and completed 66% of his passes two years in a row. 

Overall, Ridder has a rare and impressive skill set that can translate very well to the NFL, and it seems like he has room for growth. I can’t help but notice that Ridder reminds me a lot of Colin Kaepernick, with his long strides and arm talent. Although Ridder has a much more polished release and footwork. Kaepernick did have some very successful seasons in the NFL, his career fizzled out but that doesn’t mean Ridder’s will have the same trajectory. The QB position is held at a higher value since it is the most important position on the field. That’s why you see so many busts early in the draft, teams are desperate to find that franchise piece that can deliver 10-20 years of winning seasons. Because of this, I have no problem with a team taking a shot on Ridder in the late first. Any team picking late in the draft with veteran QB’s could take the shot on Ridder blossoming into a star QB. Or if he last until the second round there is little risk in taking a guy like Ridder opposed to over drafting a guy in the top 10.