CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Finding an NFL mock draft that does not peg either Kenny Pickett or Malik Willis to Carolina is difficult.
ESPN draft analysts Todd McShay and Jordan Reid both forecast the Panthers will select Pickett in their most recent predictions. Last week, NFL Network’s Charles Davis mocked Willis to Carolina, making him the first quarterback selected. Reid had Willis going No. 2 to the Detroit Lions.
Regardless, the national consensus is if the Panthers select a quarterback, it will be either Pickett or Willis. But some scouts disagree. One NFL scout, who requested anonymity because he was not authorized to speak, told The Charlotte Observer that they think Cincinnati quarterback Desmond Ridder would fit best in Carolina.
“The Panthers need a Day 1 starter. That’s a large reason why everyone is talking about Kenny (Pickett) landing there because he is the most pro-ready. But Willis has the most upside with his playmaking and athleticism. The second-most pro-ready quarterback is Ridder. And the second-most athletic quarterback is Ridder. If the Panthers trade back, then he provides both pro readiness and athletic upside later in the draft.”
Ridder — a 6-foot-3 prospect with 4.52 40-yard dash speed — resembles Marcus Mariota, who the Falcons signed to a two-year, $18.75 million deal after losing out to Cleveland for Deshaun Watson.
Ridder is a proven winner. He has 43 college wins, third all-time behind college legends Colt McCoy and Kellen Moore. His attention-grabbing 40-yard-dash speed is faster than Patrick Mahomes, Derek Carr and Russell Wilson.
In 2021, he had an excellent season leading the Bearcats to the College Football Playoffs. He threw for 3,384 yards, 30 touchdowns and only eight interceptions while adding six rushing touchdowns.
The Panthers hosted Ridder, Matt Corral (Ole Miss) and Willis (Liberty) on Tuesday, according to a source with direct knowledge of the situation. The Panthers will host several prospects over the next two weeks. Each team is allowed to bring in 30 prospects for interviews, physicals and meetings.
Carolina will lean heavily on these meetings when determining its official draft board, which should bode well for Ridder. After the combine, a different NFL scout told The Observer that Ridder was “blowing teams away” in meetings. The scout said “teams are forgetting he’s the only quarterback available who played in the final four.”
Ridder hasn’t been tied to Carolina because there isn’t a clear road map for the Panthers to acquire him. CBS Sports draft analyst Chris Trapasso ranks Ridder as the No. 3 quarterback behind Willis and Pickett. Trapasso said he would not be surprised if Ridder is a late first-round or early second-round selection.
Carolina does not have a Round 2 pick and No. 6 is too high to select a quarterback who should be available if the Panthers trade back.
“He’s a weird prospect in that he tested like one of the most athletic quarterbacks in like combine history. He does not play like that. He is not that type,” Trapasso told The Observer. "The arm strength is pretty good. The accuracy is pretty good. I think he can be a good game manager. He can be an Alex Smith-type with a little bit more upside than that.”
Smith was the No. 1 overall pick when San Francisco drafted him No. 1 overall in 2005 out of Utah.
Studying Ridder takes patience. He’s a smooth operator at times but his footwork gets sloppy, which hinders his intermediate accuracy. Like Trapasso said, he tested like an athletic freak but his foot speed does not consistently show up on tape.
Some scouts believe he’ll grow into his playmaking, similar to how an athletic but raw defensive end develops into a refined pass rusher.
“Ridder most likely could start Week 1 because of his experience,” Trapasso said. “And he’s again not going to turn the football over a lot. He’ll make some big-time throws for you but not a lot.”
Trading back from No. 6, recouping Day 2 draft capital and then landing Ridder could be the Panthers’ best shot at maximizing their situation. Because despite what national mock drafts are saying, scouts and draft analysts are privately ranking Ridder over Pickett.
Remember, it is smokescreen season. It behooves Carolina for other teams to think they love Pickett. By gushing about their pick, the Panthers will hopefully drive up the price for a team hoping to trade up. If that happens then the Carolina would position themselves perfectly for Ridder.
“With Ridder, you saw this in the last couple of years, especially his senior year, just how smart he is. It seems like he’s always trying to make the best throw possible,” The Athletic’s draft analyst Diante Lee told The Observer. “I have him at QB No. 2 (behind Willis), but he’s the most polished quarterback coming into the NFL right now.”
