Desmond Ridder was the NFL draft’s 74th pick. He was the 10th player chosen in Round 3. By then, the Falcons had taken a wide receiver, an edge rusher and a linebacker. That Ridder was the second quarterback selected tells us what NFL teams thought of this class of quarterbacks.
This isn’t to say no Round 3 quarterback has met professional success. Joe Montana (82nd overall in 1979) did OK. Russell Wilson (75th in 2012) was the starting quarterback in the Super Bowl played Feb. 2, 2014. Nick Foles, taken 13 spots after Wilson, was the Super Bowl MVP in February 2018.
Those, however, are exceptions. New England spent the 74th pick on Ryan Mallett of Arkansas in 2011. He started four NFL games – though none for the Patriots, who had a competent No. 1. Mike Glennon of N.C. State, taken 73rd in 2015, is still around, having worked for six different clubs and made 31 starts. David Greene of Georgia went 85th in 2005; he didn’t take an NFL snap.
