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The Detroit Lions saw their big quarterback shakeup take place last offseason, but there could be more mini-shakeups on the horizon for the team yet to come during this particular offseason.
Detroit has Jared Goff as their quarterback, and he figures to be sticking around. That doesn’t mean the team won’t think about drafting a player to develop at the position, however, and the projections are already flying in about who they could look to pick up when all is said and done.
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Pro Football Focus and writer Anthony Treash recently made some predictions about how the quarterback carousel will play out this offseason. Perhaps a bit surprisingly, they had the Lions making an entry and landing a player from the 2022 NFL draft class.
Treash projects the Lions will be able to select Cincinnati quarterback Desmond Ridder with their final pick of the first-round. As he explains, Ridder could very well end up as the best quarterback in this particular class, even if evaluators have had mixed reviews about him. Treash writes that Ridder has a good arm, mobility and an ability to make good decisions on the field. As he said, it would be a big win if the Lions could land him at this point of the draft.
Whether the Lions look at quarterback or not in the draft will be a big point of debate, and free agency could tell the story of how motivated the team could be to make such a pick in the draft. Tim Boyle is a free agent, and the Lions seemed to like him as their backup. If he returns, the Lions could select a player like Ridder and bring him along as the third quarterback temporarily, especially if they move on from David Blough.
Ridder Enjoyed Solid Senior Bowl Performance
Coming into the game last week week, the Lions were likely laser-focused on Sam Howell, the intriguing Malik Willis and potentially some other prospects on their side. During the game, it may have been Ridder who stole the show in a quiet way for the team. Cool, collected and confident, Ridder put up a very poised 68 yards and 2 touchdowns on the game. He made plenty of nice throws, too, like this one for a score:
Ridder isn’t likely to have a first-round grade consistently, which is why he could be valuable to the Lions a bit further down the board. Detroit could consider him atop the second-round or later, which could allow them to fill other needs while still finding a quarterback for the future. For that reason, Ridder’s work was very important on this day, and should have been an eye-opener for Detroit.
Ridder’s College Stats & Highlights
While playing for Cincinnati, it is hard to argue Ridder’s cache as a starting quarterback. He won numerous big games and led his team to the College Football Playoff in 2022. Statistically, Ridder was just as good, putting up 10,239 yards as well as 87 touchdowns in his career. Here’s a look at some of his best plays during his career:
Obviously, with a small-school stature, Ridder has a lot to prove at the next level, and some mock drafts have had him being selected in the first or second-round of the draft. Ridder would probably be a project player for a team like Detroit to develop for the future.
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