As the Detroit Lions get a close look at draft prospects down in Mobile, a quarterback has been tabbed as the ideal Senior Bowl prospect for them to target.
The Detroit Lions have descended on Mobile, Alabama for the 2022 Senior Bowl, with the coaching staff at the helm of the American team. With two first-round picks and being slated to have five of the first 100 picks in April’s draft, it will be a valuable evaluation week for the organization.
The Lions will get the closest look at three quarterbacks on the American team roster this week–Malik Willis (Liberty), Sam Howell (North Carolina) and Bailey Zappe (Western Kentucky). The National team roster, led by the New York Jets coaching staff, of course has three quarterbacks as well–Kenny Pickett (Pittsburgh), Carson Strong (Nevada) and Desmond Ridder (Cincinnati).
Quarterback named ideal Senior Bowl prospect for Detroit Lions to target
Over at FanSided’s NFL Spin Zone, writer Sayre Bedinger has tabbed who he sees as the ideal Senior Bowl prospect each team should target. For the Lions, it’s a quarterback.
"Detroit Lions: Desmond Ridder, QB, CincinnatiAlthough he’s not universally beloved by the NFL Draft community, I personally would vouch for Desmond Ridder as a first- or second-round option at the QB option in this particular class.Is he perfect? No.Does he always make the best decisions with the football? No.Ridder has outstanding traits. He was productive for the last four years at Cincinnati. His combination of experience, arm talent, and speed should make him a worthy dart throw for any team, especially the later you can get him.The Detroit Lions have the Rams’ first-round pick and that spot at the bottom of round one almost seems like it could be too good to be true for a Desmond Ridder flyer.I think as far as what Dan Campbell is looking to build with the culture in Detroit, Ridder could be a nice risk/reward proposition for that roster."
This side of Malik Willis, Ridder is in the conversation as having the most raw upside of any quarterback in this year’s draft class. Having Jared Goff on roster for at least next season allows the Lions to take a quarterback who may not be ready to start right away. When it’s all said and done, around the first round/second round turn where they’ll have two picks (No. 31 or 32 and No. 34), Ridder might be there for the taking.
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Back in November, ESPN’s Mel Kiper Jr. compared Ridder to Josh Allen. He still has the former Bearcats’ signal caller among his top-five quarterbacks in this draft class, but Kiper has dinged Ridder for his rough performance against Alabama in the College Football Playoff.
“Yes up front, they couldn’t block Alabama that well, but there were opportunities to be had there, and he struggled. So he’s right now at four. Needs a good Senior Bowl week to maybe move up.”
Drafting Ridder is an intrigung idea for Detroit, and the raw comp to Allen based some of the same concerns heading into the NFL is definitely interesting. Even on the opposite roster, the Lions can get a bit of a look at him this week down in Mobile as they shape evaluations of this year’s incoming quarterback crop.