When the opening round of the 2022 NFL Draft begins in nearly two weeks in Las Vegas, football fans across the nation will be anxiously waiting to find out which top quarterback prospect hears his name called first. Unlike last year's draft class -- five quarterbacks were selected in the top 15 picks -- there's no clear-cut favorite signal-caller across reputable mock draft boards.
Although the projections are wide-ranging, Desmond Ridder made a strong impression at the NFL Combine in March. The former Cincinnati quarterback displayed his athleticism and leadership qualities during workouts, and also explained to reporters why he should be the first passer drafted. At this time, it's unclear which quarterback-needy team will take a chance on the 22-year-old. But, regardless of where Ridder lands, NFL on CBS analyst Charles Davis believes his makeup bears a resemblance to the Dallas Cowboys' leader.
"A lot of the comp on him is Marcus Mariota. Very similar in body type, similar numbers, in terms of size and range. Check out his speed numbers in the 40," Davis explained to The DA Show on Tuesday. "My comp for him is much more Dak Prescott. It's not his body type, because Dak's much bigger and thicker. But remember, there were a lot of questions about Ridder going into this year -- accuracy and everything. But think about what Dak did at Mississippi State.
"At one point, he had Mississippi State at No. 1 in the country, in November. How often does that happen? Ridder, undefeated at Cincinnati over the last two seasons, and they got to a CFP. Those two have the moxie to lift their teams to those levels... They were the featured guys, guys people had their eyes on, guys who carried teams. There's something about Desmond Ridder, that I sit there and go, 'That Dak Prescott comparison, it's not bad.'"
Ridder, who's listed at 6-foot-4 and 215 pounds, is currently the third-ranked quarterback and 43rd overall prospect on the Pro Football Focus draft board. In 14 games last year, he completed 65-percent of his passes for 3,334 yards with 30 touchdowns and eight interceptions. He also rushed for 355 yards on 110 attempts with six scores.
With the high level of production from Ridder, he helped carry the Bearcats to an undefeated regular season (13-0), and in December, they became the first Group of Five team to clinch a College Football Playoff spot. Unfortunately for Cincinnati, they were held to only six points in a Cotton Bowl loss to Alabama. Ridder finished eighth in Heisman voting, and in four seasons as the Bearcats' starter, he won 44 games -- the third-most in FBS history.
The entire NFL Draft conversation between Davis and DA can be accessed in the audio player above.
You can follow The DA Show on Twitter @DAonCBS and @CBSSportsRadio, and Tom Hanslin @TomHanslin.