ICYMI: Falcons' Desmond Ridder wins over NFL fans thanks to his daughter 

Desmond Ridder is a quarterback out of Cincinnati who was drafted 74th overall by the Atlanta Falcons in the 2022 NFL Draft. The Louisville, Kentucky native was twice named AAC player of the year and AAC rookie of the year before entering the draft. Now, he hopes to learn behind veteran quarterback Marcus Mariota and eventually find his way into the starting lineup.

During an interview with NFL Network’s Path to the draft, Ridder was joined by his adorable daughter on the eve of her first birthday.

The NFL analysts were instantly distracted by the cute crasher of the interview and baby talk ensued.

The Atlanta Falcons were one of the teams to make a play for Deshaun Watson, which didn’t sit well with long-time quarterback Matt Ryan, who later admitted he requested a trade. The veteran was traded to the Indianapolis Colts for a third-round pick and joins a team that many believe to be playoff ready with, perhaps, the best running game Ryan has ever had in his backfield.

The Falcons lost out on Deshaun Watson but went out and signed former Jacksonville Jaguars starter Mariota, who has spent the last two seasons backing up Derek Carr with the Las Vegas Raiders. Mariota hopes to prove he's still worthy of a starting job in the NFL and will likely get the start over the rookie as the season begins.

If Desmond Ridder can bring his impressive quarterback play to the NFL, he could steal the starting job from the veteran Mariota

Ridder led Cincinnati to the college playoff semi-finals, where they lost to the Alabama Crimson Tide 27-6. The Bearcats quarterback finished his college career with 10,239 passing yards, 87 touchdowns, and only 28 interceptions in 50 games. Forty-eight of those were as a starter.

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On top of those impressive passing stats, Ridder rushed for 2,180 yards and 28 touchdowns. The rookie is an impressive athlete and should give Mariota stiff competition for the starting job, even before the season starts. If and when Ridder gets to the point where he’s NFL ready, it would come as no surprise to see him on the field early in the season.

The Falcons have an uphill climb ahead of them. Many analysts predict they could be near the bottom of the league by the end of the season. But with Ridder on the roster, they may have a good start to a future winning team.