ESPN: Falcons 'Taking a Serious Look at' QBs in NFL Draft but Need a 'Dream Scenario'

The Atlanta Falcons are reportedly open to taking a quarterback in the first round of the 2023 NFL draft but are currently expecting to move forward with Desmond Ridder as their Week 1 starter.

Matt Miller of ESPN reported the Falcons would need a "dream scenario" in order for one of Bryce Young, C.J. Stroud, Anthony Richardson or Will Levis to fall to the No. 8 pick. Young and Stroud are overwhelmingly expected to come off the board with the first two picks, while Richardson and Levis could easily go Nos. 3 and No. 4.

Miller suggested the "dream scenario" mentioned likely involved Young or Stroud being available.

Quarterbacks have never been taken with all of an NFL draft's first four picks. There have been three previous drafts (1971, 1999 and 2021) where quarterbacks have gone with the first three selections.

Of course, if the Falcons truly want a quarterback in this class, there's an easy answer: trade up to No. 3 and take one. The Arizona Cardinals are open for business with the No. 3 pick given their lack of interest in the quarterback market, and Atlanta could leapfrog the quarterback-hungry Indianapolis Colts in the process.

That would require a significant investment of future draft pick capital, and there's been no indication the Falcons have the desire to make such a bold move. Logic would dictate they would have matched the offer the division rival Carolina Panthers offered the Chicago Bears for the No. 1 overall pick if they felt strongly about one of the quarterbacks in this class.

Ridder, a 2022 third-round pick, threw for 708 yards and two touchdowns without an interception in four games last season.