NFL Draft 2023 Rumors: C.J. Stroud to Visit Falcons; ATL Took Desmond Ridder in '22

Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud is reportedly meeting with the Atlanta Falcons on Wednesday ahead of next week's 2023 NFL draft.

According to NFL Network's Mike Garafolo, the Falcons have also met with other top quarterbacks in the draft despite selecting Desmond Ridder in the third round of last year's draft.

Atlanta owns the No. 8 overall pick in the 2023 NFL draft, meaning it could be required to trade up if it has an interest in selecting one of the top quarterbacks in the class, such as Stroud, Alabama's Bryce Young, Florida's Anthony Richardson or Kentucky's Will Levis.

After a highly productive collegiate career at Ohio State, Stroud has been firmly in the conversation to go No. 1 overall to the Carolina Panthers, No. 2 overall to the Houston Texans or No. 4 overall to the Indianapolis Colts.

In his two seasons as the Buckeyes' starter, Stroud finished fourth and third in the Heisman Trophy voting.

His most productive campaign came in 2021 when he completed 71.9 percent of his passes for 4,435 yards, 44 touchdowns and six interceptions. Last season, he led OSU to the College Football Playoff and completed 66.3 percent of his passing attempts for 3,688 yards, 41 touchdowns and six picks.

While Stroud's mobility may be somewhat lacking after rushing for just 136 yards and one touchdown in college, he has solid size at 6'3" and 214 pounds.

The Falcons have gone five straight seasons without a playoff appearance, winning seven games in four of those campaigns, including last season.

Atlanta moved on from veteran quarterback Matt Ryan prior to last season and replaced him with Marcus Mariota. After Mariota struggled for most of the year, Ridder started the final four games.

In those four starts, Ridder went 2-2 and completed 63.5 percent of his passes for 708 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. He also rushed for 64 yards.

Although the numbers didn't leap off the page, Ridder did enough to earn a long look at being the potential starter in 2023.

Per ESPN's Michael Rothstein, Ridder said Falcons head coach Arthur Smith informed him he indeed would be the starter entering 2023.

The Falcons parted ways with Mariota this offseason, but they signed former Washington Commanders starter Tyler Heinicke as insurance.

Meeting with Stroud and other quarterbacks in the draft may simply be a case of the Falcons doing their due diligence, as they don't have an inherent need at quarterback currently.

If the Falcons use the draft to address other areas of need, then Ridder and Heinicke may have everything they need around them in order to be successful next season.