LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Nestled on a brown leather couch inside the Loft at The Biscuit Lounge, just a few miles from the Highlands neighborhood where he grew up, Desmond Ridder sat with his cellphone on his lap. His agent and managers paced, exchanging text messages while keeping their phones charged in a nearby outlet. But through the first two rounds of the 2022 NFL Draft, none of their phones rang.
It took longer than expected for Ridder to get the call, but once he did, the tears welling up in his eyes and the sound of the loud cheer erupting from the crowd huddled behind him were right on time.