Calvin Ridley’s Breakout Season is No Longer a Dream
While Julio Jones commands the spotlight in Atlanta, Calvin Ridley will just be over here, taking the league by storm.
When Calvin Ridley was drafted 26th overall in the 2018 NFL Draft, everyone knew that the Atlanta Falcons would have a wide receiver duo that was going to terrorize the league. Ridley went on to have a great rookie year with 64 receptions, 821 yards and 10 touchdowns.
The scary part? He’s going to be even better in 2019.
The Talent Is Real
The 6'1", 190-pound receiver came into the NFL with true dominant potential. With his elite route-running prowess and blazing speed, Ridley was an NFL ready prospect that would make a splash from Day 1. Ridley’s big-play ability and YAC skills put him in a class off his own amongst wide receiver prospects that year.
As a rookie, Ridley lived up that billing. He showed us why he was so highly touted coming out of Alabama with his highlight-reel plays on a weekly basis. But it was his nose for the end zone was the thing that caught everyone by surprise. With 10 TDs his rookie year, the expectations for 2019 only grew higher.
New & Improved
Through two games, Calvin Ridley has 12 receptions, 169 yards and two touchdowns. You turn on the tape and it just looks like Ridley’s a whole new player. He’s exuding this confidence, he’s playing with this swagger like he’s just the most talented guy on the field. And it shows up in the stat sheet.
One of the biggest knocks on Ridley coming out of Alabama was dropped balls. That spilled over into his rookie year as he dropped a whopping TEN balls. But in 2019, Ridley seems to have put those problems behind him… for now. With his separation skills only getting better, Ridley’s improved hands make him an even more dynamic receiver.
Playing Next To Julio Has Its Benefits
Generally speaking, playing next to one of the best wide receivers in the NFL eats away at your production. Julio Jones swallows almost 200 targets a year. But, he also grabs the attention of the entire defense. Jones is double-teamed almost every play, which opens up things nicely for Ridley to feast.
Whether it’s against lesser “No. 2” corners and/or single coverage, Ridley comes out on top. While he has the talent to entertain putting a No. 1 corner on him, that’s simply not possible with Jones on the opposite side of Ridley. With the run game and defense struggling mightily so far, we could see Matt Ryan be forced to sling the ball 600+ times again this season. That pass-heavy approach means there will be a ton of work to go around for everyone.
Final Thoughts
In the end, talent wins out. And Calvin Ridley’s never been short of that. He’s an extremely hard worker who wants to be great. His presence on this Atlanta offense will take them to new heights. It’s going to be exciting to see him break social media all year long. Can’t wait? Neither can I.
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All statistics courtesy of Pro Football Reference.
