Atlanta Falcons Calvin Ridley 2018 Season Projections
By Kit Anderson
Calvin Ridley has been the biggest story of the Falcon’s off-season so far, adding speed to a good offense. Ridley has explosive playmaking ability though there are concerns about his ability to catch in traffic. What should the Falcons expect in 2018?
When the Atlanta Falcons decided to draft the best player available in the first round they made their offense remarkably better. For the last five draft picks before Ridley was picked by the Falcons, I sat holding my breath.
Hoping that this would happen, Ridley would fall into the Falcon’s lap and infuse their offense with speed and energy.
While Ridley will bring a new skill set to the Falcons fans need to be aware of his shortcomings as well. Ridley benefitted in college as playing with the Tide using his speed to get wide open while defenses were watching other weapons.
Ridley has the great foot speed needed to give him the ability to break big plays. Matt Ryan will use his speed plenty this season in helping jump-start the Falcon offense.
The only holes that you can poke in Ridley’s game at Alabama was the fact he was too good at getting open. Because he was so wide open consistently there is very little tape of him making contested catches.
Whether or not he can consistently pull in balls in traffic will determine just how big of a season he has. Regardless, he will make an impact for the Falcons likely starting in the slot and moving to the outside to help keep the starters fresh.
While pre-season and training camp may be far away it isn’t too early to predict the impact Ridley will have on the offense. Here are Calvin Ridley’s projected 2018 stats:
63-Receptions 702-Yards 7-Touchdowns 150-Yards Rushing
Those are numbers Ridley is more than capable of achieving in his rookie season. It wouldn’t be surprising to see him surpass any of those numbers though, in fairness, seven touchdowns may be a stretch.
I am counting on Ridley using his speed to get open in the end zone as well as breaking at least 3-4 long plays this season. Time will tell just how big of an impact Ridley has. Falcon’s football cannot return soon enough for the football-hungry south.