Atlanta Falcons quarterback called third year wide receiver Calvin Ridley elite: “But I think the people who know, the people who have to play against Calvin or try to guard him in man-to-man coverage, know he is elite. He’s exceptional. He’s really, really good.”
While calling Calvin Ridley elite may be a bit of a stretch (he has yet to hit 1,000 receiving yards in a season), there is no denying that he has been highly productive for the Atlanta Falcons. As per ESPN, the only four receivers in NFL history that finished their first two seasons with more than Ridley's 17 touchdowns are, in order, Odell Beckham Jr. (25), Larry Fitzgerald (18), A.J. Green (18), and Julio Jones (18). All four wideouts operated as their team's number one receivers. Matt Ryan was correct in his assertion that Ridley excels against man-to-man coverage, but Ridley will have to learn to deal with zone coverage to truly put his hat in the ring as one of the NFL’s top receivers. He was incredible against zone coming out of Alabama, but made waves early last season when he suggested that he could not get open because he was struggling against the Indianapolis Colts zone defense. An exceptional talent, Ridley is our 16th ranked receiver for the 2020 season.
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