NFL Draft profile: Calvin Ridley is more Amari Cooper than Julio Jones
Calvin Ridley will find out where he’ll be drafted on Thursday night when the NFL Draft begins, and whoever drafts him is getting a talented receiver who will make an immediate impact.
Stop me if you’ve heard this one before, but Alabama is really good at developing their players to excel at the next level. The reigning national champions will once again have a number of players drafted this year and receiver Calvin Ridley could be the first one off the board.
Ridley was a star the moment he set foot in Tuscaloosa. He starred as a freshman and looked like the latest Crimson Tide pass-catcher to be a first round pick, following the likes of Julio Jones, Amari Cooper and tight end O.J. Howard.
He’s often been compared to Cooper and Jones during his college career and in the pre-draft process. It’s high praise to be sure. Jones is one of the best receivers in the NFL and Cooper is off to a nice start with the Raiders. Between the two, I think Ridley is closer to Cooper in terms of a prospect while Jones was a rare prospect that Ridley falls shy of. That’s not a knock on him, it’s just a testament to how special Jones is.
So if your team is rumored to pick Ridley, or you read this after he’s picked, below you’ll find my thoughts on what type of player you’re getting in him and how he projects down the road, based on what I’ve seen during his college career and at the combine.
Calvin Ridley, wide receiver, Alabama
If Alabama threw the ball more often, Ridley would likely be a prospect drafted inside the top-10. Ridley has great speed, instincts, agility and is a polished route runner. But Alabama didn’t have the type of offense or the quarterbacks to take advantage of those skills consistently.
The 6-foot, 190-pound Ridley is slightly below the type of prospect former Alabama receiver Amari Cooper in terms of what he projects to do in the NFL. He is a smooth strider who can beat teams deep with his long speed and can be lethal after the catch.
Ridley’s best attribute is his ability to gain separation. There is no wasted motion with his feet in and out of breaks and he is so well-coached that he knows where to find the soft spots in the defense.
The biggest concern with Ridley is his he had a tendency to drop balls in traffic and he can disappear against big, physical corners.
Overall, Ridley is the clear top receiver in the draft and should garner Pro Bowl consideration as early as his third year.
Draft Projection: Top 15-25