The Atlanta Falcons have added more firepower to their offense in the first round of this year's draft with the selection of former Alabama standout wide receiver Calvin Ridley.
This has put him in line to take up a significant role in the passing game in his first campaign in the league. With that in mind, Ridley has taken advantage of the opportunity to learn from one of the best wideouts in the league in Julio Jones, according to Mark Inabinett of AL.com.
“Everybody knows Julio is really, really good,” Ridley said. “But people don’t really know how good he is. He’s so detailed in the plays. He knows everything. He’s like a coach. He coaches me on everything. Even if I do it right, he’s still going to coach me: ‘You could do it better like this. You could lean on him. You could . . .’ So it’s like having another coach on the field.”
Ridley has the unique opportunity to learn from an elite talent at his position ahead of his first year that has already helped ease the transition process for him. The fact that Jones has shown a great willingness to put the rookie wide receiver under wing could have a tremendous impact on him being a major factor in the offense out of the gate to the 2018 season.
The Falcons are hoping that Ridley could help form a formidable duo in the passing game alongside Jones that could lift the offense to the next level. Jones has plenty to offer the 23-year-old in terms of knowledge of the game as he has been able to excel at an elite level throughout his career that has seen him establish himself one of the best players at his position. He has topped 1,000 receiving yards five times in his first seven years in the league including at least 80 catches and 1,400 receiving yards in each of the last four seasons.
With Jones taking on a mentorship role with Ridley, it could set the table to a strong rookie campaign for the Falcons promising wideout.
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