Calvin Ridley

Calvin Orin Ridley (born December 20, 1994) is an American football wide receiver for the Atlanta Falcons of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Alabama, and was drafted by the Falcons in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft.

Calvin Ridley
Ridley in 2018
No. 18 – Atlanta Falcons
Position:Wide receiver
Personal information
Born: (1994-12-20) December 20, 1994
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
Height:6 ft 1 in (1.85 m)
Weight:190 lb (86 kg)
Career information
High school:Monarch
(Coconut Creek, Florida)
College:Alabama
NFL Draft:2018 / Round: 1 / Pick: 26
Career history
Roster status:Active
Career highlights and awards
Career NFL statistics as of 2019
Receptions:127
Receiving yards:1,687
Receiving touchdowns:17
Player stats at NFL.com

Early years

As a youngster, Ridley played Pop Warner football in the same league as Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, Ravens wide receiver Marquise Brown and Oakland Raiders cornerback Trayvon Mullen, in the Pompano Beach area of Florida just 4 miles from the high school he would attend.[2] Ridley attended Monarch High School in Coconut Creek, Florida, where he played high school football for the Knights. He played only three games in his senior year due to Florida age restriction rules, which doesn't allow anyone over the age of 19 and nine months to be eligible.[3] Ridley was rated as a five-star recruit and was considered the best receiver in the class of 2015 according to 247Sports, Rivals, and ESPN.[4] He committed to the University of Alabama to play college football on April 19, 2014.[5]

College career
Ridley in college in 2018.

Ridley attended and played college football at the University of Alabama under Nick Saban.[6] Ridley earned immediate playing time as a true freshman in 2015.[7] In his first career game on September 5, 2015, he had three receptions for 22 yards against the University of Wisconsin.[8] He scored his first collegiate touchdown in a victory over Louisiana-Monroe on September 26.[9] In the following game, against Georgia, he had five receptions for 120 yards and a touchdown in the victory.[10] He followed that up with 140 receiving yards and a touchdown in a victory over Arkansas.[11] In the SEC Championship against Florida, he had eight receptions for 102 yards in the victory.[12] The Alabama Crimson Tide made the College Football Playoff. In the 38–0 victory over Michigan State in the Cotton Bowl, he had 138 receiving yards and two touchdowns.[13] In the National Championship against Clemson, he was held to six receptions for 14 yards but the Crimson Tide won the National Championship by a score of 45–40.[14] Ridley led the SEC in receptions with 89 in 2015.[15]

In the 2016 season, Ridley remained a strong threat for the Crimson Tide. In the second game of the season, he had nine receptions for 129 receiving yards and a touchdown against Western Kentucky.[16] On October 1, Ridley hauled in 11 receptions for 174 yards and two touchdowns against the University of Kentucky. His 11 receptions, 174 yards, and two touchdowns were career highs.[17] Over the remainder of the 2016 season, he had 41 receptions for 371 receiving yards and four touchdowns.[18] Alabama once again won the SEC Championship and made the College Football Playoff. However, they fell to Clemson in a rematch in the National Championship.[19]

In the 2017 season, Ridley started off strong with seven receptions for 82 yards and a touchdown in the 24–7 victory over Florida State.[20] On November 11, against Mississippi State, he had five receptions for 171 receiving yards in the victory.[21] Alabama made the College Football Playoff once again in the 2017 season. In the National Semifinal, Ridley had four receptions for 39 yards in the Sugar Bowl.[22] In the National Championship against Georgia, he had four receptions for 32 yards and the late game-tying touchdown to help force overtime in the 26–23 victory.[23]

On January 10, 2018, it was announced that Ridley would forego his senior year at Alabama in favor of the 2018 NFL Draft.[24]

Collegiate statistics
Year Team G Receiving
RecYardsAvgTD
2015Alabama 15891,04511.77
2016Alabama 157276910.77
2017Alabama 146396715.35
Career442242,78112.519

Professional career
Pre-draft measurables
Height Weight Arm length Hand size 40-yard dash 10-yard split 20-yard split 20-yard shuttle Three-cone drill Vertical jump Broad jump Bench press
6 ft 0 1⁄2 in
(1.84 m)		 189 lb
(86 kg)		 31 5⁄8 in
(0.80 m)		 9 1⁄8 in
(0.23 m)		 4.43 s 1.55 s 2.60 s 4.37 s 6.88 s 31 in
(0.79 m)		 9 ft 2 in
(2.79 m)		 15 reps
All values from NFL Combine[25][26]

2018 season: Rookie year
Ridley in a game against the Washington Redskins

Ridley was drafted by the Atlanta Falcons in the first round (26th overall) of the 2018 NFL Draft.[27] On July 5, 2018, Ridley signed a four-year deal worth $10.9 million featuring a $6.1 million signing bonus.[28]

After a quiet NFL debut against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 1, he had four receptions for 64 yards and his first NFL touchdown in a 31–24 victory over the Carolina Panthers.[29] On September 23, in Week 3, Ridley recorded seven receptions for 146 yards and three touchdowns in a 43–37 overtime loss to the New Orleans Saints.[30] He followed that up with four receptions for 54 yards and two touchdowns in the next game against the Cincinnati Bengals.[31]

Ridley was named the Offensive Rookie of the Month for the month of September for collecting six touchdown receptions, which was the most in the league and tied an NFL record for a rookie in his first four games.[32] In Week 17 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Ridley broke the Falcons single-season receiving touchdowns by a rookie record after scoring 10 touchdowns. The record was previously set by Junior Miller in 1980. Ridley finished the 2018 season leading all rookies in both receiving yards and receiving touchdowns, as well as leading all rookie wide receivers in receptions. He was named to PFWA All-Rookie Team, becoming the fourth Atlanta Falcons receiver to get this award, joining Shawn Collins (1989), Mike Pritchard (1991), & Julio Jones (2011).[33]

2019 season

In Week 1 against the Minnesota Vikings, Ridley caught four passes for 64 yards and the first receiving touchdown of the season as the Falcons lost 12–28.[34] In Week 2 against the Philadelphia Eagles, Ridley caught eight passes for 105 yards and a touchdown as the Falcons won 24–20.[35] During Week 11 against the Carolina Panthers, Ridley finished with eight catches for 143 receiving yards and a touchdown as the Falcons won 29–3.[36] During Week 14 against the Carolina Panthers, Ridley had five catches for 76 receiving yards and a touchdown in the 40–20 win. Ridley suffered an abdominal injury during the game, and was ruled out for the rest of the season.[37] Overall, Ridley finished the 2019 season with 63 receptions for 866 receiving yards and seven receiving touchdowns.[38]

NFL statistics
SeasonTeamGamesReceivingRushing
GPGSTgtRecYdsAvgLngTDAttYdsAvgLngTD
2018ATL 165926482112.875106274.590
2019 ATL 13 10 93 63 866 13.7 36 7 2 34 17.0 19 0
Total29151851271,68713.375178617.6190

NFL records
  • Most receiving touchdowns by a rookie in his first four games: 6 (Tied with Martavis Bryant - 2014)

Falcons franchise records
  • Most receiving touchdowns in a season by a rookie: 10

Personal life

His younger brother, Riley Ridley, is an NFL wide receiver for the Chicago Bears.[39]

References
  1. "USA TODAY Sports Freshman All-America team". USA Today.
  2. "8 Lamar Jackson weekly bio update" (PDF). baltimoreravens.com. Baltimore Ravens. Retrieved November 29, 2019.
  3. Steve Gorten, Dave Brousseau. "Monarch WR Calvin Ridley ineligible for most of season". Sun-Sentinel.
  4. "Calvin Ridley". Rivals.com.
  5. Champlin, Drew (February 4, 2015). "Signee Calvin Ridley gives Alabama another elite receiver from south Florida". AL.com. Retrieved April 10, 2018.
  6. "Calvin Ridley credits Nick Saban for instilling 'no days off' attitude in Alabama players". Saturday Down South. April 26, 2018. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
  7. Talty, John (August 10, 2015). "Calvin Ridley has best WR in the country type talent, says Lane Kiffin". AL.com. Retrieved April 10, 2018.
  8. "Wisconsin vs Alabama Box Score, September 5, 2015". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved October 4, 2018.
  9. "Alabama five-star WR Calvin Ridley scores first career TD". Saturday Down South. September 26, 2015. Retrieved October 4, 2018.
  10. Zenor, John. "Ridley is No. 2 Alabama's latest freshman receiving star". San Diego Union Tribune. Retrieved October 4, 2018.
  11. "Defense propels No. 8 Alabama to 27-14 win over Arkansas". Daily Mountain Eagle. Retrieved October 4, 2018.
  12. "Alabama freshman receiver Calvin Ridley reminds Florida star cornerback of Amari Cooper". AL.com. Retrieved October 4, 2018.
  13. "Calvin Ridley shows he's a game-changer for Alabama". USA TODAY. Retrieved October 4, 2018.
  14. "College Football Championship - Alabama vs Clemson Box Score, January 11, 2016". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved October 4, 2018.
  15. "2015 Southeastern Conference Leaders". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved October 4, 2018.
  16. "ALABAMA FOOTBALL: Hurts leads No. 1 Tide past Western Kentucky 38-10". The Cullman Times. Retrieved October 4, 2018.
  17. Hurt, Cecil. "Led by Calvin Ridley's 174 receiving yards, Alabama manhandles Kentucky". Tuscaloosa News. Retrieved October 4, 2018.
  18. "Calvin Ridley 2016 Game Log (Games 21–30)". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved October 4, 2018.
  19. "Clemson stuns Alabama with late TD to win national championship". Palm Beach Post. Retrieved October 4, 2018.
  20. "No. 1 Alabama 24, No. 3 Florida State 7: Five things we learned". Sporting News. September 3, 2017. Retrieved October 4, 2018.
  21. "Late TD lifts No. 1 Alabama over No. 18 Mississippi St 31-24". FOX Sports. November 11, 2017. Retrieved October 4, 2018.
  22. "Alabama suffocates Clemson in dominant Sugar Bowl victory to set up all-SEC title game". USA TODAY. Retrieved October 4, 2018.
  23. "Breaking down Alabama's most crucial TD of the championship game". USA Today. January 9, 2018. Retrieved October 4, 2018.
  24. Scarborough, Alex (January 10, 2018). "Calvin Ridley declares for draft; RB Damien Harris to stay at Bama". ESPN. Retrieved January 10, 2018.
  25. "NFL Draft Prospect Profile - Calvin Ridley". nfl.com. March 1, 2018. Retrieved March 1, 2018.
  26. "Alabama WR Calvin Ridley : 2018 NFL Draft Scout Player Profile". NFLDraftScout.com. Retrieved May 12, 2018.
  27. Sessler, Marc (April 26, 2018). "Calvin Ridley joins forces with Julio Jones on Falcons". NFL.com. Retrieved March 14, 2019.
  28. Shook, Nick (July 4, 2018). "Falcons sign first-rounder Calvin Ridley". NFL.com. Retrieved July 5, 2018.
  29. Ledbetter, D. Orlando (September 17, 2018). "Ridley dazzled in second NFL game". The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. Retrieved October 6, 2018.
  30. "Watch New Orleans Saints vs. Atlanta Falcons". NFL.com. Retrieved September 24, 2018.
  31. McFadden, Will (September 30, 2018). "Falcons-Bengals final score, takeaways: Despite big days from Ridley, Jones, Atlanta falls short". Atlanta Falcons. Retrieved October 10, 2018.
  32. "Khalil Mack, J.J. Watt among Players of the Month". NFL.com. October 4, 2018. Retrieved March 14, 2020.
  33. Brandt, Gil (January 23, 2019). "Baker Mayfield, Saquon Barkley lead 2018 NFL All-Rookie Team". NFL.com. Retrieved December 20, 2019.
  34. "Vikings trample Falcons 28-12 behind fierce defense, Cook". www.espn.com. Associated Press. September 8, 2019. Retrieved September 8, 2019.
  35. "Jones scores late TD, leads Falcons past Eagles 24-20". www.espn.com. Associated Press. September 15, 2019. Retrieved September 15, 2019.
  36. "Falcons defense overwhelms Allen, Panthers 29-3". www.espn.com. Associated Press. November 17, 2019. Retrieved November 17, 2019.
  37. "WR Ridley out for season with abdominal injury". ESPN.com. December 9, 2019. Retrieved December 9, 2019.
  38. "Calvin Ridley 2019 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 14, 2020.
  39. Teope, Herbie (April 27, 2019). "Bears draft WR Riley Ridley, Calvin's brother". NFL.com. Retrieved April 27, 2019.
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