Ridley excited to team up with Julio
The last time the Atlanta Falcons picked a University of Alabama receiver in the first round of the NFL draft, it worked out pretty well.
So when Calvin Ridley was still on the board Thursday night as they prepared to make their first pick at No. 26, they knew what to do.
The Falcons landed another Nick Saban-coached receiver for their offensive arsenal, adding Ridley to a unit led by Julio Jones, who is preparing for his eighth NFL season after being taken sixth overall in 2011. A five-time Pro Bowl selection and three-time All-Pro — twice as a first-teamer — Jones also played for the Crimson Tide.
And now Ridley can’t wait to team up with him.
“I’m very excited to be coming in with Julio,” Ridley said in a conference call late Thursday night. “I know I’m going to learn a lot from him and become a better player, a better wide receiver. I’m just very, very happy to be in that organization.”
His excitement was tempered somewhat by where he was picked in the draft. Flashing the confidence that is a trademark of all great receivers, Ridley was clearly surprised he didn’t go much higher.
“I’m going to prove a lot of people wrong,” he said. “I’m happy the Falcons selected me, but I could’ve been picked way before. I’m going to work hard and I’m going to prove everybody wrong who always doubted me. I’m going to make everybody believe.”
The Falcons were eager to give quarterback Matt Ryan another deep threat, bolstering an offense that dipped in production last season after leading the NFL in scoring in 2016 on its way to the Super Bowl.
While defensive tackle was perceived as a priority entering the draft, Atlanta couldn’t pass up the chance to grab the 6-foot-1, 189-pound Ridley, who managed to stand out even while playing in a run-oriented offense on Alabama’s national championship team this past season. As a junior, he had 63 receptions for 967 yards and five touchdowns.
“This is another firepower weapon for us,” Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff said. “He will mix in very well in our offense.”
Although Mohamed Sanu has put up decent numbers as the No. 2 receiver, he’s not the sort of game-changer who can draw coverages away from Jones. The Falcons believe Ridley has that potential.
“His ability to create separation from the defender is really
powerful and explosive,” Atlanta coach Dan Quinn said. “We have a clear understanding of how to feature this guy in our system. We’re real excited about the things he can do.”
Ridley will also be reunited with Steve Sarkisian, who was a consultant and then briefly Alabama’s offensive coordinator before taking the same role with the Falcons.
“He was real cool,” Ridley recalled. “He was trying to get me that ball, I know that.”
Atlanta bolstered its secondary with its second-round pick Friday night, selecting Colorado cornerback Isaiah Oliver at 58th overall. The Falcons got thin at cornerback after Jalen Collins, a second-round pick in 2015, played less than two full seasons after violating drug-testing rules.
Oliver will slot in behind
starting corners Desmond Trufant and Robert Alford. An All-Pac 12 first-team selection despite missing two games with a leg injury this past season, Oliver had two interceptions and 15 passes defended.
Under first-time coordinator Marquand Manuel last season, the Falcons’ defense was better than the year before, moving into the top 10 in scoring and total yards for the first time at the end of the regular season since the 1998 Falcons advanced to the Super Bowl.
The difference came in giving up fewer explosive plays. Atlanta improved 15 spots to rank No. 8 in passes of at least 20 yards allowed and went from 25th to No. 2 in runs of at least 20 yards allowed.
In the third round, with the 90th pick overall, Atlanta took South Florida defensive tackle Deadrin Senat (6-0, 314).
Titans trade again
The Tennessee Titans willingly paid a big price to make sure their defense got younger and deeper in the front seven.
For the second straight night, they moved up to acquire the linebacker they wanted. Tennessee chose Boston College outside linebacker Harold Landry with the 41st overall pick after sending the Oakland Raiders the 57th and 89th overall selections — its second-round and thirdround picks.
The Titans weren’t scheduled to draft again until today’s fifth round, and their only other picks are two in the sixth round. Titans general manager Jon Robinson believes the quality of Landry and first-round pick Rashaan Evans of Alabama will make up for their draft’s lack of quantity.
“Two guys that were certainly worthy of going in the first round,” Robinson said of his picks.
The Titans traded up three spots in the first round Thursday to take Evans with the 22nd overall pick. Tennessee had traded its fourth-round selection to the Baltimore Ravens when the two teams swapped first-round picks in the deal, which also got the Titans their extra sixth-rounder.
Landry, who is listed as 6-foot-2 and 252 pounds, opted to return to Boston College for his senior year after recording 16.5 sacks to set a single-season school record in 2016. He recorded five sacks in eight games last year before an ankle injury shut him down for the remainder of the season
“I’m 100 percent healthy,” Landry said, “and ready to go to work right now.”