Ridley’s signature wraps up deals for rookies

The Atlanta Falcons signed first-round draft pick Calvin Ridley to a four-year contract with a fifth-year option Wednesday, according to his agents, completing the signing of the team’s rookie class for 2018.

The Falcons confirmed the signing Thursday.

Ridley was selected 26th overall in the NFL draft in late April, and his deal previously was projected to be worth $10.9 million. He caught 224 passes for 2,781 yards and 19 touchdowns in his three-year collegiate career at Alabama.

Maryland’s D.J. Moore was the first wide receiver selected in the draft, going 24th to the Carolina Panthers, and two picks later, the Falcons selected Ridley.

The Falcons were pleased with Ridley’s offseason.

“Comfort wise, he probably came in a little bit ahead of the curve,” Falcons coach Dan Quinn said recently. “Not only did Alabama use some of the same prostyle concepts that we feature, some of the terminology had even been the same.”

Ridley was delighted to flip through the playbook.

“You could imagine how excited he was to see the playbook and see some of the same language that he’d been studying for three years,” Quinn said. “There was an instant sense of ‘OK, they call it the same thing here.’ So that was helpful.”

The Falcons fell in love with Ridley at Alabama’s pro day, where his route-running was deemed exquisite. That carried over to the Falcons’ offseason program, but Ridley’s biggest challenge has been to get to the correct depth on his routes and end up where the quarterback is expecting him.

“He was so mindful to get it exactly at the right depths, and then as the practices went on, you saw more of the speed come on because he had a real assurance of the right spot, the right space and where to break guys off,” Quinn said. “So I’m encouraged. The speed and the athleticism, all of the things you saw on tape, that all came to life.”

Over the past five seasons, there have been four rookies to eclipse 1,000 receiving yards:

› In 2016, the New Orleans Saints’ Michael Thomas caught 92 passes for 1,137 yards and nine touchdowns.

› In 2015, the Oakland Raiders’ Amari Cooper caught 72 passes for 1,070 yards and six touchdowns.

› In 2014, the New York Giants’ Odell Beckham Jr. caught 91 passes for 1,305 yards and 12 touchdowns.

› In 2013, the San Diego Chargers’ Keenan Allen caught 71 passes for 1,046 yards and eight touchdowns.

Last season broke the trend as Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp led the league’s rookies in catches with 62 and the Pittsburgh Steelers’ JuJu SmithSchuster led them in receiving yards with 917.

The Falcons believe Ridley’s potential is great.

“I knew he was a good competitor,” Quinn said. “I probably didn’t know how strong a football IQ he had. As you can tell, he’s really equipped in that way. He’s able to handle concepts, information, shifts, adjust on the run, learn things quickly. I’m looking forward to seeing all of things he can do.”

NFL draft analyst Mike Mayock insisted Ridley was only a slot receiver and doesn’t have the frame to play outside.

“We’ve featured him more outside than inside, then we played him at slot and he responded well,” Quinn said.

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