Oldfaithful
Hall of Famer
2018 Scouting Report: Calvin Ridley, Alabama, WR
This is a series of articles about players I have been personally scouting. Since I have no life I enjoy watching the tapes of several prospects. Would I consider myself an expert or a guru? Nope. I’m not applying for jobs with other teams. Would I say I’ve had more hits than misses? Yes, especially over the past three years. But that does not make my authority “final”. These articles are solely my opinion. Feel free to agree or disagree!
It’s about time that I put out a scouting report on a consensus best player at the WR position. Is he as good as everyone says, or is he being overhyped due to the depth being good? Well, let’s take a look at one of the most pro-ready prospects in the entire draft.
Pros: Everything about Calvin Ridley is textbook. His route running is superb and he’s one of the most natural route runners in recent memory. Ridley is also sure-handed as wide receivers come, with a nice soft pair of mits. Not too often that a wideout comes out this polished. He goes full speed when running his routes and you could still hit him in stride. This attribute makes him an excellent after the catch wide receiver. Given that he plays at around a 4.4 speed, he is also an excellent deep threat. The safety has to account for him at all times given this alone. He is also more than willing to go over the middle. Truth be told, Ridley is one of the easiest watches I’ve ever had on tape. Absolutely nothing about his game needs to be worked on.
Cons: He’s not perfect, just polished. There is not a particularly elite trait about him. Route running is very good, speed is very good, hands are very good. But that’s him. He’s a low ceiling, very high floor type. Nothing wrong with it, but he lacks the elite athletic ability to put him over the top as an elite prospect. He’s a tier 2 WR prospect in my opinion, if not low tier one. He needs to get bigger, which he can afford to do given that he already plays at around 4.4 speed. His cons aren’t his fault, but they can’t be worked on either. He’s also a bit older(23 years old) but that does not concern me as much. We’ve drafted 23 year old rookies before and it will still be a few seasons before he hits his prime anyway.
Pro comparison: Emmanuel Sanders. This is as accurate of a comparison as I could make. Sanders with the Broncos had nothing particularly elite about him, but he did a lot of things well that made him a #1 WR at the NFL level. Great route runner, good speed, good pair of hands, could make tough catches.
Overall Grade: First round.
Prospects this polished don’t ever go below round one at the wide receiver position unless they have an injury history(see Keenan Allen). Ridley has none of those. I don’t see an elite player when I look at Calvin Ridley, but I do see a future #1 WR. He checks literally every box you can for a wideout with the exception of elite athleticism. But if your ceiling is Emmanuel Sanders with the Broncos, and your floor is a healthy Sammy Watkins, then you’re a pretty good prospect. Neither of those two are special but when healthy they can be the top option in any passing game. Ridley is that to a “T”. If he’s there at 16, I doubt we draft anyone else. He could be a #1 WR from day one for this team and is a fit for every offense in the NFL. Other than Barkley, he is the safest offensive skill position player in the entire draft.
This is a series of articles about players I have been personally scouting. Since I have no life I enjoy watching the tapes of several prospects. Would I consider myself an expert or a guru? Nope. I’m not applying for jobs with other teams. Would I say I’ve had more hits than misses? Yes, especially over the past three years. But that does not make my authority “final”. These articles are solely my opinion. Feel free to agree or disagree!
It’s about time that I put out a scouting report on a consensus best player at the WR position. Is he as good as everyone says, or is he being overhyped due to the depth being good? Well, let’s take a look at one of the most pro-ready prospects in the entire draft.
Pros: Everything about Calvin Ridley is textbook. His route running is superb and he’s one of the most natural route runners in recent memory. Ridley is also sure-handed as wide receivers come, with a nice soft pair of mits. Not too often that a wideout comes out this polished. He goes full speed when running his routes and you could still hit him in stride. This attribute makes him an excellent after the catch wide receiver. Given that he plays at around a 4.4 speed, he is also an excellent deep threat. The safety has to account for him at all times given this alone. He is also more than willing to go over the middle. Truth be told, Ridley is one of the easiest watches I’ve ever had on tape. Absolutely nothing about his game needs to be worked on.
Cons: He’s not perfect, just polished. There is not a particularly elite trait about him. Route running is very good, speed is very good, hands are very good. But that’s him. He’s a low ceiling, very high floor type. Nothing wrong with it, but he lacks the elite athletic ability to put him over the top as an elite prospect. He’s a tier 2 WR prospect in my opinion, if not low tier one. He needs to get bigger, which he can afford to do given that he already plays at around 4.4 speed. His cons aren’t his fault, but they can’t be worked on either. He’s also a bit older(23 years old) but that does not concern me as much. We’ve drafted 23 year old rookies before and it will still be a few seasons before he hits his prime anyway.
Pro comparison: Emmanuel Sanders. This is as accurate of a comparison as I could make. Sanders with the Broncos had nothing particularly elite about him, but he did a lot of things well that made him a #1 WR at the NFL level. Great route runner, good speed, good pair of hands, could make tough catches.
Overall Grade: First round.
Prospects this polished don’t ever go below round one at the wide receiver position unless they have an injury history(see Keenan Allen). Ridley has none of those. I don’t see an elite player when I look at Calvin Ridley, but I do see a future #1 WR. He checks literally every box you can for a wideout with the exception of elite athleticism. But if your ceiling is Emmanuel Sanders with the Broncos, and your floor is a healthy Sammy Watkins, then you’re a pretty good prospect. Neither of those two are special but when healthy they can be the top option in any passing game. Ridley is that to a “T”. If he’s there at 16, I doubt we draft anyone else. He could be a #1 WR from day one for this team and is a fit for every offense in the NFL. Other than Barkley, he is the safest offensive skill position player in the entire draft.
