Falcons Take Calvin Ridley in 2018 NFL Draft; Twitter Lauds Julio Jones Sidekick

The Atlanta Falcons pulled off a draft-day surprise by selecting Alabama wide receiver Calvin Ridley with the No. 26 pick in the first round of the NFL draft Thursday, making him just the second player off the board at his position.

Twitter quickly reacted to the Falcons adding Ridley to play in the same receiving group with another former Alabama star, Julio Jones:

"

Soak it up, Calvin Ridley https://t.co/kB52PJXkUq pic.twitter.com/ECM1w8oPUD

— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) April 27, 2018"

Ridley spent three seasons with the Crimson Tide, registering 224 catches for 2,781 yards and 20 total touchdowns. He won two national championships with Alabama.

So what type of wideout is Atlanta getting?

B/R's Matt Miller in February described Ridley as "a smooth route-runner and a natural pass-catcher, which allows him to stand alone from the rest of the pack." Bucky Brooks of NFL Media, meanwhile, said Ridley is "as polished as they come at wideout with strong hands, excellent running skills, and precise routes."

Thor Nystrom of Rotoworld was less sold on Ridley, however:

"...I don't buy the narrative that Ridley is clearly the best receiver in this class. He has average height and a slender frame, and he's not great in contested situations. Ridley comes with the reputation of being an outstanding route runner. You'll read that in every single scouting report without fail. I wonder about that. The Alabama team I watched over the last three years mostly used Ridley on deep posts—usually in [run-pass options] or play-action scenarios—shallow crosses, and on a wide variety of screens. Apparently I'm just to assume that he can run all other routes like a maestro. Maybe he can. I'd like to see it first."

Dane Brugler of NFL Draft Scout split the difference:

He also felt that circumstance might have limited Ridley's production during his time at Alabama:

Perhaps Ridley doesn't have elite upside, but he has the game to be an immediate contributor for the Falcons and is arguably the safest wide receiver prospect in the 2018 class. It will be fascinating to see how Ridley evolves at the NFL level, where he may not be the primary focus of NFL secondaries and WILL see a bump in quarterback play with Matt Ryan under center.

The Falcons, at least, will have high expectations for their new wide receiver.

Waiting out the board to see how things played out, the Falcons landed one of the draft's biggest steals in round one. Ridley was projected to go No. 16 in Miller's final mock draft. 

After Atlanta's offense went from leading the NFL in scoring (33.8 points per game) during the 2016 season to finishing 15th (22.1) last year, something needed to change for head coach Dan Quinn. 

Putting Ridley in the same offense with Jones, Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman is going to make life difficult for defenses in the NFC South.