Following the recent Calvin Ridley suspension, the Atlanta Falcons are left in a surefire deficit at wide receiver. While they were likely already planning on selecting a prospect in the upcoming NFL Draft, now their hand is certainly being forced. NFL Analyst Charles Davis joined Dukes & Bell to discuss potential options.
The Atlanta Falcons are gambling on their future, but fortunately for them, their odds are pretty good. This just so happens to be a very deep draft at the wide receiver position.
"Just throw a dart up at the board at the combine and you'll get someone in the second or third round," Davis told Dukes & Bell Wednesday. "And I'm not saying that to be facetious, this a deep group of wide receivers again."
Let it be noted that Combine performances do not guarantee any level of success at the next level, but it did go to show how talented - and most importantly deep - this crop of receivers is.
It would be easy to fixate on the top end of the talent pool with guys like Drake London from USC, Jameson Williams from Alabama, the Ohio State pair of Chris Olave and Garrett Wilson, or do-everything man Treylon Burks from Arkansas. All of these would be fantastic options for the Atlanta Falcons if they opted for a receiver early. With the depth of talent here, it would be difficult to go wrong.
Even if the Falcons opt not to pursue an early-round receiver, there are plenty of options available.
One under the radar name to watch is Tyquan Thornton. The 6'3" senior receiver caught 62 passes for 948 yards and 10 touchdowns on a Baylor squad that won double-digit games last season, but many didn't even know his name before the combine. He nearly "slipped through the cracks", but he certainly exploded onto multiple teams' draft boards after running a blistering 4.28 forty.
Another name to keep an eye on is Wan'Dale Robinson from Kentucky. SEC fans remember this All-SEC second teamer when he burst onto the scene after transferring from Nebraska to be closer to family. He broke school records for receiving with 104 receptions covering 1,334 yards. The guy can do it all, but his diminutive size (5'8", 178 pounds) could see him drop to later rounds.
A third name to watch is out of the FCS ranks, Christian Watson. The North Dakota State product "is a stud" says Charles Davis. "The speed did not freeze in Fargo, the kid can flat out run. Big tall frame. Solid kid." Watson emerged after a great showing at the Senior Bowl in Mobile earlier this year.
This is looking like the new normal for football. "The way the game is being played," Davis told Dukes & Bell, "We're going to be saying that (how deep receiver groups are) until we're blue in the face."
The Atlanta Falcons have three picks in the first two rounds (one courtesy of the Tennessee Titans in the trade for Julio Jones) and it would be surprising if they didn't take their future lead guy with one of those selections. That being said, there is talent littered throughout this class and the Falcons can be the benefactors regardless of where they take their future receiver.
