The Atlanta Falcons and their fans still have no idea what is going on with Calvin Ridley, but as of right now it seems like Calvin Ridley will not be an Atlanta Falcon next season. Jon Chuckery isn’t convinced Calvin Ridley will definitely be traded quite yet, but earlier today during his show Chuck did talk about whether or not the Falcons should draft a wide receiver or pick up a wide receiver in free agency if Ridley is indeed traded.
As far as the draft goes, Jon isn’t opposed to the Falcons drafting a wide receiver as long as it isn’t in the first two rounds. Jon says “ I wouldn’t mind the Falcons investing capital in like let's say the third round.” With the Falcons having three draft picks in the top sixty this year, thanks to the Julio Jones trade, Chuck believes the Falcons have to “invest all of that capital in their lines of scrimmage.” Now, Jon pointed out that you can find good talent anywhere in the third round, especially at wide receiver, reminding us that Cooper Kupp was a third round pick, sixty-ninth overall, in the 2017 NFL Draft. However, if the Falcons were to get an additional second-round pick because of the Calvin Ridley trade he says he “wouldn’t be mad at spending one of those on a quality wide-receiver.” However, when it boils down to it, Chuck thinks addressing the trenches should be the theme of the 2022 NFL Draft for the Atlanta Falcons.
Jon Chuckery doesn’t think the Falcons will find a guy in the draft that will come in and immediately replace what Calvin Ridley was doing for them, but Chuck doesn’t believe in overpaying for a position like wide receiver in the open free agency market either, so where does that leave us? Chuck thinks even if the guy isn’t a wide receiver but a pass catcher in general he thinks the Dirty Birds could find an affordable number two or three option with Kyle Pitts now the obvious number one pass catching open. Jon threw out some names like Evan Ingram and A.J Green as affordable and productive free agents that could work out for the Falcons. Chuck believes if you combine drafting a young guy in the third round and then bringing in a veteran receiver like A.J Green that is a formula that could work well for the Falcons.
While Jon believes the Falcons need to address the glaring holes on the offensive and defensive lines with the eight overall pick instead of a wide receiver. He thinks the Falcons do have some solid options to replace Calvin Ridley if that does indeed become the case. It will be interesting to see what the Atlanta Falcons do to address the wide receiver position, and who knows Arthur Smith got the most out of Cordarrelle Patterson last season, who's to say Smith can’t do the same thing with a veteran wide receiver, and maybe just maybe Terry Fontenot finds the next Cooper Kupp with the seventy-fourth overall pick as well.
