The Pittsburgh Steelers should be in the market for a wide receiver with Antonio Brown traded to the Oakland (Vegas?) Raiders. Signing Donte Moncrief was a good, heads up signing since he has still to hit his peak. The Steelers may want to wait until Day Two to get another receiver into the mix, so today we dive into Riley Ridley’s tape, who met with the Steelers at the NFL Scouting Combine.
Background
Riley Ridley
University of Georgia
Wide Receiver
6’1”, 199lbs
Junior
– Real name is Cavin
– Majored in Communication Studies
– Recipient of AJ Green Family Scholarship
– Brother is a former 1st round draft pick as a wide receiver for the Atlanta Falcons
– Met with the Steelers at the NFL Scouting Combine
2018 Combine
40 yard dash: 4.58
Vertical jump: 30.5″
Broad jump: 124″
Bench press of 225lbs: 13 reps
3-cone drill: 7.22s
20-yd shuttle: 4.28s
2018 Stats
43 receptions for 559 yards (13ypc), 9 TD
What’s To Like
Has NFL bloodlines, has a brother in the NFL as a wide receiver with the Atlanta Falcons. Has an NFL build and frame to work upon. Quick, twitchy and explosive off the line of scrimmage. Electric and shifty after the catch, creates space and YAC. Runs crisp routes, no wasted movements. Nuanced route runner who can handle a broad route tree. Possesses elite balance through contact, if not wrapped up, escapability is imminent. Stops on a dime with curl or breaking routes. Creates separation with different routes in a variety of ways (quick cuts in routes, speed, release, etc). Excellent sideline awareness. Decent at the contested catch point.
This is a disgustingly good job of Riley Ridley using his leverage, high pointing the ball, and then showing off amazing body control. pic.twitter.com/XGNJusbGAC
— Nick Farabaugh (@FarabaughFB) March 9, 2019
Riley Ridley destroys the safety on a great route for the TD!#RileyRidley@EatSleepFF @ESFDD pic.twitter.com/zblk9gvjRW
— John Chapman (@JL_Chapman) February 28, 2019
Concerns
Production and volume are quite concerning. Never caught more than six receptions in a game in his collegiate career nor has he topped 90 yards in a single game. Has a long way to go with run blocking: technique and comfortability aren’t up to NFL standards. Needs to come back to the football, can’t wait for the ball to get to him. Not many targets and receptions down field, mostly intermediate routes. Really failed in the vertical jump and 3-cone drills at the NFL Scouting Combine.
Verdict
Although Ridley is a low volume, low production player, his ceiling is sky high. His quarterback often missed him create separation and become wide open, sometimes targeted Ridley with uncatchable balls. The crispness and nuance in Ridley’s routes are very attractive, as well as his ability after the catch. Rildey’s achilles heel is his run blocking, which could be taught and improved at the next level as we don’t know how much emphasis was put in this area at Georgia. I really like Ridley’s ability to play outside and could slide into the slot as well. I would target Ridley in round two to play the X, replacing the departure of Antonio Brown.
Grade: Day Two
Projection: Round Two
Games Watched: 2019 Texas, 2018 Missouri, 2018 Kentucky, 2018 Tennessee,
Credits: Youtube, Sports Reference, AlbanyHerald (img), Gerogia Football Website