One third of the Atlanta Falcons' new, tantalizing trio of receivers just put his pen to paper.
First-round selection Calvin Ridley signed his rookie contract Thursday, the team announced. The agency representing Ridley, SportsTrust Advisors first tweeted Ridley agreed to his deal Wednesday.
Ridley, the 26th-overall pick of the Falcons out of Alabama, joins fellow former Crimson Tide star Julio Jones in what is expected to become one of the more dangerous three-man receiving combinations in football. Alongside Jones and Mohamed Sanu, Ridley brings excellent, pro-ready route-running ability along with elite speed and separation skills that should immediately translate. When lined up with Jones and Sanu, Ridley will enjoy the benefit of less attention than the average first-round receiver, increasing his chances of early success.
He'll be running routes for one of the NFL's best quarterbacks in Matt Ryan. When combined with the former league MVP, Atlanta's offense stands to be one of the NFL's best. It's certainly one of its most imposing units, at least on paper.