In his first season with the Falcons, Calvin Ridley proved to be one of the most dynamic and productive young wide receivers in the NFL.
RELATED CONTENT
Ridley led all rookie receivers with 64 catches for 821 yards and 10 touchdowns in 2018, and he broke the Falcons' rookie record for touchdown receptions. Six of his 10 touchdown receptions came in the first four games of the season, which set a new NFL record.
Yes, Ridley benefitted from playing opposite of Julio Jones and Mohamed Sanu, but it's clear he thrived early and often in his first NFL season. In fact, playing in such a productive offense meant he wasn't going to be force-fed the ball.
After such a strong rookie season, the future looks bright for Ridley as a key part of an explosive offense. But where exactly does Ridley's great start to his NFL career stack up against the rookie seasons of other star wide receivers throughout history?
Let's take a look at not all, but 15 of the more notable names and rookie seasons (plus Ridley's):
| Player | Targets | Receptions | Yards | Yards/Rec. | Touchdowns | Yards/Game |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Anquan Boldin | 165 | 101 | 1,377 | 13.63 | 8 | 86.1 |
| Randy Moss | 124 | 69 | 1,313 | 19.03 | 17 | 82.1 |
| Odell Beckham Jr. | 130 | 91 | 1,305 | 14.34 | 12 | 108.8 |
| Mike Evans | 122 | 68 | 1,051 | 15.46 | 12 | 70.1 |
| Julio Jones | 95 | 54 | 959 | 17.76 | 8 | 73.8 |
| Jerry Rice | N/A | 49 | 927 | 18.92 | 3 | 57.9 |
| DeSean Jackson | 120 | 62 | 912 | 14.71 | 2 | 57.0 |
| T.Y. Hilton | 90 | 50 | 861 | 17.22 | 7 | 57.4 |
| Marvin Harrison | 118 | 64 | 836 | 13.06 | 8 | 52.3 |
| Calvin Ridley | 92 | 64 | 821 | 12.83 | 10 | 51.3 |
| DeAndre Hopkins | 91 | 52 | 802 | 15.42 | 2 | 50.1 |
| Torry Holt | 97 | 52 | 788 | 15.15 | 6 | 49.3 |
| Calvin Johnson | 93 | 48 | 756 | 15.75 | 4 | 50.4 |
| Terrell Owens | 58 | 35 | 520 | 14.86 | 4 | 32.5 |
| Roddy White | 69 | 29 | 446 | 15.38 | 3 | 27.9 |
| Antonio Brown | 19 | 16 | 167 | 10.44 | 0 | 18.6 |
Of the players on this list with more receiving yards as a rookie, only T.Y. Hilton had fewer targets, and only Julio Jones had fewer than 118 targets. Ridley made the most of the looks he got, catching 69.6 percent of the passes thrown his way, which was the 19th-best catch rate of any NFL receiver in his rookie season.
Although his yards per reception mark appears low, that could simply be the result of the role he had in an offense filled with talent at the skill positions. Ridley had plenty of explosive plays for the Falcons in his first year, catching 15 passes that resulted in gains of 15 yards or more. He also had two 75-yard touchdown catches.
Ridley also showed an incredible knack for getting to the end zone. His 10 touchdown catches not only set a Falcons rookie record, they were tied for the 10th most of any rookie receiver in NFL history. Among active players, only Odell Beckham and Mike Evans had more touchdown catches in their first season. That's not bad company to keep.
It's up to Ridley to ultimately determine where his career goes from here, but it's clear he's off to a pretty great start.
