FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — When the new league year officially began in March, the Atlanta Falcons had only one wide receiver rostered.
Drake London.
Since then, however, another 13 have been added. Some are familiar. Most are not.
"I like my boys," Falcons wide receivers coach Ike Hilliard said. "It's obviously a personal thing. But I'd be a fool to say I built it myself. Because that's not the case at all."
General manager Terry Fontenot, head coach Raheem Morris and offensive coordinator Zac Robinson, among others, obviously had a hand in all of the signings.
Hilliard, though, has likely gotten to know each one of them more as their specific coach.
"I could go through the list of young kids and give them all love," Hilliard said.
And he basically did just that, hitting on 10 of the 14 wide receivers.
To be fair, two Hilliard missed hadn't signed yet: Daylen Baldwin and OJ Hiliare. The others were a pair of undrafted free agents: Isaiah Wooden and JaQuae Jackson.
Also, the wide receivers are tied for the third largest position group when it comes to overall body count in Atlanta at the moment.
"I like the room," Hilliard said. "I think for us, when you breed competition that way, it brings out the best in everybody. It's cliché, but it's true."
Below are snippets of how Hilliard described the majority of his players.
Drake London
6-foot-4, 213 pounds, 22 years old
2023 team: Falcons
Hilliard: "We don't see Drake as just a jump-ball guy. We're going to see more routes from him, more isolations underneath and in the intermediate passing game."
Darnell Mooney
5-foot-11, 177 pounds, 26 years old
2023 team: Chicago Bears
Hilliard: "He's a down-the-field player, yards-per-catch guy. He's an excellent route runner. He's very, very instinctive. Great hands. Great after the catch."
Josh Ali
6-foot, 200 pounds, 25 years old
2023 team: Falcons practice squad
Hilliard: "He's had some unfortunate bad luck with breaking his ankle and his ACL. But his strength is getting better. He's performing well. We're excited about his potential growth."
Chris Blair
6-foot-2, 198 pounds, 26 years old
2023 team: Falcons practice squad
Hilliard: "For a bigger human, he's quietly separating like a smaller human. He's doing some really good things for a guy his size, that's caught some people's eyes."
Ray-Ray McCloud
5-foot-9, 190 pounds, 27 years old
2023 team: San Francisco 49ers
Hilliard: "Obviously, that's my baby to have. I think people know that, it's been well-documented. I spent time with Ray in Pittsburgh, and he's been as advertised."
Austin Mack
6-foot-2, 215 pounds, 26 years old
2023 team: CFL, Montreal Alouettes
Hilliard: "He's kind of taken a longer road. He's a guy that can play all three positions. Just enough savvy to do well. We're excited to throw him in a competition and see where it lands."
Rondale Moore
5-foot-7, 181 pounds, 23 years old
2023 team: Arizona Cardinals
Hilliard: "For a guy that's that fast, and then be able to play the receiver position instead of being a gadget guy, there are so many more things that he can put on tape that I think people are going to be excited about as well."
Casey Washington
6-foot, 200 pounds, 23 years old
2024 NFL Draft: Round 6, Pick 187
Hilliard: "He's a kid that's extremely tough. Really, really good hand-eye coordination. Strong hands. … I would speak for all of us in saying that we're pleased with where he is right now but there's room for growth there."
KhaDarel Hodge
6-foot-2, 208 pounds, 29 years old
2023 team: Falcons
Hilliard: "Red is showing people that he's more of a special teamer. He's taken advantage of every opportunity that he's been given. He's caught just about every damn ball that's been thrown to him, so that's exciting for us as well."
Dylan Drummond
6-foot, 186 pounds, 24 years old
2023 team: Detroit Lions/New York Giants practice squads
Hilliard: "Extremely sharp. Good movement skills. Not overly fast, but more savvy and crafty than most younger guys. It's almost as if he's a seasoned veteran. … I'm excited personally about Dylan. I like where he's at. I love the way he communicates the game. I love that he can plug and play in any -- in any -- situation."
