Alabama’s go-to receiver last season is gone to Atlanta. Calvin Ridley became the fourth former Crimson Tide player to come off the board Thursday night as he was selected by the Atlanta Falcons with the No. 26 pick in the first round of the NFL Draft.
Former Alabama players Minkah Fitzpatrick (No. 11, Miami Dolphins), Da'Ron Payne (No. 13, Washington Redskins) and Rashaan Evans (No. 22 Tennessee Titans) heard their names called earlier in the night.
The selection ties an SEC record for most players taken from one team in the first round. The Crimson Tide also had four players taken during the first round of last year’s draft as well as in 2011 and 2012. Auburn (2005) and LSU (2007) have also had four players selected in the first round.
In Atlanta, Ridley will team up with former Alabama receiver Julio Jones.
Ridley was Alabama’s leading receiver last season, recording 63 receptions for 967 yards and five touchdowns. He finished his three-year college career second in school history with 224 receptions and 19 receiving touchdowns while ranking third with 2,781 receiving yards. Ridley caught one pass in all 44 games he played for the Crimson Tide. He pulled in the game-tying touchdown in the fourth quarter of Alabama’s comeback victory over Georgia in last season’s national championship game.
Ridley earned first-team All-SEC honors from conference coaches last season. Despite putting up big numbers, some have argued he was limited due to Alabama’s struggles in the passing game. While the former five-star will need to improve against press coverage at the next level, he has the speed and agility to be a home-run threat on any play.
