Steelers Draft Profile: Georgia Wide Receiver Riley Ridley

The Pittsburgh Steelers are open to many positions with the first and second rounds of the 2019 NFL Draft, including wide receiver.

School: Georgia

Position: Wide Receiver

Height: 6’-1’’

Weight: 199 Ibs

Career Stats (3 Seasons): 70 Receptions, 1026 Yards, and 13 Touchdowns

Combine: 40 Yard Dash: 4.58 seconds
Bench Press: 13 reps
3-Cone Drill: 7.22 seconds
20 Yard Shuttle: 4.28 seconds
Vertical Jump: 30.5 inches
Broad Jump: 124.0 inches

Draft Projection: Late 2nd – Early 3rd round

Strengths: Riley Ridley is the younger brother of Atlanta Falcons wide receiver, Calvin Ridley. Like his older brother, Ridley is a very smooth route runner with capable, although not outstanding athleticism. He has solid size and is capable of making contested catches. He’s very reliable when the ball is in the air and can get himself open with regularity despite a lack of outstanding physical traits.

Weaknesses: The biggest concerns about Ridley are physical. He doesn’t have great straight line speed and isn’t going to win by outmuscling a defensive back. He is the heaviest receiver and can be affected by press coverage. He also only caught more than 15 passes in his final season at Georgia. Without high-end production in college, scouts are banking on Ridley being a better pro than college player.

Analysis of Potential Selection: Ridley isn’t an incredibly exciting wide receiver prospect but he has the potential to be a very solid number two receiver in the NFL. His 4.58 second 40 time at the combine is concerning but Steelers fans shouldn’t be too worried after watching Antonio Brown become a star after only running a 4.56. Personally, I really like Ridley and see him as an instant impact player. His route running ability and ability to get open should allow him to see the field early as a second or third option in the NFL who may not make a ton of big plays but will consistently move the chains.

Grade for Potential Selection: If the Steelers made this selection with their second round pick I would probably give it a C+ if he falls to Pittsburgh at pick 66 it probably goes up to a B- and an A- at pick 83. I see Ridley as a very good value in the middle of the third round. He is the type of player that can outplay draft position early on in their career. He doesn’t have incredible upside but I see him as a player that should provide steady production early on in his career for a team trying to maximize their last few years with a franchise quarterback. The Steelers offense will look a lot different in the 2019-2020 season and Ridley could be a very good complementary piece in the Pittsburgh receiver room.