One of the NFL's biggest names puts Jaguars' star in his top 5
Game recognizes game. At least that's what happened on the I Am Athlete podcast Saturday. Raiders WR Davante Adams joined host Brandon Marshall and discussed who he would put in his top five receivers in the league. Coaches, administrators, and media can opine on players and their respective rankings, but when you hear the ones […]
Game recognizes game. At least that's what happened on the I Am Athlete podcast Saturday.
Raiders WR Davante Adams joined host Brandon Marshall and discussed who he would put in his top five receivers in the league. Coaches, administrators, and media can opine on players and their respective rankings, but when you hear the ones who occupy a place at the top of those lists speak up, it's even more noteworthy.
When asked who he would put in his top five of receivers in the league, Adams put himself first (completely understandable). He then put Justin Jefferson, Tyreek Hill, and Stefon Diggs as 2A, 2B, and 3, respectively.
Then, to the surprise of Marshall, Adams named Jaguars WR Calvin Ridley as his #4.
Marshall showed a surprised look, which Adams followed up by calling for fans to be able to watch film and see what he sees with Ridley.
"If you could really see Calvin Ridley go to work the way I see him, the way I watch his tape, the way that a lot of the guys I know that know the position well watch his tape, I think it'll be a lot of – I mean, you can say whatever you want about last year. They ain't got nothing to do with football, and it was silly anyway, but he's gonna be back this year, and I think he's gonna have a really, really good year. As a receiver we don't control everything, so we control our tape. Watch the boy's tape. He's out there doing stuff to people consistently. With the routes, he don't get nobody a break." – Davante Adams on I Am Athlete podcast
That's very high praise from one of the greatest in the game, and high company that he puts Ridley in. It's not an insane comparison, as Ridley placed among those players in 2020 when he earned second-team All-Pro honors.
And Adams is spot on about Ridley's route running. Pro Football Focus gave Ridley a sterling 84.7 grade for his route running in 2020, his last full season in the league, and an 84.9 overall grade.
Ridley takes pride in his route running, which he once likened to a form of art.
"It's not a science," Ridley said. "It's an art. It's art. It's drawing. It's lines. It's separation. It is angles and stuff, that's what it is." Via Michael Rothstein, ESPN
If Ridleys route running is as good in 2023 as Adams bragged about it being on tape he's watched, then there's a decent chance Ridley will indeed be back near the top of many other people's WR lists by season's end.
