Ridley was selected by the Falcons in the first round – No. 26 overall – during April's NFL Draft, and he was viewed by many draft analysts as the top receiver in the class. In his three seasons at the University of Alabama, Ridley caught 224 passes for 2,781 yards and 19 touchdowns.

"I told you yesterday, I like the rookie class. "I think in seven or eight months from now we'll look back and say, 'Alright coach, who were the ones who had the impact?' Some of the men that are standing here are going to have a significant impact on our team. Which ones those are going to be? That's yet to be determined, but it's a good group – one that there's a number of them [who] are really worth developing."