Calvin Ridley Impressed Hall of Fame Receiver Michael Irvin at NFL Combine “Imagine If Somebody Like Chicago Got This Kid?”
Alabama wide receiver Calvin Ridley was most impressive in his workouts at the NFL Scouting Combine in Indianapolis.
He finished among the 10 best receivers in the 40-yard dash (4.43 seconds) and in the 40-yard-dash and 3-cone drill (6.88). And while putting up solid workout numbers is good for Ridley’s draft stock, leaving Hall of Fame wide receiver Michael Irvin awestruck is impressive in its own right.
“It’s special. He has every gift you want,” Irvin said on NFL Network while watching Ridley to receiver drills. “The ability to accelerate – and did you see how he stopped and came out of that transition? That transition from that 9-route to that 4-route; from the takeoff to the square-in. It’s incredible.”
Not only did Irvin praise Ridley’s route-running, he envisioned one destination where he could be great.
“I love this kid … can you imagine if somebody like Chicago got this kid?”
Back in December, Ridley’s name started popping up in connection with the Bears when Bleacher Report’s Matt Miller reported “the team is all about” the talented Alabama wideout. Fast forward to February, when a consensus started to form around the idea of the Bears taking Ridley in the first round of the NFL Draft. For what it’s worth, Ridley seems OK with the idea of Chicago choosing him with the eighth pick.
Ridley met with the Bears on Friday at the Combine, where he has sounded quite confident in his skills.
“I just feel like I worked hard to get here where I am and I feel like I deserve to be in that area,” Ridley said when asked why he believed he was the draft’s best receiver prospect, via Michael Casagrande of Al.com. “I have the film to prove it and I put in the work.”
Despite playing in a run-oriented offense, Ridley has impressive film from his time catching passes for the Crimson Tide. Now he has impressive workout numbers to back it up, as well as a Hall of Famer’s seal of approval. What else could the Bears want out of a receiver prospect?
