Steven Ridley’s 2018 NFL Mock Draft

With the nineteenth overall selection in the 2018 Steven Ridley NFL Mock Draft, the Dallas Cowboys select:

Calvin Ridley; Wide Receiver from the University of Alabama.

Having Dez Bryant on the team had initially allowed Jerry Jones to select a defensive player with this pick. Now that Dez is gone, expect a receiver to be selected early. Given the fact that Dak will now need even more receiving help than ever before, drafting the most polished receiver in the class is a good way to start 2018 from Dak experiencing another slump. While Ridley is not the deep threat that Dez was, having a player who can play to your Quarterbacks strengths far outweighs any sort or form of deficiency your offense lacks in explosive capabilities. Just becasue the league now is geared more towards offense does not mean you attempt to create an offense where your signal caller cannot succeed. The draft is about strengthening your strengths. In the case of the Cowboys, intermediate throws are what made Dak so great in year one; Ezekiel Elliot being the other. While Ridley is just overall okay as an athlete and more physical corners will cause him issues, his footwork, route running and vast knowledge of the route tree will aid both him and Dak; turning Dallas into possible playoff contenders yet again.