If there’s one area of the Falcons roster that is still concerning, it’s the wide receiver room. Drake London is the only worthwhile body of the position group, with Mack Hollins and Scotty Miller assuming depth roles.
However, the Falcons aren’t as reliant as other teams on receivers. First off, it’s a run heavy offense that features a number of pass catchers outside of the receiver position. Kyle Pitts and Jonnu Smith form arguably the best tight end duo in the league, while Cordarrelle Patterson and Bijan Robinson should be regarded as offensive weapons and not running backs.
Even still, it doesn’t impress PFF’s Trevor Sikkema, who ranked the Falcons receiving corps the 24th-best in the league entering the 2023 campaign.
It’s a limited pass-catching group in Atlanta, but the two guys they lean on the most, Kyle Pitts and Drake London, have the talent to make it a decent passing attack.
London earned a team-high 85.3 receiving grade in 2022, with 866 receiving yards. Pitts didn’t have as many receiving yards as he did the previous season, but he was an even bigger part of the offense, having been targeted on 26.5% of his routes.
Throw in whatever Bijan Robinson will give them in the passing game, and they have some good players, albeit a shallow number of good players.
Sikkema is regarded among the best football minds in the media, but I don’t think he’s giving enough credit to what Jonnu Smith, Bijan Robinson, and Cordarrelle Patterson offer.
Robinson will quickly establish himself among the league’s best receiving backs, and Patterson is already there. Moreover, just a couple of years ago, Smith was regarded as a Pro Bowl tight end in Arthur Smith’s offense.
It’s not some top 10 receiving core, but it’s certainly better than the 24th.
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Photographer: Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire
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