Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff was a guest on the Move the Sticks podcast today. The subject of the show was wide receivers. As Dimitroff has assembled the most talented group of them in the NFL, it’s particularly interesting to hear his thoughts on evaluating the position.
Dimitroff dished at length on what Atlanta is looking for at receiver. He believes the ability to separate is critical and he gushed about Calvin Ridley’s ability to create it.
“There’s no question you need athleticism. . . Separation is massively important for a receiver. Some people do it different ways. You know, Julio’s movement of course is different from Calvin Ridley’s. . . I had never seen a player run a route the way that he did . . . it is really fascinating to watch.”
Dimitroff also talked about the importance of having depth and diversity in the receiver room, mixing different skill-sets and sizes. He also touched on the use of analytics.
The whole thing is definitely worth listening to. You can find the full conversation here (7:29-19:15).
