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Pros and Cons of Lions Trading for Atlanta Falcons WR Calvin Ridley

Read more on the pros and cons of the Detroit Lions trading for Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Calvin Ridley.
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The Lions direly could use a No. 1 wide receiver, and the Falcons' Calvin Ridley could be just the guy to fill the void.

Ridley, who will be just 27 years old during the majority of the 2022 season, possesses an immense amount of talent. 

The Alabama product put together a career-best, 1,000-yard season in 2020, amassing 1,374 yards and nine touchdowns on 90 catches.

Additionally, among receivers with at least 50 percent of 193 snaps in 2020, Ridley ranked first in average depth of target (15.4 yards), fifth in yards per route run (2.44) and fifth in yards per reception (15.3).

There's no doubt the 2018 first-round draft pick (No. 26 overall) would instantly upgrade Detroit's receivers room.

The only problem is Ridley might not want to play another down of football. He suited up for only five games in 2021 in order to focus on his mental health, and there's no guarantee that he wants to continue being an NFL player.

If Brad Holmes and Detroit's front-office brass find out that Ridley is still interested in playing, though, they should definitely look into making a trade for the Florida native.

Ridley could likely benefit from a change of scenery, which has already been speculated, and Detroit, with its newly established positive culture, could be a perfect landing spot for him.

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The next step is figuring out the return it would take to acquire his services.

At the very least, it'd be expected that Atlanta would demand one of Detroit's two first-round picks in this year's draft. I'd imagine Holmes & Co. could get away with giving up the second first-rounder, acquired from the the Los Angeles Rams last offseason as part of the Matthew Stafford trade, as part of a deal for the star wideout. 

In order to execute the trade, the Lions would likely have to part with additional draft capital, too (i.e. pick No. 66 overall in the third round).

This kind of compensation package might be too rich for Detroit's liking. 

Yet, if this package was presented to Holmes & Co. by the Falcons, the Lions should at the very least consider it, because landing Ridley would go a long way toward helping the organization's rebuild move in the right direction.