Falcons WR Group Ranks Outside of PFF’s Top 10

With former first-round pick Michael Penix Jr. taking over as the Atlanta Falcons’ full-time starting quarterback, one of the biggest advantages for his development will be Atlanta’s established and well-rounded wide receiver room. 

While Drake London is coming off a career-high 100 receptions and 1,271 yards, and Darnell Mooney narrowly missed the 1,000-yard mark while hauling in a career-high five touchdowns, the Falcons’ receiving corps still ranked just outside of PFF’s top 10.

“Drake London came in at No. 11 in PFF's wide receiver rankings after garnering a 90.1 PFF receiving grade in 2024, which ranked fifth among wide receivers,” PFF's Trevor Sikkema said. “Bijan Robinson’s 82.2 PFF receiving grade placed fifth among running backs who played at least 100 receiving snaps, and Darnell Mooney’s 74.6 mark was one of the more underrated performances from a WR 2 this past year. If the Falcons can get anything at all from Kyle Pitts, this becomes a very diverse group.”

London and Mooney both had two of the best seasons of their careers, despite former starter Kirk Cousins experiencing one of the worst seasons of his. Now, with a full offseason for Penix Jr. to build chemistry with his receivers, this unit has the potential to take another leap forward.

Besides Atlanta’s top two receivers, Ray-Ray McCloud emerged as a reliable option in the slot option while hauling in a career-high 62 passes for 682 yards. According to PFF, McCloud’s most productive areas of the field were on short passes over the middle (15 receptions on 18 targets) and intermediate throws down the middle (12 receptions on 18 targets).

While McCloud is coming off the best season of his career, fifth-year tight end Kyle Pitts will enter the season with plenty to prove. After a Pro Bowl rookie season and being drafted fourth overall in 2021, Pitts hasn’t lived up to expectations, though it's worth noting he hasn’t had a stable quarterback situation since Matt Ryan was under center.

Pro Bowl running back Bijan Robinson is also one of the league’s top receiving backs, finishing with the third-most catches (61) among NFL running backs last season. As Penix Jr. continues to grow more comfortable working through his progressions and adjusting to the complexity of NFL defenses, Robinson can serve as a reliable security blanket.