'Best is Yet to Come': Do Falcons Have Top 10 Receiving Corps?

Drake London spearheads a new-look group of pass catchers for the Atlanta Falcons.

Drake London highlights the Atlanta Falcons' receiving core. / Dale Zanine-USA TODAY Sports

The Atlanta Falcons' receiver room looks much different now than it did when the 2023 season came to a close.

Only two wideouts who caught passes last year - Drake London and KhaDarel Hodge - are still on the roster. Mack Hollins, Scotty Miller and Van Jefferson are out. Darnell Mooney, Rondale Moore, Ray-Ray McCloud and sixth-round rookie Casey Washington are in.

Atlanta also returns running back Bijan Robinson, who caught 58 passes for 487 yards and a team-high four touchdowns last season, and tight end Kyle Pitts, who posted 53 receptions for 667 yards and three scores.

As a result of the talent influx paired with a trio of key returners, the Falcons' receiving core is viewed in much higher regard than before - but still not enough to be considered a top-10 unit by Pro Football Focus. PFF ranked the Falcons' receiving corps at No. 13 league-wide.

"We're buying into the Falcons' potential with Kirk Cousins now at quarterback," PFF's Trevor Sikkema writes. "London has back-to-back seasons of earning 78.0-plus receiving grades, and Pitts hasn’t played as poorly as the narratives might indicate, earning receiving grades above 72.0 in all three seasons with poor quarterback play.

"Atlanta added Mooney and Moore for some improved team speed, and the offense can also rely on Robinson’s receiving ability out of the backfield. The best is yet to come for this group."

The Falcons' receiving core was ranked No. 2 in the NFC South, trailing only the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who came in at No. 11. As for the other two division foes, the New Orleans Saints slotted at No. 24 while the Carolina Panthers were rated a lowly 29th.

The San Francisco 49ers and Miami Dolphins earned the top two spots in the rankings, followed by the Philadelphia Eagles, Chicago Bears and Houston Texans. The top-10 finished with the Minnesota Vikings, Detroit Lions, Los Angeles Rams, Cincinnati Bengals and Seattle Seahawks.

Atlanta ranked No. 24 in the same exercise a season ago. It is now up to No. 13, and if Mooney and Pitts return to the level they showed earlier in their professional careers, that number only figures to climb in the months - and years - ahead.