The team’s top three receivers all had career years in one way or another.
The difference a quarterback can make. Having Kirk Cousins before he entirely fell apart and then Michael Penix down the stretch gave Drake London and (arguably, at least) Darnell Mooney their best quarterbacking of their young careers, and they took full advantage of it. Hell, Ray-Ray McCloud went from roster hopeful to productive third receiver, so for all the justified angst over Cousins this passing game still had its huge bright spots.
The beautiful part? The Falcons need depth at receiver and could use a compelling, young third option, but their top three guys are all under contract for 2025 and get a full year with Penix under center. This team is well-positioned at the…well, position. Let’s talk about it our wide receiver review.
Drake London
Age: 23 | NFL experience 3 years
2024 stats: 100 receptions, 1,271 yards, 9 receiving touchdowns, 56.3% success rate, 63.3% catch rate, 12.7 yards per reception, 5 drops; 1 rushing attempt, -3 yards
We spent the past two years talking about what would happen if London wasn’t plagued by off-targets throws by the likes of Marcus Mariota, Desmond Ridder, and Taylor Heinicke, and we found out in 2024. London’s willingness to bulldoze through contact, quality hands, and ability to make contested catches all made him intriguing and productive, but 2024 was his true breakout year.
London posted career highs in receptions (by 28 catches), yards (by 366 yards), and touchdowns (by five), drawing routinely high targets from Cousins and then especially from Penix, who threw him the ball 23 times in the season’s final two weeks. London’s previously underappreciated red zone utility as a big, sure-handed player with underrated route running skills was cemented by his performance this year, and his ability to win down the sideline and over the middle of the field endeared him to Penix, this team’s new franchise quarterback.
The arrow is pointing way up for London, in other words, and he’ll only be 24 years old this season. If all goes well, expect to see him dominating hapless defensive backs and reeling in Penix bombs for years to come.
Darnell Mooney
Age: 27 | NFL experience 5 years
2024 stats: 64 receptions, 992 yards, 5 receiving touchdowns, 51.9% success rate, 60.4% catch rate, 15.5 yards per reception, 6 drops
A handful of drops and miscues marred Mooney’s season, and injury cost him a game. Otherwise, his first season in Atlanta was a wild and unmitigated success, as a player Kirk Cousins and this front office fought hard to bring to the Falcons showed he was well worth the addition.
A lightning fast receiver and super smooth route runner, Mooney was a magician working downfield all season. He had seven games over 80 yards and averaged over 20 yards per reception three times, showing a winning rapport with Cousins and a quality one in that brief spell with Penix. Mooney’s deadliness as a sideline option because of his body control and shiftiness were critical to this passing game’s success all season long, and he posted a career high in receiving touchdowns (by one) and had his second-best season in terms of yardage and receptions with Atlanta.
With a full season with Penix, whose arm is custom-built to take advantage of Mooney’s speed, he should be able to follow up a terrific first season in Atlanta with one that could exceed his 2024 production. I’m excited to see Mooney build on this start.
Ray-Ray McCloud
Age: 28 | NFL experience 7 years
2024 stats: 62 receptions, 686 yards, 1 receiving touchdown, 51.7% success rate, 71.3% catch rate, 11.1 yards per reception, 3 drops, 4 fumbles; 10 rushes, 79 yards
While London and Mooney hit career highs this past season, nobody had a more dramatic career season than McCloud. His previous career marks were 39 receptions and 277 receiving yards, meaning he more than doubled his yardage output as a receiver in 2024. That’s pretty wild.
It’s also a credit to McCloud, who made himself indispensable to a feeble-armed Cousins over the middle of the field and was still making quality catches when Penix took over. McCloud regularly won in traffic, making tough grabs through contact and showing previously untapped ability as a receiver. While I could see the Falcons looking for a new third receiver in 2025, McCloud should maintain a real role because that ability to win over the middle was legitimately impressive.
The sour notes? McCloud had a couple of the most poorly-timed drops you can imagine and was prone to fumbling, leading me to dub him the most chaotic player on an offense where non-quarterbacks largely did a brilliant job of not turning the ball over. That was a legitimate problem, but given expectations for McCloud and his production earlier in this career, this season was a wild success for him and the Falcons alike.
KhaDarel Hodge
Age: 30 | NFL experience 7 years
2024 stats: 7 receptions, 131 yards, 1 touchdown, 50.0% success rate, 57.1% catch rate, 18.7 yards per reception, 1 drop
An absolutely vital special teamer, Hodge played a small but hugely important role as a receiver in 2024 with some nice grabs in key situations. None were bigger than his overtime 45 yard touchdown against the Buccaneers, where he stepped in for an injured Drake London and took the Kirk Cousins pass to the house, one of the single most impressive plays of the season on offense and a game-winner.
Hodge is so good on special teams—he a fumbled punt recovered for a touchdown and blocked multiple punts—that he’s a virtual lock to return to Atlanta. The fact that you can occasionally count on him for a big play on offense is a major bonus.
Casey Washington
Age: 23 | NFL experience: Rookie
2024 stats: 1 reception, 14 yards, 50.0% success rate, 50% catch rate, 14 yards per reception
Washington’s rookie season featured one nice grab on a Michael Penix laser in garbage time, a little bit of special teams work, and not much else. He may push hard for a larger role in 2025, as the receiver came to the NFL with a reputation for sure hands, but he’ll have plenty of competition as well with the Falcons adding receiver talent already and likely back on the hunt in the NFL Draft.
Chris Blair
Age: 27 | NFL experience 2 years
2024 stats: 1 reception, 17 yards, 50.0% success rate, 50% catch rate, 17 yards per reception
One of those competitors will be Blair. He had a nice summer and earned some late run, including a nice catch over the middle on a ball from Penix that marked his sole catch, but he was also benched after running a wrong route that led directly to a Penix interception.