FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. -- Atlanta Falcons coach Dan Quinn dropped a NFL draft hint months ago.

Back during his season-ending news conference alongside general manager Thomas Dimitroff, the defensive-minded Quinn started rattling off numbers tied to the offense's lack of big plays in 2017. He mentioned the 19 explosive plays outside the red zone that the Falcons had in 2016 -- when the Falcons led the league with 33.8 points per game -- and how those plays dropped to just seven last season, when the Falcons averaged 22.1 points and ranked 15th in the league.

Quinn wanted to jump-start the offense. Enter wide receiver Calvin Ridley, the Falcons' first-round draft pick from Alabama and the player ESPN draft expert Mel Kiper said for weeks the team should target because of his dynamic ability.

"He's a great route runner who knows how to use his speed and play fast," one AFC executive said of Ridley. "A true threat to score both vertically and with his patterns. He can separate from defenders with relative ease. He just needs to get stronger, but he was my favorite wide receiver in the draft and has a chance to make an immediate impact. A poor man's Marvin Harrison type."

Does that mean the Falcons have the offensive woes from last season solved? Not exactly. But things appear to be pointing in the right direction when it comes to a more explosive attack heading into Year 2 with offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian.

"Explosive plays often times lead to scoring plays, so every offense that really has their game together, those scoring opportunities are where it's at," Quinn said. "By adding guys like C-Rid to the group, you add your explosiveness. You add [opportunities] for scoring plays. That's what we're looking to do all the time: keep attacking. In [Ridley's] instance, he definitely adds to that just because of the nature and style of his play. You've got to have real speed to make big plays, and he has that."

In order to have offensive success all-around, the Falcons will have to rely on much more than just the addition of one rookie. Quarterback Matt Ryan said the Falcons need to find more consistency, and he put it on himself to make more plays when they present themselves. The receivers, running backs and tight ends have to do a better job securing the ball after dropping 34 passes last season, according to Pro Football Focus. The offensive line has to do its part to protect Ryan and allow him adequate time to make throws down the field. The Falcons didn't address the guard spot in the draft and seem content to move forward with Andy Levitre and free-agent addition Brandon Fusco, which might not be ideal with defensive lines around the NFC bulking up this offseason.

"I think we need to continue to build off last year," right tackle Ryan Schraeder said. "We need focus on execution for all 11 players, every play and every game."

Naturally, the Falcons hope five-time Pro Bowl wide receiver Julio Jones dominates and becomes much more of a scoring threat after just three touchdowns last season. If Jones continues to attract all the defensive attention, the Falcons will look to Ridley, Mohamed Sanu, Justin Hardy and tight end Austin Hooper to make plays. Last season in the red zone, Jones was targeted just 18 times and had five receptions for 33 yards with one touchdown. Adding Ridley should help. In three seasons at Alabama, Ridley was targeted 43 times in the red zone and caught 20 passes for 107 yards with 10 touchdowns.

An underrated element of the offensive equation might be the addition of a true blocking fullback who will not only clear holes in short-yardage situations but also give Ryan more time to throw against blitzing teams. The Falcons are auditioning undrafted fullbacks Luke McNitt (Nebraska) and Daniel Marx (Stanford) beginning at rookie minicamp on Mother's Day weekend.

The Falcons must trust in Sarkisian to implement a strong game plan after he drew criticism in his debut last season, and he's expected to throw in some more wrinkles to keep defenses guessing. Remember, the Falcons didn't exactly flow smoothly in their first season under Kyle Shanahan, but they came back strong in Year 2 and rode the high-powered offense all the way to the Super Bowl.

"I have complete faith in Coach Sark," Hooper said. "He's very professional, very matter of fact. He's smart. I think he has a good feel on how to use his personnel, put the right guys in the right positions to be successful. But a lot of that comes with time, right? The more you're around people, the more you know people, in general, better."