The main front office players and Head Coach Dan Quinn are all back after a disappointing 2019 season. Owner Arthur Blank, who has been one of the steadier hands in the NFL ownership group, was won over by a late season winning surge by the team, which seemed to rally behind Quinn for a stretch run. Some name players have been cut loose (BEASLEY, FREEMAN, TRUFANT), and the team is moving forward with a younger look overall. Having only 6 Picks is a limiting factor, so the Picks they have must be used wisely.
Round 1, Pick 16 (PP#17) C.J. HENDERSON CB Florida 6’1/204 He will be counted on to take over Trufant’s starting Corner slot. Given his size and speed (4.39/40), he enters the NFL with prototypical numbers for the job. I had serious concerns on him heading into the 2019 season, given his seeming distaste for tackling. However, watching multiple Gators games, I was satisfied that someone got him the message to toughen up, and he did indeed seem much more willing to join the fray in stopping the run game. He’s a press-corner, who will not shine in zone coverage per se. He had 11 PBU’s in 2019, and had 6 INT’s over the past two seasons. He’s already top-notch and should get better. Just what they need… a quality, instant starter.
Round 2, Pick 47 (PP#45) MALIK HARRISON LB Ohio State 6’3/247 A do-it-all LB, who may have to try working on the outside for them initially. His game tape is excellent and he confirmed everything with some excellent numbers at the Combine. He has 10 1/2″ hands and 32 3/4″ arms. He ran a 4.66/40 at almost 250 lbs. He recorded a Vertical Jump of 36″. He might be a little slow to diagnose plays at times, but he has very good change of direction ability. Of the 18 players in the LB group at Indy to participate in the 3-Cone drill, he posted the fastest time with a 6.83. He can get into the backfield as well. Of his 75 tackles recorded last season for the Buckeyes, 16.5 of them were TFL, including 4.5 sacks. He’s not running deep in coverage with TE’s/RB’s, but he does very well dropping into shallow to medium coverage. He intercepted a pass in the Senior Bowl. Gotta luv his combo of athleticism and physicality.
Round 3, Pick 78 (PP#76) ALTON ROBINSON DE/ER Syracuse 6’3/264 ROBINSON left a bit to be desired statistically on the field in 2019. Then again, so did pretty much the entire ‘Cuse defense. But his numbers, and highlight film, show what he CAN do. His overall stat sheet was indicative of his athletic ability last season: 46 T’s, 9.5 TFL, 4.5 S’s, 10 QBH’s, 1 FF, and 3 PBU’s. He shows great get-off at the snap, and bend off the edge. His solid 4.69/40 indicates he may have multiple roles and positions to play in time. I might also point to his 35 1/2″ vertical. His numbers at the Combine were more impressive than I expected, when I saw that he was pumped up to 264 lbs. If he can get up to 270, without losing significant speed and burst, then he might win a job as a full-time DE who can play the run effectively. His upside seems huge.
Round 4, Pick 119 (PP#115) BRYCEN HOPKINS TE Purdue 6’4/245 His forte is getting downfield and catching the football. His 10 1/8″ hands had scouts attention during his Purdue career. He also worked to improve his blocking while at West Lafayette. He’s still not going to help a whole lot as an inline blocker, but he tries to help out after others make the catch downfield. He will really be a downfield headache for LB’s and S’s, if he can get off the line-of-scrimmage consistently. Great genes, as his dad Brad was a First Round OT back in the day. For an injury prone and overmatched 2019 Boilermakers team, he had 61 catches at 13.6 ypc, and 7 TD’s. He should help ease the pain from the loss of Austin Hooper in VFA. You’re welcome, Matty Ice.
Round 4, Pick 134 (PP#139) BEN BREDESON OG Michigan 6’5/315 This guy was a 4-year starter For Jim Harbaugh in Ann Arbor. To put it bluntly, he is a physical bully. He’ll get some help from OC Alex Mack on the Falcons line in pass-blocking, where he is mediocre and limited. However, when they run the ball between the tackles, he will put defenders on their arse. If he can keep his big hands (10 1/8″) between the pads, he’ll be fine. If not, he’ll be a holding machine. James Carpenter had a poor season last year in Atlanta, and makes too much money to not play better. They will look for BREDESON to push Carpenter for his job and likely his roster spot, as well.
Round 7, Pick 228 (PP#211) DIONDRE OVERTON WR Clemson 6’4/212 A great looking athlete that was caught in a talent overload at the WR position at Clemson. Right now, the Falcons backup receivers are not blessed with size, in general. OVERTON will have a chance to show his sideline and red zone jump ball ability in Training Camp. He has also shown a knack for tracking the ball well on deep routes. He had only 52 catches in 4 seasons at Clemson, but with some coaching acumen and patience, he might be a late bloomer that turns into a better pro than he was as a collegiate player. The kind of guy you take a risk on in Round 7, for my money.
The Falcons coaching staff has got to develop these guys to play significant roles and right away. This team has some potential, in a tough NFC South, but must get it done now. Matt Ryan’s window of excellence is likely starting to close, and his successor is not on this roster. They need Rookie contributors, and starters soon, out of their Draft effort.
Pigskin
