Senior Bowl practice comment

Player who will have a better NFL career than many drafted higher than him.

Senior Bowl practice comment

Player who will have a better NFL career than many drafted higher than him.

Senior Bowl practice comment

B+

2009 COLLEGE DRAFT REPORT CARD

by Jay Goldberg

The Falcons were oh so close to getting the elusive "A".  Basically, I loved what they did on their defensive line and at safety, but thought they could have done better with all their other selections.  They also did not add any high-value college street free agents.

DRAFT PICKS

Perry was an excellent grab in round one.  While he has good speed and strength for a defensive tackle, it is his quickness that stands out.  He is the rare defensive tackle who is effective against the run and can pressure the quarterback versus the pass.  He will have a long, productive NFL career.

Moore is an athletic safety who fell a bit in the draft because of a drop off his senior year (some due to injuries).  He will be looked at initially as a strong safety but plays intelligently so long term he could replace Coleman at free safety. Moore was very good value in round two in round two for Atlanta.

As his teammate and fellow cornerback Coye Francies was watching his draft value fall leading up to the draft, Christopher Owens saw his draft value rise.  On my board, however, Owens remained a fifth round value while Francies fell to the fourth round.  While Owens is fast, he is not overly athletic.  If the Falcons drafted cornerback Keenan Lewis here, they would have had the makings of a special draft.

In round four the Falcons' draft went back to the defensive line and they grabbed another potential gem.  Many draft analysts looked at Sidbury Jr. as a pass rush specialist only.  However, he has good speed and quickness at 266 pounds, which is heavy enough to develop into an effective defender against the run as well, especially given that he is a strong kid.  Sidbury Jr. will be looked at as a fourth round steal down the line.

In round five Atlanta went back to cornerback, and I went back to disagreeing with their selection.  Now in the past I liked the corners the Falcons drafted.  Both Chevis Jackson and Chris Houston were on my list of players who will have a better NFL career than many players drafted higher than them.  So I'm not sure why our boards were so different this year.  Middleton is fast, strong and athletic.  He is not overly quick.  So at 5'9.3",  he has the skill set of an outside corner, with the size of a slot corner.  He will be a solid special teams player.  Personally, with the depth at corner (Mickens and Lankster lasted until round seven) and a corner already added in the draft, I would have switched up and drafted an offensive lineman here and a corner with the second fifth round pick.  This way I would have drafted the extremely athletic tackle Xavier Fulton here and looked corner later.

Reynolds is a big man who needs work in the weight room.  He does not have the upside of Fulton who I would have drafted at #138 eliminating the need to draft Reynolds here.  Instead I would have been thrilled that cornerback Macho Harris was on the board and grabbed him.  I like the combination of Fulton and Harris much, much more than Middleton and Reynolds.  

Atkins is a player who I thought would go undrafted since he will be limited to special teams. He is a long shot to help on defense.  As a special teams staple, I would have drafted strong safety Al Afalava over Atkins since Afalava has a chance to develop into an effective player on defense.  Also, offensive guard Jamie Thomas, an underrated prospect with starter potential would have been tempting here as would speedy, underrated wide receiver Tiquan Underwood.

In round seven the Falcons returned to drafting a defensive lineman, and I once again, liked their selection.  Walker has long arms to play off blocks, good strength and surprising athleticism.  He may not be ready in 2009, but has the potential to develop into a run-stuffing defensive tackle down the road.

 COLLEGE STREET FREE AGENTS

Kelly has a nice combination of straight-line speed and size.  He could find a spot on the Falcons' development squad.

Valdez has quick feet and the versatility to backup multiple spots on the line.  He has a chance to stick.

Wilson will be a fan favorite during the preseason and is on a team where the backup quarterbacks are replaceable.  However, look for Wilson to spend the better part of this year on the Falcons' development squad where he will have to improve his accuracy to graduate to the NFL roster. 

Player who will have a better NFL career than many drafted higher than him.

Player who will have a better NFL career than many drafted higher than him.

The Falcons had a lot of draft picks and addressed their most pressing needs.  While Baker was a bit of a reach from a talent/probability perspective, if he develops into a quality starting left tackle he will be well worth what the Falcons gave up to draft him earlier than expected in round one.  On day two, running back Thomas Brown was great value in round six.  He was available there because of the tremendous depth at running back in this draft.  Atlanta also grabbed two players off my underrated list (Jackson and DeCoud), although I believe Jackson is better in cover-two scheme than in man-to-man.  Atlanta has done nothing major in college street free agency as of this write-up.

DRAFT PICKS

Ryan was everyone's top-rated quarterback in this draft including mine.  At worst he will be an above-average starting quarterback.  At best he will be a very good starting quarterback.  Atlanta will take either outcome.  Ryan was the right choice at this spot even with Dorsey still available. 

The way the draft fell Atlanta had to trade up to grab Baker if they wanted to take a shot with a player who could settle in effectively to left tackle right away.  Draft position is all about probability for draft analysts, but need enters the picture for NFL teams.  If Baker becomes a quality starting left tackle than drafting him here was a bargain.  If not, then they would have paid too much to get him regardless of what they gave up.  Baker does have a chance to be a solid left tackle.  Of course, he could also have to kick inside to guard to be an effective starter.  Time will tell.  

Lofton was an interesting pick in round two.  On tape he looks like a very good 4-3 middle linebacker, something the Falcons need (Brooking is a better WILL).  However his measurables make him look more like a 3-4 inside linebacker because of his lack of quickness and quick change-of-direction skills.  But, this is a player where I'll go with the tape over the workout.  I believe Lofton is quicker and sharper-cutting when chasing down a ball carrier than he is on the track.  Lofton should be a long term starter for the Falcons.

Jackson is a player I like a lot.  He is quick, has excellent cover skills, and is a tremendous athlete.  The only thing he lacks is top long speed which is why I believed he'd be a great fit for a cover two team.  However, his quickness and athleticism should allow him to play the nickel right away.  And if Atlanta can generate a pass rush, he could be a very good starting corner.  If not, he'll be a good corner who could get beat deep on occasion.

Douglas is a slot receiver with more quickness than speed.  I like the potential of Hawkins and Caldwell more than Douglas.  However, as a third or fourth wideout, Douglas should be fine.

DeCoud will challenge Williams to start at free safety from day one.  He is a smart player who is faster, quicker, and more athletic than he appears.  While a sure tackler, DeCoud is not a monster hitter.  Atlanta got a nice building block for their defense in DeCoud.

James is an active linebacker with the strength and ability to be a backup SAM and play special teams.  If Boley's sudden off field issues flare up, I don't believe James is ready to be an above average replacement starter.   Although he was a valuable player for Arizona State.

Biermann was a player I thought would go to a 3-4 team as an outside linebacker.  He is very strong and a good pass rusher, but a bit too small to be a 4-3 end.  However, upon analyzing things a bit deeper, Biermann certainly has the physical skills to play SAM in a 4-3.  Look for him to be a pass rushing specialist and special teams contributor while learning to play SAM.  With back-to-back picks of James and Biermann it was almost like Atlanta knew something was brewing with Boley.

Falcon fans are going to love Thomas Brown.  Brown is a short man, not a small man, something Atlanta fans are used to with Warrick Dunn on the roster up until this year.  Brown is very strong, fast, quick, and runs very well inside despite his size.  He wasn't used much as a receiver in college so he'll start off as a change-of-pace back more than a third-down back.  Atlanta now has three solid running backs.

Fontenot is a short corner with excellent strength and speed, who likes to hit.  He is more fast than quick and is better served covering outside than in the slot.  He will be a terrific special teams player and could offer the Falcons an option of moving Jackson inside and playing Fontenot outside in the nickel.

Zinger is a blocking tight end who was not on my radar.

COLLEGE STREET FREE AGENTS

Sharpe played at a big time program when he was able to play.  He is a good athlete and has a chance to stick on Atlanta's practice squad.

Wolfe looked to have an above average skill set for a strong safety and then lifted the bar only 9 times.  I believe that is why he fell out of the draft.  Luckily, strength can be addressed.  If Wolfe makes an effort to get stronger, he could be a pleasant surprise for the Falcons down the line.